Crystalbrook Riley

Australia , Cairns - QLD
CAIRNS, 131-141 Esplanade
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100 reviews shown

6/10

Pleasant

09 Mar 2026

Tony

There was a strong mildew odour coming from the air conditioner. We had to open the door to breathe fresh air. The air conditioner needs cleaning and is a health hazard.
Otherwise very happy with this place.

10/10

Exceptional

03 Mar 2026

Jean-Robert

Good spot. Everything is easy and close by

Friends

10/10

Exceptional

02 Mar 2026

Andre

Beautiful view from the panoramic room. Swimming pool was very nice.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Feb 2026

Brunie

Love it

10/10

Exceptional

27 Feb 2026

Lisa

Fabulous accomodation and pool.

10/10

Exceptional

15 Feb 2026

Jared

The room was fantastic - spacious, clean and comfortable with great views of the pool and esplanade. Crystalbrook Riley is always a great place to stay and unwind in Cairns.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Feb 2026

Lee

Had a brilliant stay, The staff were welcoming, felt special with the taking of suitcase from car, The bed was comfy and clean, The rain shower was amazing and I didnt want to get out, The only negative was the air con, didnt get cool enough as didnt go past 20°c so kept getting hot when trying to sleep during the night but would stay again.

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

13 Feb 2026

Paul

Staff were fine. Room was nice and ammenties great. Room though has strong wet mould smell that my wife and i didnt like at all. That was dissapointing as u felt u wanted to get out of the room.

Business Partner

10/10

Exceptional

10 Feb 2026

Malcolm

Beautiful hotel. Very clean, nice rooms and furnishings. Staff relocated us to an upgraded room when we had trouble with our A/C.

Leisure Family

6/10

Pleasant

08 Feb 2026

Kerry

Beautiful hotel. We had 2 rooms for the family. Very much enjoyed the hotel. Rained a lot while we were there which was unfortunate. Lovely breakfast buffet included which was amazing travelling with teenagers with healthy appetites.Rooftop bar was lovely.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

07 Feb 2026

Amir

We had a wonderful, comfortable stay at Crystalbrook Riley. The reception team was consistently helpful and welcoming, always greeting us with a smile. Our room felt fresh and clean, the amenities were modern, and the pool area was truly outstanding.
The only minor issue occurred on one day of our three-night stay: we returned to our room just before lunch to find it hadn't been serviced yet. Reception mentioned housekeeping was running behind, but the room wasn't attended to until nearly 3 PM. The staff seemed under significant pressure, as I had to specifically ask them to make the bed and rinse the glasses before they finished. However, since this only happened once, it didn't overshadow an otherwise excellent experience. I’d happily stay here again!

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

06 Feb 2026

Kirsty

Very clean room, very friendly and helpful staff, everything surpassed our expectations of a resort hotel. This was our first stay in a Crystalbrook hotel. Would book again

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

03 Feb 2026

Janet

Room and hallway all smeleed very mouldy and musty. The standard of inclusions in the bar fridge was tragic and aimed at travellers from overseas that don't know our brands and prices. Have stayed at many Crystalbrooks - in CNS Bailey is better than Riley and Flynn.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

03 Feb 2026

Yvette

The pool area was relaxing

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Feb 2026

Damon

Great location, rooms and facilities

10/10

Exceptional

29 Jan 2026

Mark

Clean room. Great pool.

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jan 2026

Ricardo

Amazing hotel

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jan 2026

Robert

Beautiful sea view and overlooking the large lagoon pool. Gym was adequate but limited equipment

10/10

Exceptional

26 Jan 2026

Paul

Nice rooms pool was great

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jan 2026

Roger

Nice room, good pool with views and good location

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

23 Jan 2026

Fiona

Beautiful property

Business

10/10

Exceptional

21 Jan 2026

Janene

bed was very comfortable and staff friendly

Business

10/10

Exceptional

19 Jan 2026

Alexia Jayne

10/10 - Absolutley amazing stay - staff were perfect - everything was clean and neat and pool was also clean and wasnt over run with guests - could have afew more lounges around the pool but then again you dont want it to crowded
room service was a bit $$ for the serving sizes but taste made up for that 100%
I wouldnt stay anywhere else

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jan 2026

Jignesh

Very good experience

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Jan 2026

Nicola

Rooms spacious and very clean, new towels each day and air conditioning amazing. We stayed in the tower.

