Crystalbrook Riley

We stayed at the Riley for a family holiday. We booked two rooms. The Rooms were large, well appointed, spotlessly clean with crisp linen and soft beds. There are a fair amount of complementary items in the room including a nespresso maker with four pods, renewed daily. The mini fridge also contains two refillable water bottles, a nice touch in the tropics. The mini bar prices are the same as those at the various hotel bars. The main appeal of the Riley are it's massive swimming pools, with the main pool being approximately 25m long and 1.2m deep. Ideal for laps, assuming it's not crowded with other guests. Cairns is subject to a lot of showers during the day which by no means discourages swimming, however there are no undercover areas near the pools to put towels and clothing. Quite a few times I returned to my deck chair to find a wet towel and t-shirt, despite the beach umbrella. The restaurants are good offering a variety of options for reasonable prices (for a five star hotel). Service is excellent. All wait and bar staff were very professional and courteous. The hotel is immediate across from the Cairns Esplanade boardwalk and a lazy walk to the wharf - the gateway to the Barrier Reef. The boardwalk is a fantastic feature of the Cairns experience and it's proximity to the Riley is a huge feature for the hotel. I intend to stay at the Crystalbrook Riley on my next trip to Cairns. Highly recommended

The service was extremely disappointing and ultimately ruined our four-day stay. We waited over 45 minutes for a single beer to be delivered to our room. Basic amenities such as toilet paper and tea were never restocked during our stay. When we requested complimentary tea the following day, staff said they would bring it up shortly—but it never arrived. The food was average at best, and guests are required to fill their own water downstairs, which felt inconvenient and out of step with the standard advertised. The pool area was particularly concerning: there were no lifeguards or staff supervising at any time. Children were allowed to run amok—throwing sand at other guests and diving into the spa despite clear signage prohibiting this behaviour. Staff appeared indifferent to both safety and guest comfort. There are far better value options along the same strip. Unfortunately, the poor service overshadowed what could have been an enjoyable stay.

We stayed at Crystalbrook Riley for two nights after spending five nights in Palm Cove, and overall we had a lovely experience. The look and feel of the hotel were amazing, light, coastal, and beautifully styled. The furniture and ambience created a relaxed atmosphere, especially with views over the three pools and out to the Esplanade. Our room was comfortable and suited our stay, though we would’ve preferred a double–double configuration. The shower was excellent. We had breakfast included at Paper Crane; it was good with lots of options, though not the best buffet breakfast we’ve had. The pool area was attractive but could feel crowded at times. We really enjoyed our time at Crystalbrook Riley and would definitely stay again on a return trip to Cairns. A few things to note, it was very busy so our room was not cleaned until late afternoon and we had to ask for the towels towels to be replaced during our stay, and the hallways could have been cleaned more regularly, as there were noticeable marks and dirt on the floors each day. It’s also not really my vibe when people drink in the pool, which was happening and did put me off a little. Like others have noted hard to get a sun lounge. That said, we enjoyed the beach-style pool with its sand entry.

I was hoping our stay here would be amazing. Unfortunately our tower room smelt incredibly musty and was damp. When we got to our room the floor was quite dirty (clothes tags, crushed-up medication and chip crumbs). I called reception and that was rectified relatively quickly. Then when I went to use the shower, the bath mat had a nasty stain on it which has us wondering if the room had been cleaned at all. I took the mat to reception and the staff, while friendly, were rather indifferent about the standard for a five star hotel. Housekeeping did come up after about 25 minutes and replaced our towels. What is quite bonkers is that there is a $100 credit card hold per night! That's a crazy amount of money if you are staying for a few nights. The view is lovely but there are definitely other 5 star hotels that better match their rating in Cairns in terms of service and room quality. The highlight was dinner at Roccos which was top notch for both food and service.

We stayed at Crystalbrook Riley for our 20th wedding anniversary and absolutely loved it. Upon arrival we were pleasantly surprised with an upgrade to a spa suite and the lovely anniversary note and drink vouchers were such thoughtful touches. The resort is stunning, especially the pool at night — one of the nicest in Cairns! The staff were friendly and accommodating, even giving us a later checkout since our flight was later in the day. If I could suggest one thing, it would be to add a guest shower option for those with late flights so you can enjoy the pool before heading off. Otherwise, everything was perfect — we can't wait to come back and stay again! Highly recommended!

Had the most amazing week here, our little boy got the best use of the heated pool with the white sand beach the entire week and we cannot ask for more. Room was clean, housekeeping was neat, Friendly staffs, great choice of food at hotel and nearby restaurants/night market, coupled with amazing North QLD tropical weather. Just noticed there was a sudden surge of large tourist groups toward the end of our stay, but what can you do when the hotel is very popular. Nice work team!

We had an amazing stay at this beautiful hotel. I booked a twin room by mistake and they had no problems fixing everything. I want to give a special thanks to Camila, who worked at reception. She is so friendly and made us feel right at home. This hotel is by far, the best that Cairns has to offer. We can't wait to visit again.

Staff were lovely and very accomodating. Room wasn’t stocked properly, had to call and ask for things like robes etc. PSA to all parents, the cot offered is a portacot with NO mattress and the base was so low I couldn’t actually put her down as I was too short. It is a plastic board with a thin foam layer (like 1-2cm thick). We asked on the phone prior to booking if it was an actual cot with a mattress as our baby is only 5 months old and we needed a sleep safe set up and we were assured it was and we didn’t need to bring a mattress. When we got there it was definitely a toddler bed/play cot. We called and asked if that was the mattress we were promised and they said they would bring us one, and it ended up being a fluffy blanket they put over the base (which is a big suffocation risk). Bub ended up cosleeping with us as we both didn’t feel comfortable leaving her in the cot, especially as I couldn’t reach her. Definitely toddler friendly, but I wouldn’t bring a baby there again without an alternative set up! Staff were lovely though and did try and help! We were also in an accessible room which I wish we were told about prior as no shower glass made the entire bathroom wet and slippery while carrying a baby - had to mop up the floor after every shower, however when we booked we were told it was the last room so there wasn’t any other option! Other than that, it was a lovely stay as per usual.

Other hotels in Cairns can be run down but the Crystalbrook Riley is cool and glistening. Location is central but not honky tonk and restaurant is cool. But best trait is the staff-- helped set up trips, dinners and more. . . AND refused to accept tips. A gem with a great staff.

Absolutely adore this hotel! Rooms are roomy and bright. Bathroom however is pretty dim. There is no magnifying mirror. Staff is very friendly and has great recommendations for food and adventures.