The positives:
Location was superb - quiet location and short walk across the street to the gorgeous beach.
The surroundings are tropical & well cared for providing much needed visual privacy between dwellings.
The pool was fabulous and very kid friendly.
Owners were friendly and helpful.
They supplied a port-a-cot (with additional mattress inserted for comfort) and a high-chair.
The dwellings were reasonably clean and very well maintained.
The cedar louvres faciliate complete darkness if required (great for small children having daytime sleeps - can use air-conditioning for climate control if necessary).

The negatives:
The guy was still getting our cottage ready on arrival and informed us our towels were in the dryer and would be ready soon.
Yes reception is only manned for 1/2 hour a day but we found the owners easy to get hold of on mobile (but at your own expense - no telephone in room and there is no mobile coverage in the area for vodafone customers c/- cylone Larry).
The cottages are indeed very close together so you do hear everything from other residents and vice versa - there were a few families there at the same time as us so I don't think the people in the 'couples' cottages would have had a very peaceful time.
The kitchen had the basic necessities. It is self-contained with complimentary tea/coffee/sugar, however it would have be nice if they offered a few extras like salt and pepper and cooking oil so you didn't need to buy these items for your stay.
The fridge opened the wrong way and was one which you could have easily swapped the door to hinge to the other side.
While the inclusion of washer and dryer was excellent (I used both) there is no laundry tub so I resorted to using the mop bucket (unclean to start with as was the washing basket) to rinse wet togs before spinning them in the washer. Also the line space is only enough for you to dry togs for the whole family and maybe a towels or 2.
The audio visual equipment was a bit below par -seem to have gone with the cheap and nasty brands and paid the price.
There is no indoor dining option which suits the climate etc but the outdoor furniture is so damn heavy we got sick of using it.

But perhaps the biggest disappointment were the 'family friendly features' they advertised for the kids. The games room while providing all the amusement a child needs whilst away from their own posessions wasn't the kind of space they would want to stay and play in. Certainly a parent wouldn't want to sit in this dim space with no outlook to supervise. Their website had a photo of it taken from the outdoor space adjacent with a kids table and chairs in the foreground (the 2 spaces are separated by a roller door) which really appealed to me . So when I visited the room with the kids I opened up the door so they could use the nicely decked out kids outdoor space. After 5 mins of my kids having an awesome time I was mortified to be told be the owner that this was in fact a 'private space'. I think perhaps it has been resumed over time to serve the needs of their family rather than the patrons. I would have thought it could have been used for both - but hey! And if they didn't want it used perhaps lock it or put a sign on the door. So their website was misleading in this manner.

The kids DVD's were a bit on the dodgy side. I think only 2 out of the 10 we borrowed worked from start to finish and some of them were asian knock offs with ridiculous subtitles.

This place has won a few tourism awards (nothing since 2006) - but that was a few years ago and to be honest, it looks as if apart from cleaning and maintaining the gardens and villas it shows.

I do have high expectations, so despite all the criticism it was a lovely holiday - just wished we had taken some of our own toys and DVD's. Only book to go here if you are willing to overlook these issues.

Stayed in the Possum Deluxe Spa for 3 nights in Sept 2009.
Rate was A$215 p/n.

On Cassawong's website, the Spa cottages are advertised as being a retreat "where couples come to have that private and quite time". It goes on to say they are well appointed with all amenities required.

While the website photos reflect the decor and surrounds of the cottage accurately, they do not indicate just how close all the cottages are to each other. To advertise the deluxe spa cottages as a couples retreat is in my opinion grossly misleading! Noise from families in their cottages, outdoor areas and the pool is far too easily heard. In particular, being woken up by crying babies and kids jumping in the pool at 6am is not my idea of a relaxing, romantic start to the day!

We also found the amenities provided to be on the stingy side - e.g., only one soap, no tissues or other toiletries (shampoo, conditioner), no face washer or beach towels and no milk in the fridge!! They are happy to pat themselves on the back about the wonderful starter kit provided though and where Woolworths is if you need more.

There is also only minimal info in the rooms on things to do in Mission Beach and reception is only open for 30 minutes each day. A note is left saying you can ring them on their mobile at anytime (at your cost as no phone in the room of course) but when my husband rang to enquire about beach towels and introduced himself as staying in the Possum cottage his greeting was a disinterested "Yeah?".

To be fair, the location is very good, with the beach being a quick stroll across the road and through the vacant lot. The general area was quiet as well. I think this would be a great place to stay for a group of families with kids travelling together. It is definitely more what Cassawong Cottages are suited for and would probably be a wonderful experience for them – just not so wonderful for any couples trying to have some quite time in their cottages.

I would recommend Cassawong for families, but NOT for couples.

Self-catering cottages on Wongaling Beach which is one of the beaches of the community of Mission Beach.

Everything was provided to make self-catering an attractive proposition. Roomy cottage with all equipment (other than dishwasher) in a manicured tropical rainforest garden setting.

The local shopping centre is of sufficient size to provide virtually everything that one would expect in a city - it isn't isolated from that point-of-view.

Tremendous value and would certainly stay again if in the area.

After staying in Cairns for a few days, we decided to chill on Mission Beach. The adorable cottage we stayed in was simply perfect for our family... very clean and comfortable! We were surrounded by beautiful Rainforest fauna. It was beautifully decorated! The pool and the grounds were well kept and we felt like we had the beach to ourselves.
We had a completely furnished kitchen and grill with private veranda. The one bathroom was huge, clean and had a washer and dryer for our use. They even supplied laundry detergent. I only wish all hotel owners were this attentive to details. They do it right at Cassawong Cottages!