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

12 Jan 2026

Adrian

The hotel itself is very nice, well maintained, and visually appealing. The staff was courteous and did attempt to assist during my stay.

Unfortunately, I experienced an issue with the room that ultimately shortened my visit. Due to the tropical climate, there was a noticeable musty odor in the room, which was uncomfortable, particularly as I use a sleep apnea machine while sleeping. I had originally booked three nights but decided to check out after the first night.

I spoke with hotel staff and was shown three alternative rooms; however, the same odor was present in each one. The staff mentioned that the smell might be related to recently replaced carpeting. From my experience with extensive travel, it seemed more consistent with humidity or ventilation challenges. Additionally, the air conditioning would not go below 21°C, which may have contributed to the issue.

While the property itself is lovely, the room conditions made my stay less comfortable than expected. I appreciate the efforts of the staff and hope this feedback is helpful for future improvements.

Leisure Self

8/10

Excellent

10 Jan 2026

Wade

Overall, enjoyable, but a bit too expensive.

Particularly good breakfast buffet - but rather expensive. The breakfast buffet is quite similar but actually slightly better at Crystalbrook Bailey, where it's also significantly cheaper.

Room had an okay view but was only a few floors up, so it was more of trees than of the ocean.

No road noise at all, surprisingly - good sound insulation. Never heard anything from surrounding rooms either.

The bathroom tended to flood when the shower was used - looks like the floor simply doesn't slope towards the drain, so water easily creeps out of the shower and all over the bathroom floor. Ventilation was also poor so condensation formed on the air-conditioned walls and countertop, making everything damp. Kinda gross.

The floor to ceiling windows were nice, but the odd shape of the room made its layout awkward and meant there wasn't a lot of counter space nor seating.

The bathroom had almost no counter space.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

04 Jan 2026

Fulvio

Paper Crane was terrific and well run.
CC’s was still outstanding how it is run which is very Professional.
A huge appreciation to Francisco as he Welcomed both my wife and myself with Great Professionalism.
As soon as the bags were out of the Uber he was wheeling them in and then help check us in.
Now that’s Great Service.
Crystalbrook Riley ……. Fantastic!

Leisure Partner

6/10

Pleasant

01 Jan 2026

Phillip

I've stayed here multiple times. On this occasion the room was tired, carpets were stained badly, No longer presented as a 5 star resort it once was.

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

31 Dec 2025

Pauline

On two occasions staff came into our room without knocking on the door first! Very unprofessional. Paper Crane would have to have the worst breakfast buffet we’ve ever had. For a hotel that calls it self 5 stars it’s a big disappointment. Will not be returning

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

28 Dec 2025

Rianna

The room was I’m

10/10

Exceptional

26 Dec 2025

Gordon

Clean was clean and spacious. The staff was helpful . The location was within walking distance of the restaurants and port.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Dec 2025

Amanda

Great views

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

21 Dec 2025

NADER

We enjoyed our stay at Crystalbrook Riley in Cairns. The room was very clean, specious and luxurious. Our view of the pool and ocean were very nice and it was only 15 minutes walk from the main marina, where all of the restaurants and excursion boats are located. The pool was also very nice with nice views of the ocean.

10/10

Exceptional

16 Dec 2025

Mohmmadaftabhusen Altafhusen

Great place to stay.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Dec 2025

Wendy

Good view, lovely swimming pools, pool open from 6am to 9pm. Was great to sit on loungers at end of day with a drink.
Comfortable bed, mini bar fridge, clean rooms. Friendly helpful staff

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

14 Dec 2025

JACQUELINE

We had a wonderful stay at the Riley. Beautiful property, well appointed and large room, very clean, well located and easily walkable. The coup de grace was the excellent and pleasant service we received from everyone on their staff, and especially from Cameron who gave great restaurant and tour tips. A great experience!

