The Cairns Resort with Poolside Dining & The City's Only Swim Up Bar

Turquoise water, frangipani shade, and a DJ setlist by you. Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort turns a city block into an island fantasy, complete with swim up bar, poolside dining, and suites built for sandy feet.

In sunny north‑eastern Queensland stands Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort, a property that quietly has what no other address in the city limits does: Cairns’ only swim up pool bar. And this Cairns resort knows how to do a pool bar just right. 

Step through the lobby and the urban noise of Cairns evaporates, replaced by the gentle soundtrack of water features, rustling palms and a soundtrack guided by you. This Cairns hotel takes the fantasy of a tropical resort and plants it squarely in the centre of a bustling tourist town, with the busy Esplanade just steps away. 

First impressions are turquoise; the huge, lagoon‑style pool, fringed by palms and real sand, occupies almost the entire courtyard. Blocking out the rest of the world is a lush tropical garden that surrounds the water, with bromeliads, frangipanis, ferns and towering palms.

Parents constructing artisanal drip castles on the tiny beach can still keep half an eye on the mojito migration occurring a few metres away, making it one of the best family resorts cairns has on the books. TikTok famous models pose on the iconic loungers. The bar’s thatch‑roofed perch dispenses pineapple‑heavy concoctions, proper espresso, and poolside snacks with equal dedication.

As the afternoon sun casts shadows across the lagoon and the swim up bar enters its golden hour of activity, the MOKU Beach Club transitions into what the resort describes as "permanent vacation mode" and guests float between pool and bar, between sundecks and cabanas.

Locals, too, have found a loophole in the holiday economy with the Moku Day Pass, which opens the gate to loungers, lagoon and that famous Cairns swim up bar, with the fee returned as dining credit for those clever enough to keep track of their receipts. Capacity controls prevent overcrowding, safeguarding the pool’s languid vibe. 

The bright, spacious guest rooms work a tropical‑Modernist aesthetic: bleached timber, ripple‑glass lamps and enough ventilation and cooling strategies to keep everyone happy. Seventy‑inch televisions come fitted with Chromecast, while blackout curtains recognise that far‑north dawns begin around the same time as backpacker karaoke. Those inclined to measure holidays in steps will appreciate the 24‑hour full-sized fitness centre.

Mountain, city, and pool views are available for picky panorama shoppers, and parents make a beeline for the Family Suite: a king bed for grown‑ups, a sofa bed and complimentary cots for kiddos, two bathrooms, a spa and a private terrace that is observably large enough for scooter practice. Check out is a lazy 11am, kids are welcome to the generous breakfast buffet and to stay in their parent’s rooms at no extra cost, and the beloved VIK (very important kids) program operates every Queensland school holiday.

Moku Bar and Grill carries the resort’s island fantasy through to the plate: split coconut candles on the tables, a ceiling of paddle fans, and a menu that roams the Pacific. The twice‑cooked pork knuckle arrives with smoked root vegetable, while the baby Daintree barramundi in charred‑lime coconut cream shows off the expert handiwork of local anglers. For something hearty, the Fijian‑style coconut curry with cassava and edamame proves the kitchen has studied the region’s lexicon beyond “reef and beef”. 

Breakfast, though, is where the resort shows why it’s one of the best resorts in Cairns. Alongside usual suspects like fresh pineapple and papaya, danishes the size of frisbees and made to order eggs, sits a pancake‑decorating station that kids go wild for. On special holidays the VIK program also lures smaller guests into cupcake classes and treasure hunts, freeing adults to rediscover the pool bar.

If you can bear to pull yourself away from the resort, Salt House is a big, vibey place that is perfect for the sunset sky show. Sail masts silhouette against a tangerine horizon while an Argentinian wood-fired grill blazes in the open kitchen. House heroes are a 1.2 kilogram dry-aged tomahawk seared over red gum coals and platters of reef fish.

Or for something more intimate, family-run Bellocale sits in an art-deco shop front on Grafton Street and pipes the fragrance of garlicky olive oil straight onto the footpath. Local fishermen supply the blue swimmer crab that ends up inside ravioli, and Coral Sea bugs coil through ribbons of pappardelle. 

Cairns after dark is a playground where neon coral and rainforest swap notes and Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort’s Lake Street geography puts you two minutes’ stroll from the Cairns Esplanade, five minutes more and travellers reach the Reef Fleet Terminal, where catamarans depart daily for the Great Barrier Reef’s outer platforms, making you snorkel‑ready by lunchtime and getting you back in time for pool‑bar happy hour. 

Inland, the Kuranda Scenic Railway snakes out of Cairns Station twice each morning, climbing past rainforest waterfalls to a hill‑station village known for its arts markets and butterfly sanctuary. Late-afternoon cruises slide from nearby Trinity Inlet so passengers can toast the sunset as it melts the sky into mango and guava stripes. For extra gloss, board Spirit of Cairns: the 26-metre catamaran leaves Marlin Marina at 6.30 pm with live music, seafood buffet and top-deck views.

As the sun sets on the Esplanade, visitors love splashing through the 4,800-square-metre Lagoon (open till 9pm, free for all) before strolling to the famous Night Markets on Abbott Street. Under the glowing sign you’ll find 70-plus stalls, from pearl earrings to fish-foot spas. Refuel with Vietnamese pho, or feather-light crêpes.

Practically next door to your hotel, Cairns aquarium’s torch-lit tour reveals prowling sharks and glimmering reef fish if you’re after a real night-time thrill. Certified divers can ditch the glass and descend into torch-beam darkness where morays and lobsters patrol the coral.

In a destination like Cairns, which serves primarily as gateway to natural wonders like the Great Barrier Reef and Daintree Rainforest, the Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort accomplishes something remarkable: it makes the case that sometimes, the most memorable part of a journey to see world-famous attractions might be the hours spent doing nothing much at all, cocktail in hand, watching the tropical sun dance across perfect turquoise water.