LUXURY ABSOLUTE BEACHFRONT LIVING IN A CONTEMPORARY HOUSE FEATURING AN OUTSTANDING AUSTRALIAN ART COLLECTION
This spacious resort-style home is at Machans Beach, less than 15 minutes from Cairns CBD and is amongst the closest houses to the ocean (with no intervening road) on the East Coast of Australia. It provides an oasis of calm with white décor and cream porcelain tiles providing a backdrop for notable Australian artworks and an eclectic mixture of quality modern and 1960’s furnishings. A Pierre Paulin Chair sits beside a Mabo painting in front of an antique Indian rug!
The air-conditioned master suite provides breathtaking views over the swimming pool and Coral Sea. The bedroom leads to the large en-suite shower room with double vanity and separate toilet. A large dressing room completes the master suite with dressing table and ample storage. The three other large, air-conditioned bedrooms are served by a shower room on the first floor; two have ocean views; the third has garden views. All four bedrooms possess ceiling fans and all linen is provided. Two bedrooms, including the master, and the lounge area have TV / DVD players for viewing the extensive DVD collection in the separate well stocked study which houses a good collection of books and games to entertain you.
Gentle sea breezes waft through a 250m2 open plan living area which flows seamlessly from the large granite-topped kitchen to the living room with its large leather reclining lounge. The home has a stylish indoor dining room, but you are likely to spend most of your time eating on the large patio with panoramic views of the Coral Sea and sparkling pool. As well as the large outdoor eight-seater dining space with gas BBQ, there is also a complimentary outdoor lounge. The whole beachside aspect of the living area opens to the patio providing amazing sea views through bi-fold doors creating the perfect indoor/outdoor living experience. The 6m kitchen equipped with extensive appliances, includes dishwasher, blue glass splashback and a huge island bench facilitating group entertaining. The kitchen is positioned to enable food preparation while still an integral part of your family in the living area. Laundry facilities are provided.
Tropical landscaped gardens abut a resort-style glass-fenced salt water pool with spa seating & lounge deck. Access to the beach and ocean is just two steps from the open plan deck. As the sun rises you will often see dolphins and pelicans offshore. Watch the children as they play on the sandy beach or in the sparkling pool. Enjoy the wide screen LCD television, Wi-Fi internet access, board games, books and DVDs available to enhance your leisure time. Enjoy a cocktail on the deck as the sunsets over the Coral Sea, then fall asleep to the sound of the lapping waves. The property owners travel extensively. When in residence the owners are in separate self-contained accommodation on site. There is plenty of on-street parking in front of the house or off-street parking on the grass verge opposite. The house is very private and not overlooked. This is a holiday home for those looking for relaxed, beautifully appointed, absolute beachfront living.
Activities in Machans Beach, Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef There is an ideal beach to take beach walks, right in front of house, just two steps off the deck. Bush walking opportunities begin adjacent to the house as do cycle ways: Fish from the beach or the island bridge: Launch your boat near the house. A lovely seafront pub, cafe, and local store / post office are only a walk away. Within a 15-minute drive there are the world class restaurants of Palm Cove and Cairns CBD; Trips to The Great Barrier Reef and Green Island and Palm Cove; Internationally rated golf courses; Crocodile parks; Bungee Jumping; Cable Ski; White Water Rafting; Go Karts; Skyrail scenic cable car, and many more attractions Within a 45-minute drive you reach Port Douglas, the Great Barrier Reef and Green Island, Kuranda Rainforest markets, Cairns Highland, Daintree World Heritage Rainforest and much more.
Add dates for prices
Have a question?
AI iconBetaBeta
Get instant answers with AI powered search of property information and reviews.
Similar properties
Rainforest Escape w/ Private Pool & Mountain Views
Caravonica
Rainforest Escape w/ Private Pool & Mountain Views
Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited
Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property
Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher
This property has outdoor spaces, such as balconies, patios and terraces, which may not be suitable for children; if you have any concerns, we recommend contacting the property prior to your arrival to confirm that they can accommodate you in a suitable room
About the area
Cairns
Located on the beach, this holiday home is in Machans Beach, a neighbourhood in Cairns. Tanks Arts Centre and Cairns Botanic Gardens are local attractions and those in the mood for shopping can visit Smithfield Shopping Centre and Cairns Central Shopping Centre. Cairns Performing Arts Centre and Bulmba-ja Arts Centre are also worth visiting. Waterskiing and power boating offer great chances to get out on the surrounding water, or you can seek out an adventure with horse riding and hiking nearby.