Friends_and_family Friends

10/10

Exceptional

11 Dec 2025

Marshall

Everything was subperb

10/10

Exceptional

08 Dec 2025

Sharon

Excellent facilities, love the pool area sensational

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

08 Dec 2025

Sara

The room was spotless. The service at check-in by Boone was over and above. We loved breakfast. We loved the location. Our corner room 0443 was perfect with a great view of the Esplanade and Trinity Bay. Only reason to give a 4-star was that room thermostats are not operable by the guests. However, we asked at reception and they sent a maintenance staff to lower the temp to 20 for us - we like a cooler room than 21. It’s hot in Cairns during December.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Dec 2025

Syed

Great hotel. Would stay there again.

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

04 Dec 2025

Joanne

Very convenient for our stay in hospital

10/10

Exceptional

03 Dec 2025

Karen

The hotel was very comfortable, clean and airy. The staff was extremely helpful with directions and helping us make plans. The location was excellent for all activities and dining.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

02 Dec 2025

Steven

The staff were most helpful and polite.
Would have liked our own outside space .

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

01 Dec 2025

Ronan Mac

A beautiful and calm vibe in the hotel.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Dec 2025

Nicole

Location. Amenities. Pool.

8/10

Excellent

30 Nov 2025

malcolm

Overall good.

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

28 Nov 2025

HUW

Heather was outstanding.

4/10

Poor

26 Nov 2025

Felicity

The manager was very very helpful and upgraded me. Firstly the room was not up to standard. It looked nothing like the photo. It had a view of a very large canopy and a dead bird. This is not what I expected but the upgrade to a much better room was very much appreciated. This was done by the manager and the booking of the terrible room was by what if so this company what was not helpful but Crystal Brook Hotel was.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

26 Nov 2025

Lisa

First room was 106 very dissapointed stuck at side of building no view should ba a transit room, once i mentioned it we were up graded straight away to pool view room and lovely balcony. Very impressed with this. All staff were wonderful n attentive. Will definately come again.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

25 Nov 2025

Joseph

Location was wonderful

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

20 Nov 2025

Matthew

Wonderful stay ( for the second time!) Quick and friendly check in with an unexpected upgrade! Spacious and clean room with tub and balcony with ocean view. Great pool to laze around , had a cocktail and bite of lunch. Bliss!

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

18 Nov 2025

Valerie

The staff was great and the property was beautiful!

10/10

Exceptional

16 Nov 2025

Jason

Great staff

10/10

Exceptional

14 Nov 2025

Jooyun Oh

I happily give 5 stars for the overall convenient and scenic location, lovely facilities, helpful staff and chic eateries. On the \"needs improvement\" was the musty smell of the room (great ocean view!) and inconsistent cleaning crew. eg, sometimes the used tea bag/towels/pillows were replaced and sometimes not. (I'm all for eco-housekeeping, but expect it to be consistent.)

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

11 Nov 2025

Moon Sun

very relax and staffs are friendly. Everything is near by and easy to walk around. Highly recommend to stay here.

Partner

8/10

Excellent

09 Nov 2025

Karen

The resort is beautiful. We had adjoining rooms and both rooms had problems with the air conditioning that did not get rectified until the last evening of our stay. The staff was very prompt and courteous.

Friends_and_family Family

8/10

Excellent

09 Nov 2025

Maria T

Clean room great staff

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

09 Nov 2025

Patrick

Loved everything about our stay. Will be back again!

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

07 Nov 2025

Nancy

Great location on the esplanade, excellent facility, clean, good service

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

30 Oct 2025

Glenn

Room was very good

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

27 Oct 2025

Mark

great location and quality accommodation

8/10

Excellent

26 Oct 2025

Jodie

We were disappointed that we were put in a disability room, firstly because we believe these should be kept for people or genuinely need it. And secondly because we felt that we had no bathroom bench space, the shower completely flooded the entire bathroom. We are also wouldn’t work out the lights at all, it was either one small light on near the bed or absolute darkness. Pretty disappointing for $305 a night.

