We had booked a studio room which turned out to be tiny. We agreed to pay an extra $50 a night for a suite which was much larger with a lounge and a jacuzzi. Everything was extra. Wireless internet $16.50 a day but only allowed one laptop to connect. Room cleaning isn't included ($35 a day I think) but the final straw was when we asked for some clean towels and were told they were available for a small charge.
The management of this hotel need to understand their guests requirements rather than charge them for everything.

We stayed for 5 nights and loved Port Douglas, it was pretty hard to head back to Melbourne after our time in paradise!

When we first arrived we were taken to our room, and I was excited to step out onto the deck and see the pool....only to see a couple sitting on directly outside our unit on the deck, which was a bit awkward/instrusive.

The receptionist explained that given the layout of the resort, some rooms have to share a deck, but luckily, we were able to be moved to a room with an individual deck.

It's not the place to go if you want privacy. You get used to it though, and luckily it was during a quiet time so it wasn’t at full capacity. I could imagine it being really noisy and loud given a loud couple or group of people, as when in the pool you can also hear the reception area/everyone out on their decks.

I had a massage at the spa, which was lovely. Great location and a nice walk to the Main Street and beach.

All in all, very nice apartments, but we would look for something more private if we were to return to Port Douglas.

My mother, husband & I thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Shantara. It was so clean, with modern facilities - everything you need to self cater. The location of the resort was perfect, just a 2 minute stroll to the beach and shopping, but still far away enough to be quiet and relaxing.
The pools were fantastic, clean and because it is an adult only resort they were always very quiet and relaxing.
The staff at Shantara were helpful from the moment we booked through the Trip Advisor website, answering emails promptly and anticipating any questions we had. They were so friendly & helpful while up there, they even had big umbrellas incase we got caught in a tropical rain shower.
They had a great little book swap that once finished my book I could swap it for another. These little touches are everywhere at Shantara and definately makes it worthwhile booking with them.
Thanks Shantara! It was the most relaxing vacation ever! We can't wait to come back.

We stayed at Shantara Apartments as our "mini-moon" before our real honeymoon in Europe. A getaway for 5 nights of relaxation after getting married in Sydney. Wow. From the time we walked in we were impressed by the resort, its facilities and especially our apartment.

We booked a Shantara Apartment with a spa bath, outdoor spa and pool entry from the balcony. Worth the little bit extra! It was so lovely to have a secluded place to relax with a glass of wine in our own spa, and also the choice of enjoying the pool. We were in 4A which got excellent morning sun during our summer holiday. The sun was on our balcony until around midday, we were happy to have the shade by that point anyway!

The front desk organised a Great Barrier Reef snorkelling tour with Wavelength which was amazing, and a hire car for our day in the Daintree Rainforest. Both of these were easy to organise through the resort.

The walk to the beach takes only 2 minutes (and that was in 32 degree heat!) and the walk to Macrossan street was, as my husband described it, "a one ice-cream walk" We walked into town most days and nights.

I'd definitely recommend Shantara to anyone, especially the fact that it doesnt cater to children. It is so relaxing and peaceful - especially for a honeymoon - to have only adults swimming outside your apartment.

The resort is new and clean looking, the room was spotless, the staff left a bottle of Sparkling wine in the fridge, the amenities were basic but helpful and the kitchen was well-equipped if you wanted to use it. Despite the fact that the room is only serviced daily for an extra charge, enough bath towels and pool towels are supplied that it isn't a problem.

We both booked a one hour massage with the Shantara Day Spa, and Zondar is magic! The massage was heavenly and remedial at the same time, and if I had had enough time, I definitely would have booked again during my stay.

Other things we would recommend doing is dinner at Nautilus, Salsa and Harrisons, definitely get out to the reef and the Daintree if you haven't been before, and afternoon drinks at "on the inlet" was nice too.