Crystal Cascades & Lake Morris - 3 min drive - 1.8 km
Mount Whitfield Conservation Park - 7 min drive - 6.4 km
Australian Armour and Artillery Museum - 8 min drive - 9.2 km
Skyrail Rainforest Cableway Station - 9 min drive - 9.6 km
Cairns Esplanade - 10 min drive - 10.9 km
Getting around
Freshwater Station - 13 min drive
Cairns, QLD (CNS-Cairns Intl.) - 14 min drive
Restaurants
Edge Hill Thai & Laos Takeaway - 13 min drive
Hungry Jack's - 14 min drive
Serpent Bar - 13 min drive
Espresso Bar - 14 min drive
The Crafty Cassowary Kitchen & Bar - 16 min drive
Frequently asked questions
Does Sandcastle Retreat - Cairns Beaches have a pool?
Yes, this property has an outdoor pool.
How much does it cost to stay at Sandcastle Retreat - Cairns Beaches?
As of 9 May 2026, prices found for a 1-night stay for 2 adults at Sandcastle Retreat - Cairns Beaches on 7 August 2026 start from NZ$560, including taxes and fees. This price is based on the lowest nightly price found in the last 24 hours for stays in the next 30 days. Prices are subject to change. Choose your dates for more accurate prices.
Is Sandcastle Retreat - Cairns Beaches pet-friendly?
No, pets are not allowed at this property.
How much is parking at Sandcastle Retreat - Cairns Beaches?
On-site parking is available at the property.
What time is check-in at Sandcastle Retreat - Cairns Beaches?
Check-in begins at 2:00 PM.
What time is check-out at Sandcastle Retreat - Cairns Beaches?
Checkout is at 10:30 AM.
Where is Sandcastle Retreat - Cairns Beaches located?
Nestled on the beach, this Machans Beach holiday home is within 3 mi (5 km) of Crystal Cascades & Lake Morris, Holloways Beach and Yorkeys Knob Beach. Holloways Beach Dog Exercise Area is 2.5 mi (4 km) away.
Reviews
9.2
Wonderful
Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Location is great right on beach but some cleanliness and maintenance issues
Jame L.
Stayed 8 nights in May 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 15 May 2025
Hi Jame, We did try contact you a couple of times during you stay to check that everything was OK and didnt hear back from you. We would have welcomed the opportunity to fix anything you were unhappy with. Could you please let us know what specific cleanliness and maintenance issues you are referring to so we are able to action them as we have never had any negative feedback about this is the past. Almost all our other reviews are 5 stars and we have never had a 3 star review before, so this is of great concern to us.
Just incredible, amazing house, awesome location, super spacious, attention to detail and everything you needed was pretty much available. I can’t recommend this home any more highly.
Unusual decor. My time was spent watching sunrise and evening closure from the patio. Amazing to step from the patio to walk the beach. Lotsa relaxed reading and self refection. My favourite event was the daily ‘tide out’ mudflats and looking at passing sea traffic through binoculars.
Property was very comfortable and had everything we needed, including good spaces to relax in, inside and out. A small note on the crockery set - not ideal design and number for a larger group. (3 dinner plates?)
Unfortunately pool was freezing so we couldn’t use it. Would be lovely heated, considering beach is not for swimming and the view when tides out is of mud flats for miles.
Location is great if you truly want to escape city hustle and bustle. Very little in town - a servo, pub and cafe. Definitely need own car if you want to explore Cairns and region.
Property managers were very responsive to issues that arose; thank you!
House is outstanding. Machans Beach is a little part of paradise, a quiet area, lovely beach to walk on, great fishing if you want to and blessed with onshore breezes. Owner/ Agent does that little bit extra and we found a small supply of items you tend to forget to bring in the pantry… and we replenished all we used and left a little more for the next occupants. Family ranged from 17 to 79 years and all had a great time.
Very funky property, full of artwork and collections from the owners many travels. We left the property feeling like we knew them even though we have never met. The large patio right on the ocean was amazing for a relaxing time.
This property far exceeded our expectations! Plenty of room for the whole family, top notch cleanliness, great pool/spa, linen and towels provided and the amenities amd appliances provided made it feel like our home away from home. The listing and pictures do not do this prepety justice, it's much nicer in reality. Very easy to deal with property managers and responded quickly to our enquiries. Highly recommend this property!
