Select... Bars Nighlife Restaurants Bars One thing's a certainty in Port Douglas - you'll have no difficulty buying a drink! Bars litter the main street, Macrossan Street, and all the major resorts have watering holes, usually more than one. The grooviest bar in town (in our humble opinion) is Cactus bar which coincidentally, happens to be next to Salsa, the trendiest restaurant in town. Cactus staffers are hip, friendly and know how to make a mean margarita, or any other cocktail for that matter. The interior is sparse and modern, the music's funky and the bar food is a huge cut above the average. The Ironbar, which has an 'Australiana' theme, is very popular with backpackers of all nationalities. Bands perform regularly in the back bar, there's pool tables and Cane Toad Races twice a week. The newest bar in town is the Goanna bar, down at the beach end of Macrossan Street. Decor is timber, the main bar is an enclosed outdoor deck and the atmosphere is relaxed and friendly. The bar of the Portofino restaurant is a popular local hangout and usually stays open until 2am. The bar staff are renowed for their bizarre concoctions which are guaranteed to kick-start your holiday! Another well-established drinking hole within a restaurant is Mango Jam, a cosy place to wind down after a long day out on the reef. The Peninsula, a new accommodation place on the Esplanade, has a bar and patio with beaut views of Four Mile Beach. If you want to meet dinky-di locals, head to the front bars of the two pubs, the Central and the Courthouse, both on Macrossan Street. Both pubs have Sky TV and feature live music regularly. The Marina Mirage area sports a handful of bars, usually within restaurants. The Hog's Breath Cafe caters to young people and families mostly and Fiorelli's attracts a mixture of local folk and browsing tourists. Henry's Bar, which is somewhat hidden away at the Marina, is very much a hangout for local 'boaties' and fishermen. Just a stroll from the Marina is the Port Douglas Yacht Club which offers a beautiful view of the marina and assorted watercraft moored there. Further along the waterfront is the Port Douglas District Combined Clubs. A humble establishment popular with longterm residents, it has a smalllish bar which is compensated for by a verandah area with gorgeous waterfront views. The two Radisson Resorts, the Reef and Treetops, have bars which are open to the public. Cascade's bar at the Reef resort is open from 4pm -12 midnight and features regular karaoke or live bands. The Terrace House restaurant at the Reef features daily happy hour between 5 - 6pm. The Cockatoo bar at Radisson Treetops is open from 4pm - midnight and features a pianist who tinkles popular classics. The Sheraton Mirage has two bars that are open to the public. The Daintree Lounge, neary the lobby of main resort, is open from 3pm - midnight and features a mellow piano-player. The Plantation Bar, located at the Sheraton's Sunbird Centre, is a sports bar with a big screen, video games, video juke box and pool tables. If you're staying out at Four Mile Beach and are in desperate need of a cleansing ale or a fortifying wine, fear not. The Barrier Reef Tavern is open until 12am weeknights and until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. The Four Mile Beach Shack is also open until 12 am every night. Two of the backpackers hostels have friendly bars which also serve very good value meals. Dougie's Backpackers is open until 11pm every night as is Port O'Call which is a very popular joint with the locals. Port O'Call has pool tables, and a dart board. Last, but not least, a landmark of Port Douglas is Going Bananas which is, strictly speaking a restaurant, however, the bar is definitely worth checking out. The decor is what can only be described as "twilight zone," they do a mean line of cocktails and shooters, it's popular with locals and tourists alike and it's open until 2am. The town of Mossman, 15 minutes drive from Port Douglas, also has a couple of historic old pubs which are top places to mix with the locals and grab a cheap meal. Select... Bars Nighlife Restaurants Nightlife The best thing about nightlife in Port Douglas is that you can literally stumble from bar to restaurant to nightclub as they are all on, or near, the main street, Macrossan Street. Most of the after dark life centres on the many restaurants and bars, although there are a handful of nightclubs that stay open until 3am. Nicky G's (open till 5am), upstairs