My partner and I are planning a trip to Australia in late March as part of a birthday celebration. We have five days at the end of our tip for relaxation, and are keen to book a retreat north of Cairns or on a rainforest island. Can you suggest somewhere top end? Peter Collins, Bristol

A Sunday Times travel expert responds: A terrific option a couple of hours north of Cairns is the Thala Beach Lodge (www.thalabeach.com.au), near Port Douglas. This sensitively planned resort is built in an ancient tropical rainforest, with luxury bungalows built on stilts that have great views over the canopy. There is a private oak beach just a few minutes walk away, a great pool, and excellent restaurant. Bridge & Wickers (020 7483 6555, www.bridgeandwickers.co.uk) has four nights here, including all meals would, for £708pp (£366pp room only), including return transfers from Cairns.

Or you can head deep into the rainforest and visit the Bloomfield luxury lodge (www.bloomfieldlodge.co.uk). Getting here is part of the fun, as you’ll be whisked over the forest from Cairns in a light aircraft, then driven by 4WD to a small boat, and taken to the lodge. Although luxurious, with great food, and a pool, it’s more rustic in feel, with lots of wicker and wood in the bungalows, and an honesty bar. Trailfinders (0845 050 58780, www.trailfinders.com) has four nights from £506pp, including transfers (as above), and all meals.

A note on the time of year: the dry season in tropical Queensland starts in April, so be prepared for some rain, which falls mostly at night. The coast’s famous Box Jellyfish, which are known as ‘Stingers’ and can be fatal, are found north of Rockhampton from November to the end of April, hence immersion in the rainforest scores above an island resort.

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