As I mentioned in one of my previous posts, I’ve been doing a number of different things this week, and I will, eventually, get to sharing details of them all. I promise! 😎
In this post, I’m going to skip ahead a little: I’ve had a day to myself today, so it’s time to explore the Thala Beach Nature Reserve – the place where I’ve been staying for the last few days. As it’s Friday the 13th, 🤞 I don’t get attacked by Jellyfish or eaten by a Crocodile 😳
The eagle-eyed amongst you will note that I’ve moved my initial observation regarding Thala from my Cairns post to here. Primarily, this is because Thala warrants a post in its own right! But also because I plan to stop in Cairns before my flight leaves tomorrow – and it makes sense that all things Cairns end up in the Cairns post. Hopefully, that makes sense, too 😉
The first thing you notice about the Thala Beach Nature Reserve is that, well, aside from being a nature reserve, it’s also absolutely amazing! From the point you turn off the road, to the long sweeping drive, to reception, to the walk to your room – and then as you enter your room – one kind of just keeps thinking: wow! And more often than not, saying it too!!
Reception
If, like me, you have a car, then there is an ample-sized car park on the left just before the hill heading up to reception; reception does have a drop-off point, but there is no parking there for anything other than the resort’s own service vehicles.
As I was parking, one of the hotel staff was dropping off another couple, so I had the perfect opportunity to hitch a ride in the buggy rather than have to drag all my luggage up the hill 🎉
As you approach reception, the first thing you encounter and can’t fail to miss is the large sweeping staircase – which leads to the upper section of Ospreys restaurant, the bar, and the main pool area – together with the polished hardwood flooring that remains a theme throughout the resort.
The downstairs section of Ospreys restaurant is accessible from the reception level, which also has a little shop, together with a few little exhibits…all of which one can peruse as and when time allows.
Accommodation
Having checked in, my friendly member of staff driver took me and all my luggage back down the hill to my “Jungle Walk Bungalow”
A “Jungle Walk Bungalow” is basically a home on stilts in a rainforest setting! I get the impression it’s one of the smaller rooms on offer; however, it’s the perfect size for little old me 😎
Everything inside is tastefully decorated, and the floors are of that same polished hardwood (what looks to be mahogany or something similar). Cooling is provided by wall-mounted Air Conditioning, as well as large ceiling fans in every room. There’s even one on the veranda! Did I mention I have a veranda 😉
The bathroom comes equipped with both a shower and a bath and all the other amenities you’d expect – including a lovely big vanity mirror…perfect for me, some might say 😂
Dining
As I arrived late afternoon, I chose to eat in (the on-site) Ospreys restaurant – specifically in the upper restaurant area that is accessible via that large sweeping staircase and which also gives a magnificent view across the headland. In turn, this also gave me the opportunity to have a couple of glasses of vino, which I felt would be a really good tonic for combatting the germ(s) I’ve inadvertently picked up during my travels. Purely medicinal purposes, you understand 😋
It turns out that taking the alcohol route to remedy my health situation didn’t really suffice! Between the Monday of my arrival (December 9th) and today – Friday, December 13th – I got progressively more fluey, so have ended up in the Port Douglas pharmacy for a more “medicinal” solution 🤷🏻♂️
The Beaches
There are two beaches that one can explore at Thala: Oak Beach and Pebbly Beach – also known as “The Cove”
Pebbly Beach
Accessible via a fairly steep set of steps, “The Cove”, as it’s mostly referred to, is arguably the more “native” of the two beaches. It’s also not particularly Pebbly 🤷🏻♂️ With what looks to be its own small Mangrove area, it’s more akin to something you would see in the Daintree and, of course, at this time of year, is subject to the same (Jellyfish) restrictions as its more picturesque counterpart.
Oak Beach
This is an absolutely gorgeous spot, with an idyllic-looking swathe of sandy beach and crystal-clear, inviting water! Whilst you are perfectly at liberty to take a stroll along the former – in humidity that will pretty much make you melt, at least at this time of year – of course, you can’t take a well-earned dip in the latter; in the Summer months, it would be, well, deadly! Yes, once again, any plans for that cool, refreshing plunge are scuppered as it’s Jellyfish season! 😳
But despair not! The folks at Thala have thought about this predicament and so have created two separate pools to help guests relax and escape the Summer heat/humidity! 😎
Outside of the Summer months, the Jellyfish move on as the water is too cold. So feel free to go swimming then…though, of course, you may not find the temperature quite as inviting 🤷🏻♂️
The Rock Pool
Taking the lower path from Oak Beach and heading back towards the reception area, one will encounter the first of the two pools at Thala – a.k.a the Rock Pool. This is not the largest of the two pools but has an inviting intimacy – especially with its picturesque waterfall feature
The “main” Pool
Naturally, it would not have been fair had I not made my way up to the largest of the two pools and sampled its delights, too. The main pool at Thala is located off the bar area adjacent to the upper story of Ospreys restaurant. It’s arguably not as secluded as the Rock Pool, but at this time of year, there aren’t many folks around anyway.
Leave a Reply