Cairns itself is not known to be a particularly beautiful city - rather it is known as a backpacker's destination and a starting point for many reef tours. We actually stayed 20 minutes north of Cairns, in Palm Cove.

The beach is lined with hotels, a few shops, and exquisite restaurants. And palm trees, of course. Also a few hammocks. It's quite hard to snap a good picture when you're swinging in a hammock.

We stayed at the Sebel Reef House, which was incredibly nice. They left refreshing (free) fruit punch out for their guests every evening. The room was nice, but the doorknobs were a little low. A swinging couch hung on the front porch. There was a salt water pool, a freshwater pool with a waterfall, and a warm-tub (it definitely wasn't hot). The staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Kind of goofy too.

Jen: "Is there a gym around here?"
Front desk guy: "I'm sorry, but Jim checked out this morning."

We feasted on extremely fresh seafood and took several walks on the beach. There was a small jetty at the end of the beach, and a box-jellyfish-free area to swim in. Unfortunately, we were on the wrong side of the Pacific to enjoy sunsets over the ocean. The last day of our honeymoon was spent lounging all over the place - at the freshwater pool, at the saltwater pool, and at the beach. It was definitely nice to take a break from all of the sightseeing to relax - we had to rest up for the 30+ hour trip back home the following day.

We basically spent the entire second half of our trip dreading the end of our honeymoon, and it had finally come. After those long months of wedding planning and a weekend of being in the spotlight, it was wonderful to get away, to visit a continent that we had always dreamed of visiting, to travel and discover new places together, and to create some lasting memories for our young marriage.