Darwin’s consistently warm temperatures make it the ideal Australian getaway for sun-loving travellers. Unlike other areas, Darwin and the Top End don’t have summer and winter like the rest of Australia as the climate is tropical. Instead seasons are called ‘wet’ and ‘dry’.
Even in the wet season (November to April) there are plenty of visitors to Darwin, and plenty of incredible places to base yourself in order to see the best of what Darwin has to offer.
Depending on whether or not you plan to hire a car, there are a few areas worth considering during your Darwin stay. The CBD is the obvious choice if you wish to be in the centre of it all, however some of the outer suburbs are also worth considering if you want to explore incredible beaches and landscapes just out of the busy city.
In Darwin’s CBD you’re in the epicentre of the action. Most big hotels and apartments are located on the stunning Esplanade, including the DoubleTree by Hilton, Novotel Darwin and Mantra Pandanus, which Prince Charles stayed in recently – we’ll have you know. The Esplanade is parallel to famous Mitchell Street, which houses some of Darwin’s most popular bars and restaurants.
Close by – and with incredible water views – are Darwin Waterfront Luxury Suites on Kitchener Drive, where you can opt to stay in multiple-bedroom penthouses. Also on Kitchener Drive, you’ll find the impressive Adina Apartment Hotel Darwin Waterfront, which is an epic $1 billion addition to Darwin’s CBD precinct – and has the looks to match.
Just five minutes out of Darwin’s CBD is a suburb called Parap. Just out of the hustle and bustle of the busy city, Parap actually boasts a few incredible retro hotels and apartments worth considering, including Parap Village Apartments with a lagoon-style pool, and Palms City Resort, for a laid back, beach feel.
Also just five minutes from Darwin CBD is Mindil Beach, which offers resort-style accommodation for those wishing to explore less city, more natural wonders. Also located at Mindil Beach is the incredibly impressive – and huge – SKYCITY Casino, which has been dubbed the ‘ritziest’ stay in town, thanks to the swim-up bar, no doubt.
Adina Apartment Hotel Darwin Waterfront: this ambitious development has something to offer both local residents and visiting fans ...
Darwin is awash with options to suit all budgets from luxury hotels and apartments to holiday homes to wallet friendly lodges. All you need to do is decide which option is most appealing to you.
The Hilton Darwin is right in the heart of the CBD, perfect for the “bleisure” traveller (business traveller who extends their stay for pleasure). The lobby bar is a good nook for a quiet pre-dinner drink or nightcap. The rooms are as you would expect and the new modern decor has dragged Darwin’s first five star hotel back to that status.
One of the newest additions to Darwin’s hotel scene the Mantra Pandanas is upping the ante with its chic and contemporary design. The hotel is quite literally fit for a king; Prince Charles recently chose to lay his most royal head there. Almost sleek and minimalist enough to be Japanese but with a tropical feel throughout its 336 rooms, a lagoon-style pool, great views of the setting sun, the funky East Meets West restaurant and Endota Day Spa complete the picture.
The ‘great value’ badge with accompanying silk frill goes to Vibe Hotel Darwin Waterfront. Its location is a superb jumping-off point for travelling around the city, provided you don’t mind the man-made surrounds (the hotel’s located in the centre of a newish development of shops and bars). The front yard boasts a public wave pool; its rooms feature fresh, modern designs and supremely comfy beds; and the downstairs Curve Café – decorated with bright Aboriginal art and traditional fishing nets – is an ideal spot to catch up on your travel journal and re-energise.
Probably the most resort like place to stay for holiday makers in Darwin, the SKYCITY Darwin is famous for its fabulous suites with swim out pool access. Recently refurbished and spick and span.
Crab Claw Island is situated 40km south-west of Darwin and offers an affordable getaway to this Balinese-style fishing village in Bynoe Harbour. There are beachfront, family and palm garden cabins on offer for less than $100pp per night – and camping sites are cheaper still. If you like mud-crabbing or barramundi fishing, this is the option for you.
Spending a night under the stars is an appealing option for many, especially in Darwin and the Top End. You can do it simply (and affordably) by camping in one of the NT’s national parks, which are fully equipped for sleeping under the stars – thanks to dedicated camping areas with toilets, showers, bins, barbeques and tables (most of these work on an honesty system – just pop your money in the box when you enter). Or you can choose to step things up a notch, glamping somewhere like Wildman Wilderness Lodge, two hour’s drive east of Darwin towards Kakadu National Park. Here you’ll find glamping on a grand scale, with raised safari tents of 50sqm with stunning linen, timber floorboards and a private veranda.
Darwin Boomerang Motel Caravan Park is located just 20 minutes south of Darwin’s CBD and close to many Darwin attractions. The air conditioned, fully self-contained ground floor units will make you feel like you’re at home.
If you’re after something a little more on the boutique side, Hidden Valley Holiday Park may just be the ticket. Only 10 minutes from Darwin CBD, the accommodation is set among lush tropical gardens and can cater for those with their own caravan, or without.
BIG4 Howard Springs Holiday Park is the pet-friendly option for Top End travellers. It’s also a gateway to Kakadu and Litchfield National Parks. You’re welcome to park your own caravan on a shady, grassed site or choose a more luxe style of cabin or villa. The choice is yours.
Just because Darwin is boutique in size, doesn’t mean boutique accommodation is non-existent in Darwin. More than a Room have access to all the upmarket, boutique and executive style accommodation. Their suite of apartment and cottage accommodation is the best in Darwin, but can come with inconvenient 3 and 4 night minimum stays.
Villa La Vue Holiday House is on Darwin’s Esplanade in the heart of the CBD and could challenge any posh hotel in the white bed linen, twin-set china reading lamps, wall-mounted flat-screens, spotless bathrooms, complimentary toiletries and fluffy white towel stakes – only in the comfort your own home. Why wait for the waiter to bring your eggs when you can cook them yourself in your own gourmet kitchen? Why listen to other people’s kids splashing and screaming in the pool when you can swim in privacy beneath shady palms in your own private garden, separated from the outside world by a classic white picket fence? Cleanliness, convenience, modern comforts; like the Ritz’s of this world, Villa La Vue has it all.
Mandalay Luxury Stay is a two-story colonial cottage overlooking Darwin’s natural harbour and esplanade sets the standard for holiday homes in the area, and will have you reaching for your Panama Hat and gin and tonic in no time. But with its fresh white exterior, wrap-around balconies, mahogany shuttered windows, cream furnishings, scattering of Asian antiques, tropical garden full of fuchsia frangipani and shady pool to escape the heat, Mandalay Luxury Stay is an indisputable picture of good taste. Located just a stone’s throw from the waterfront and minutes from the CBD, it’s the ideal base from which to enjoy NT’s multicultural capital in style.
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