When I travelled to Cairns in October, Riley, a Crystalbrook Collection Resort, was the new kid on the block. And what a unique stamp it has made on the hotel scene. Although travelling without the family on this occasion, I was keen to check out Riley’s accessible accommodation.
Located opposite the level Cairns Esplanade, and next to the inclusive Muddy’s Playground, this hotel is well placed for anyone looking for accessible Cairns accommodation.
RILEY – ACCESSIBLE ACCOMMODATION
Riley hotel features 311 stylish rooms including 16 accessible rooms. I had the opportunity to inspect room 621.
After staying several nights I can vouch for the comfort of the beds at Riley which measure 66cms high and have approximately 7cm clearance underneath.
Depending on your needs the room may work better with the lounge chair and foot stool removed to improve circulation space.
As a tea addict I’m happy to have tea and coffee making facilities and a mini bar to store fresh milk in the room to kick start my day. I’m also glad to have a laptop sized safe in the room.
As we all know, accessible rooms with a view are in short supply so I was thrilled to pull the curtain aside to find the view below. Balcony space is limited so it’s not suitable for a wheelchair user to sit outside.
The tower pictured above is where my non-accessible room was located for my stay. I totally felt like Rapunzel, though sadly missing the long golden locks. Staff advised there are accessible rooms in the tower but unfortunately they were occupied during my stay. I suspect due to the shape of the tower they would be less spacious than those in the main building.
RILEY – ACCESSIBLE BATHROOM
Just off the bedroom there’s a lovely spacious accessible bathroom with modern amenities which is accessed by a sliding bathroom door (85cm wide).
The shower area is equipped with a shower bench (47cm high), height adjustable shower and lever taps.
Grab rails are fitted throughout, there’s a wheelchair accessible sink with lever taps and bench space for a toiletries bag.
And because video always gives a better perspective of the space in a room, take a tour of the accessible room with me below.
RILEY FACILITIES
With the tropical heat of Cairns a pool is an important feature of a hotel stay for our family, and the Riley delivers the best looking pool I’ve come across in my travels.
Given BJ’s needs I’m always happy to find a pool with a ‘shelf’ to sit in the water. The lagoon style pool at Riley has a sandy beach edge to the pool, a shallow water area for sitting and then many wings to the pool for swimming. The only thing missing is a pool seat/hoist.
Each room is fitted with an Apple iPad Control Centre.
PAPER CRANE RESTAURANT
I love a good buffet breakfast and when you add Paper Crane’s view, Riley had me eager to greet each day.
The majority of the buffet is at a good height for wheelchair users to access though some items would need the assistance of others including the higher cereal containers.
The restaurant seemed popular throughout the day and evening but my schedule didn’t allow me time to sample anything other than breakfast.
SUSTAINABILITY
The Riley goes that extra mile to lessen its footprint on the planet with many sustainable initiatives including eliminating plastic from the rooms with refillable shampoo, conditioner and body wash containers, cardboard cartons of water instead of plastic bottles and recycled wooden key cards for the room.
CONFERENCE FACILITIES
Given the Riley has 16 accessible rooms, it’s a great venue for a conference which requires accessible facilities. And in the interests of thorough reporting on all elements of the Riley experience, I sampled the conference food and it gets a big thumbs up.
PARKING
Riley’s car park clearance is 1.9 metres. If you are travelling with a van higher than the car park there is street parking also available in surrounding streets.
You can read more details about the Riley on their website.
WHAT TO DO IN CAIRNS?
We’ve visited Cairns numerous times and always find plenty of accessible activities to suit the whole family. A week in the area is never enough for us. Here’s our list of accessible activity ideas for Cairns and surrounding areas.
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