Leisure Partner

2/10

Poor

26 Oct 2025

David Albert

We were given a down graded room from what we paid for. I guess the hotel was overbooked and we were silently downgraded hoping we wouldn’t notice. No real effort was made to make up for this once we let them know. Suggest guests at this hotel double check you got the room you paid for!

10/10

Exceptional

26 Oct 2025

Frances

Staff extremely helpful and kind. Location great for the marina. We enjoyed the poolside service too.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

15 Oct 2025

Nikolaos

Staff excellent, food excellent, room always very clean and very comfortable.

8/10

Excellent

13 Oct 2025

Cathy

Location was great ! Pool was stunning , water temp was good for October. We were given an accessible room even though we did not require one. It took the staff a couple of requests to clean the bathroom tiles which were grubby. The quality of the towels were not up to a five srar hotel standard and we had to ask for fresh towels as they were not replaced when the room was serviced .

Partner

6/10

Pleasant

11 Oct 2025

PAUL

we booked the weekend for a birthday celebration. Closer to the weekend booked another night (Fri) as well. At that late notice and being a long weekend, secured the last room in different price bracket.
(Fri night room) this was a disabled access room with disabled facilities bathroom which was fine, it was huge but the aircon would not let us adjust to make it cooler which made for an uncomfortable nights sleep.
I asked to change room in the morning but no additional rooms available, staff member was quite rude saying no additional rooms due to school holidays. Advised they would get aircon looked at while we went out for the day. I did mention also that the weekend initial booked was in a twin but was told since school holidays room booking was combined. Went off for the day only to get a phone call saying that I need to check out of room, confused because had only just spoken to staff this morning and advised no rooms available. No issues I had a car so could be back in 10 minutes, only to receive a second call on my way back from a different staff member to vacate the room again (same rude staff from the morning). I checked out of one room stored luggage to then check back in the afternoon as new room not yet ready. My issue with this situation was I had explained twice that I booked an extra night and think staff misunderstood due to language barrier. This experience did not make for an enjoyable visit.

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

08 Oct 2025

Cynthia

Lovely pool

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

08 Oct 2025

Jacqui

Room service staff atmosphere restaraunts pool clean and location all amazing.

Leisure Family

8/10

Excellent

07 Oct 2025

Danielle

All roubd was good

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

07 Oct 2025

Christy

Great location, good drinks & food, friendly staff. Very busy/crowded pool - holiday time.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

04 Oct 2025

Alexander

Great view in the tower, comfy bed, nice bathroom with a hot shower. However, the room had a musty smell that was off putting, found out later that by turning off the AC the smell went away. I was initially told the carpet was replaced and was the cause of the smell but it was actually coming from the AC vents. I didn’t bother asking for another room since I had a booked itinerary everyday and didn’t want to play the game of switching rooms just to not have the problem go away. So I left the AC on while I was away and turned it off when I returned in the evening.
Also the one day I had time for the hot tub, it was out of order which was disappointing.

Leisure

10/10

Exceptional

27 Sep 2025

Paul

Great hotel and great pool

Leisure

8/10

Excellent

20 Sep 2025

Sonya

Lovely resort with friendly staff. Rooms could do with a deep clean with lots of dust build up in rooms. I also filled in their form twice to decline a room clean. Room was cleaned both times and no credit received which was disappointing. It's a great idea - just needs to be better executed.

Leisure Self

6/10

Pleasant

17 Sep 2025

Trish

Air conditioning was a little smelly, musty, made the room smell like mould and the room didn’t get super cool with the locked setting.
We stayed in the tower, so couldn’t open a window.
Other than that everything was beautiful.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

17 Sep 2025

Not much information giving to us when we arrived. Everything was well kept and the pool was fabulous. Things we were not informed of were things like umbrella use, bikes for hire, when we asked about transport one of the staff gave us a look like we should know. Being out of country these things would have beneficail

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

16 Sep 2025

Sandra

Great location with modern amenities

Great modern resort on the esplanade in Cairns.
Clean and modern rooms with great amenities. Loved the bottle refill station!
Resort pool was well presented, clean and very appealing.
Great restaurants and bars within the resort, plenty of options.