Christina A.
Stayed 6 nights in Apr 2022
Verified
8/10 Good
Asha W.
1 August 2021
Liked: Location, listing accuracy
Disliked: Check-in, communication
Property was amazing, 5 star.
50 star property though not a good experience with host.
So responsive, great house! Many VRBO’s strip all things out of fridge but we appreciated what was left behind and the olive oil, salt and pepper, etc. please don’t change.
Amazing stay!
Very impressive property and very Clean. Communication with property manager was excellent. Fantastic views...very quiet location. Comfortable beds. Great Kitchen. Loved our stay. Came home very well rested. Thankyou!!
Marina T.
Stayed 8 nights in Jul 2019
Verified
8/10 Good
Peter C.
30 September 2018
Great location on the beach. Lots of room for our group of six
Great spot. Would recommend it.
Peter C.
Stayed 5 nights in Sep 2018
Verified
10/10 Excellent
Amanda B.
23 August 2018
Unforgettable
Beautiful home to relax in. Spent five days catching up with my two boys. Gorgeous beach, gorgeous home, gorgeous company and gorgeous times. Thank you
Amanda B.
Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2018
Archival
10/10 Excellent
Sue R.
29 October 2017
Great place to relax
I had a great 4 day stay at Sandcastles Retreat with a group of 4 other friends. The house is right on the beach with great views of the Coral Sea. It is a large modern house with everything you need and very close to the city centre and airport.
Sue R.
Response from VrboOwner on 25 March 2020
Dear Blair, We are so glad you enjoyed your stay and we hope to welcome you back again soon.
Archival
8/10 Good
PAUL G.
10 October 2017
Great and quiet location
Close enough to Cairns but far enough away to have a really great stay... the only thing missing on this stay was the dolphins at sunset...guess you can't have everything!
PAUL G.
Archival
2/10 Terrible
Paul H.
18 August 2017
Construction Site Next Door until Jan - Feb 2018
Early morning wake up about 6.30 am to 7 am 5 - 6 days a week with loud trucks, multiple tradies, power tools, jack hammers throughout the day. This will continue until December 2017 but likely carry onto Jan - Feb 2018 the owners of the construction property next door advised us. We even at times had trouble hearing each other talking inside the house a few metres apart. The property manager (Deb) offered another house to go sit in during the day close by to avoid the noise but with a 2 year old it was not practical as it had to be kept clean and not to use the beds etc. It would have been a daily massive effort to pack everything up to take with us, and still did not address not being able to sleep in at all, plus of course not what we were expecting and paid for. It may have been a genuine offer but it felt more like the offer was in order to be a rebuttal to this very review if I were to write one such as this. The property manager apparently contacted the Sandcastle "Retreat" owners and they agreed to refund some money for the inconvenience which was less than 10% for a 13 day stay. I simply don't think that was anywhere close for the inconvenience, also considering they knew about the construction site next door.
Other items to mention is that there were issues with the Wi-Fi not working (a temporary solution was offered with a Wi-Fi dongle) delivered a few days later, the garage door does not work and we had to park on the road the whole time and there was not mattress for the cot for our two year old which I had informed them of early in emails back and forth when planning months earlier.
It's the holiday we are forgetting as it was saved up for and looked forward for nearly 6 months to have almost every day for nearly two weeks being woken up early. The whole point of our stay was for us to both unwind from very busy jobs and to relax on the deck or the beach with our 2 year old (as much as that is possible) but the noise from next door made that almost impossible and very hard to ignore.
Most disappointing was the property owners of the construction site next door advised us on a few occasions, when they were apologising for the noise, that Deb (property manager) and the owners of the Sandcastle "Retreat" had been notified early May 2017 of this planned demolition of their existing house and the new house construction. Our stay was from 24th June to 7 July and Deb informed us after we contacted her about the noise that she only knew
Paul H.