at the Marina Mirage is a sports bar with a giant screen, air hockey table, pool tables, dance floor with DJ and occasionally a karaoke machine. The music played is mainstream and it attracts a predominantly younger crowd who want to p-a-r-t-y! Club Danny's on Macrossan Street recently underwent refurbishment and now has a huge dancefloor and a bigger bar/lounging around area. The DJ at Danny's loves electronica and hip hop and it's a great place to go for a mega, sweat-inducing dance. Friday night is usually the big night at Danny's and it caters for the gay crowd and alternative lifestylers in general. TRIP FM (88.0 on the FM band) holds regular dance parties at numerous venues around town. The monday night 'Blues Jam' at the Courthouse Hotel is a local institution. If 'pokies' (poker or slot machines) give you a buzz, your options are the Central Hotel, a rambling Queenslander on Macrossan Street or the Port Douglas Combined Clubs on the waterfront. But if you need a gambling fix, you'll need to get down there before 10pm. The Port Douglas Yacht Club which is licensed until 12 midnight, has tranquil night time views of the marina and waterfront and entertainment every Wednesday night. Out at Four Mile Beach, the Barrier Reef Tavern is open till 2am on Fridays and Saturdays. The Tavern has a pool table, restaurants, juke box, poker machines and some of the cheapest beer in town. Not far from the Tavern is the Four Mile Beach Shack which has pool tables, a juke box, pin ball machines and is open till 12am every night. The Radisson Reef Resort features weekly karaoke for those who want to exercise their vocal chords. Select... Bars Nighlife Restaurants Restaurants Port Douglas is renowned as being something of a culinary mecca with some of the best restaurants not only in Queensland, but Australia. To have such a wealth of top dining experiences in a town that is 2,000 kms from a capital city, makes Port Douglas unique in the world. Put simply, forget about your diet and relish some of the best food you're ever likely to taste. Chefs here make the most of fabulous, fresh local ingredients and much of the dining is al fresco. Arguably, Port Douglas' most famous restaurant is Nautilus which is set amongst lush, tropical gardens on Murphy Street. The food at Nautilus is top notch with a seafood emphasis and this was the restaurant that President Clinton patronised during his 1996 visit to Port Douglas. Nipping at the heels of Nautilus for the title of best restaurant in Port, is Salsa Bar and Grill. The food is fresh, interesting and eclectic and the waiting staff are the savviest in town. Salsa has twice won the award for best restaurant in North Queensland. Seafood is a speciality in Port Douglas, particularly coral trout, mud crabs and barramundi and there are several eateries that serve innovative, fresh seafood dishes. On the Inlet, which is right on Dickson Inlet, offers sensational, fresh seafood in a lovely outdoor setting. You can still sample great seafood, even if you're travelling on a budget - try fish and chips or a fish burger from a cafe on the main street. Prawns, crayfish and other assorted goodies can also be bought fresh from the trawler at one of the seafood wholesale outlets in town. Undoubtedly the restaurant with the best view in Port, is the aptly named Vue Restaurant and bar. Set high on Murphy Street, the view at sunset looking out over the water to the Mossman ranges and north to the Daintree National Park, is not to be missed. And the food's good too. Almost every international cuisine is found in Port Douglas. Choose from Italian, Greek, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Mexican, Mediterranean or modern Australian. Most restaurants are licensed. A hearty meal doesn't have to cost a fortune either.There are loads of cafes serving everything from an Aussie meat pie to foccacia, burgers, BLTs, steak sandwiches and pasta. The backpacker lodges, the local pubs and the yacht club are also excellent venues to grab a tasty and inexpensive nosh-up. There are several good restaurants in the Port Douglas hinterland and one worth mentioning is Silky Oaks Lodge. Nested in the pristine Daintree Rainforest overlooking the Mossman River, the resort offers a three course a la carte lunch package for guests not staying there and the food is excellent. Of the restaurants on the Atherton Tablelands, two worth mentioning are the Malanda Hotel at Malanda and Nick's Swiss Restaurant in Yungaburra.