Self

8/10

Excellent

15 Sep 2025

bushra

Nice view ,

10/10

Exceptional

11 Sep 2025

Samantha

It was great! We will be back

8/10

Excellent

07 Sep 2025

Olatokunbo

The property facilities are nice and well maintained, and walking distance to the great barrier reef experiences. The staff were helpful enough. My main complaint was the limited rooming options for double room adults (i.e. only twin beds vs. double or queen)

Leisure Friends

10/10

Exceptional

06 Sep 2025

Steve

Beautiful hotel with a very modern facilities and rooms

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

04 Sep 2025

Rachel

Was a lovely break away. Only thing I would like to mention. Maybe monitor the pool area, quite a few people we noticed leaving pool area and leaving a towel or bag as to save their seats/lounger.

Partner

10/10

Exceptional

02 Sep 2025

Tara

Loved the Room, the pool and Paper Crane.

Business_and_leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

01 Sep 2025

Lisa Antoinette

Overall this hotel is gorgeous.

6/10

Pleasant

30 Aug 2025

Andrew

Nice

Leisure Partner

8/10

Excellent

29 Aug 2025

Gary

Dining options were good though high chairs with low backs in a restaurant were not good.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

29 Aug 2025

Karen

A quiet and convenient property with excellent staff. I visited the spa and the massage was excellent. The wardrobe door had to be opened at the bottom, which wasn’t the best.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

26 Aug 2025

John Paul

excellent property

Leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

24 Aug 2025

Ulrich

Everything from check in to finding my way around was perfectly managed by the staff.
Philippe and Sebastian assisted me with booking my diving and hot air balloon trip. This is an excellent place to stay for vacation and as a base for the greater Cairns area

Self

10/10

Exceptional

22 Aug 2025

MERCEDES

Very nice, comfortable and clean room and property in a very good location. Amazing views.

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

19 Aug 2025

MERCEDES

Leisure Partner

10/10

Exceptional

13 Aug 2025

Louise

You can judge quality by the quality of sunbeds. And they’ve got nice ones. Also you can tell 5 star by the quality of service received especially during breakfast as they waft around tidying plates but unnoticed as subtle. Mix up with paying twice but resolved satisfactorily. Quality products in bathroom. Definitely would stay again and recommend

Friends_and_family Family

10/10

Exceptional

12 Aug 2025

Ross

Excellent hotel. One of the best in cairns.

10/10

Exceptional

30 Jul 2025

Garry Lee

Excellent place to stay and only a short walk to the Cairns CBD and Marina area. Property in excellent condition with a great pool area. Staff are very friendly and helpful.

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jul 2025

Joseph

Location

Business

10/10

Exceptional

28 Jul 2025

Truong Son

I have a wonderful stay with Riley recommended to come here yall

Business_and_leisure Self

10/10

Exceptional

27 Jul 2025

Neil

Good location and great facilities

4/10

Poor

26 Jul 2025

April

We were excited about this stay - the hotel is lovely, the staff is attentive but our room in the tower smelled very strongly of mildew - very unpleasant and unhealthy feeling. None of the windows opened so there was no relief. We asked for support to address the smell specifically moving to a different room but no room was provided - the staff tried to clean the room 3 separate times but by the third day of our stay the smell was just unacceptable so we asked to be moved to one of the other local crystalbrook locations. We were finally moved to a different room which was better for the rest of our stay. The staff knows about this issue - the carpets were stained in this room and the smell was really unacceptable - guests should not be subjected to this. It’s unfortunate as the staff was lovely but real solutions weren’t provided until we wanted to leave. I wouldn’t even try another crystalbrook location in cairns if we came again because there was no support when we really needed it. I’d recommend a different hotel.

Leisure Family

10/10

Exceptional

19 Jul 2025

Jaymee Louise

Quiet and clean. Perfect location for walking around the centre