Here's the view from the breakfast verandah at the gorgeous resort I stayed at in Cairns. We looked out on a rainforest, complete with stream in the gully below. It is a wonderful bed and breakfast, and you must stay there if you are ever in Cairns - The Reef and Rainforest Bed and Breakfast.

Ivan and Lorina run the place. They are the nicest most accommodating hosts you are likely to find anywhere. Those of you who have read this whole blog know that I got sick and had to come home early. I made that decision in Cairns, where I was especially sick. Ivan and Lorina, but Ivan especially, were really concerned about me, and helped me cancel and rearrange my plans.

Beyond that, this B&B is really just a great place to hang out. Like I said it is nestled in the rainforest, but just on the edge, so you can get to Cairns easily. The hosts make runs to Cairns daily, so you can always catch a ride into town with them. And they are within walking distance of a little shopping area/strip mall that has a good Asian food restaurant (was it Thai? Chinese? I forget. Good, though). Some of the other folks staying there got really ambitious and went on Great Barrier reef excursions. Something I want to do the next time I'm there.

But why go anywhere when you can relazx on the verandah and watch the butterflies flit by, including the bright blue Ullysses butterfly, glowing against the greenery. The rooms are huge, with big comfy beds for naps. And Ivan and Lorina are so sweet. If you're lucky they'll even invite you to join the family to watch a movie with them. We watched the Bourne Supremacy. They are such nice people.

If you do go to Cairns, I reccommend April, when I was there. Early fall so not too hot, but still pleny sunny so the pool is inviting. You really must go there. I reccommend it.