Response from VrboOwner on 16 June 2020
Dear Paul, I am sorry you feel this way and understand that the noise from the building site must have been a disappointment, however we have no control over what happens on adjoining properties and we bent over backwards to offer solutions for you. I offered to move you totally to another waterfront property, whilst not absolute beachfront, it was a beautiful home across the road from the water. I must also state, that despite what the owners next door told you, we had no notice that construction of this nature was starting during your stay and had no idea of the noise level. Your inference that the facts were otherwise and that there was no transparecy is totally unfounded. I also note that we were given notice in May only of the demolition and asbestos removal next door and not of any construction commencement dates. We ensured no-one was at the property during the time the asbestos was removed and the entire property was covered and taped off during this process. At no time did you mention the cot mattress was missing and we would gladly have dropped one to you immediately had we known you needed it. At no time did you mention that you were unhappy with the level of compensation we offered for the noise. Unfortunately we have no control over Telstra wifi service and dropped you a replacement portable modem as soon as possible after we were aware of the issue. We had to wait to be fitted into the Telstra schedule for line repair which was out of our control. The roller door was damaged by previous guests and we had to wait for an insurance claim and a new motor, which has since been replaced. We have been holiday letting this home for many years and have never had a complaint regarding aircraft noise before. The Cairns CBD and most of the other beach suburbs of Cairns have far greater exposure to aircraft noise. The property continues to receive amazing 5 Star reviews on many sites, and I am sorry that given the unfortunate timing of your stay, you do not concur with the majority of our guests.
Archival
10/10 Excellent
Alley B.
15 July 2016
Absolutely perfect !!!
We are a family of 5, who spent 7 glorious nights at this amazing house. Well equiped with everything we needed, from the Webber to an enormously relaxing bath tub. The sunsets with a glass of wine on the beach in front of the house became the norm, a cuppa for the beautiful sunrises. Central location with woollies 10 minutes away and O"sheas restaurant a short walk. Thank you Deb for your great communication and follow up after we arrived. We will be back next year, thanks for having us. :)
Alley B.
Archival
10/10 Excellent
Wendy R.
26 October 2014
Excellent Property, Great Location
We stayed at Sandcastle Retreat for a week in October with our 4 adult children for my husband's 60th Birthday. What a wonderful house. This house has everything. Read the description of what the house has and what the area has to offer because it's all true. Huge living space and lots of lovely bedrooms. Ideal for a family or for a group of adults wanting to enjoy a holiday together - but with plenty of space to escape from each other too!! The location is brilliant. Away from the hustle and bustle of busy Cairns but very central to go to all the tourist attractions around Cairns. The local Bistro, O'Sheas is a great place to eat. The beds are extremely comfortable and having 3 bathrooms was brilliant. Everything you would want is in the house. Heaps of linen, cooking utensils and household goods. The deck out on to the beach is lovely. I can highly recommend this house. We were looked after extremely well. This is a home away from home!
Wendy R.
Archival
10/10 Excellent
Amanda C.
24 July 2014
Fantastic location
The location of this property is fantastic. Our party of 7 from Melbourne and the UK stayed here for 10 nights. Rooms were spacious and comfortable but we couldn't help but notice that the place could do with a thorough clean (found a moldy baby's bottle under the cabinet in the lounge). Access to the beach was as described and had the fortune to see visiting dolphins during breakfast on the deck. We had a wonderful stay and would recommend this property to family and friends. Please note that the Wi-Fi was not working and was not fixed during our stay causing a slight inconvenience. Would like to recommend O'Sheas around the corner for dinner and Cruze in Cairns for the best coffee.
Amanda C.
Response from VrboOwner on 25 March 2020
Thanks for the feedback. In five years of renting the house out we have never had anyone comment on the cleanliness of the house except very positively. We are sorry about the baby's bottle - it must have been left by a previous renter - we will talk to the cleaner about this. The wireless network has been put right - and we understand that the renters were offered alternative wireless access. We love our house in Cairns and are very sorry if others do not feel it is perfect - this is what we try to achieve.
Archival
10/10 Excellent
15 December 2010
I would highly recommend this property. We (8 adults) were in Cairns from Perth for a week and used
I would highly recommend this property. We (8 adults) were in Cairns from Perth for a week and used this house as our base. It was so inviting and relaxing and the best house to return to at the end of day. It felt good to walk in the front door and to see the ocean straight out the back and so calming after a day travelling around, very modern, clean & tidy, well accommodated, relaxing house with great surroundings, beach walks and views with 10 minutes drive to the CBD which was great. We hope to return to Cairns and wouldnt bother looking for another place better than this one.
Archival
10/10 Excellent
9 September 2010
Highly recommended property,had a very enjoyable stay. Thank you.
Highly recommended property,had a very enjoyable stay. Thank you.
About the host
Hosted by Marsh Property
Languages:
English
Premier Host
They consistently provide great experiences for their guests