Pearl on Newell Beach

We’ve been holidaying at Newell Beach once a year for about 7 or 8 years now. Location is great – beachfront but not overrun with tourists and close to local shops and facilities (although you do need a car). During that time, we’ve stayed at 4 different properties, all managed by Executive Retreats. We have always found the properties well presented on arrival and Wendy, Hans, Heather and everyone else at Executive Retreats have always been friendly and very accommodating, including the odd unusual request we’ve made from time to time. We particularly like the layout and facilities at Pearl and being set back an extra 10 steps or so gives a little more privacy and seclusion while still being able to see the ocean. We already have our next stay booked for later this year. Peter and Susan Bain.

“I just wanted to say thank you again for such an easy booking, the personal meet and greet and the high quality of service I experienced from start to finish. This includes Neil’s cooking at Pearl, Deanne’s massages, your flexibility with no of guests etc. Via the stories and photos on websites, Executive Retreats is getting some great publicity”!

We had a wonderful stay and communication with Wendy was prompt and thorough. The house is well laid out with the bedrooms very well separated. The king bedrooms overlooking the pool have an en suite bath and the two bedrooms on the front of the house share a bath. The grill area is fabulous and we cooked almost every night. The pool is a a good size and the direct access to the beach was great. The one thing I hadn’t realized was that while each of the bedrooms have an air conditioning unit the main house is not air conditioned at all. It was certainly cool enough in the evenings to have the temperature be confortable but there were mosquitos when we were there. I would definitely rent the home again as I found the layout and the location to be perfect for us. As as aside – the town of Mossman is quite small and the grocery closed quite early. If you are not going to arrive until late afternoon or early evening use the grocery service Wendy recommends to at least stock your first morning. We used Mike D’Arcy for a half day Daintree tour and I would highly recommend him. He is interesting, very well informed and a delightful host in the Rainforest. We had him pick us up in Cape Tribulation which has some easy walking trails and the most beautiful beach. At Wendy’s suggestion we did a day snorkel with Calypso and it was very well done and Port Douglas was a great town to explore on an overcast day. All in all a great trip and a great house.

We stayed at Pearl in Newell beach for a week. In short, the house was fantastic, and highly recommended. Wendy was very responsive to all of our questions before the trip started, and greeted us when we arrived. She was also VERY responsive to requests we made during our stay. The location was perfect for us. Newell Beach is a small, friendly, sleepy neighbourhood just north of Mossman. Its far enough away from the tourist area of Port Douglas, but only a quick 25 minute drive to get to all the attractions in town. Mossman is a 5 minute drive, and has everything you need in case you forgot. Big grocery store, hardware, pharmacy, ATM and a few great restaurants. MoJo’s was really good. An hour and twenty minutes the other way gets you to Cape Tribulation and the amazing Daintree area. The drive in itself is an adventure. Turn Left or Right on Capt. Cook Highway and you get to some really amazing places very quickly. We did a paddleboard trip down the mossman river with Windswell Kitesurfing that was really fun. They also pulled right up on to the beach in front of the house to take us on a private snorkeling tour of the Low Isles in a fast boat. That was special. Mike D’arcy took us on a guided 4×4 tour of the rainforest where we drove through rivers, swam in a creek, walked to an amazing waterfall, and saw all kinds of creatures, including a huge croc! The other great activity was renting a pontoon boat from Port Douglas Boat Hire and heading into the creeks behind Port Douglas. Make sure to hit the Sunday market in town. Great shopping. Dont miss the Wild Life Habitat in Port Douglas as well. We really enjoyed the house. Lots and lots of room. 4 great bedrooms. The parents enjoyed the two masters, and the kids swapped between the other two rooms. We were never in each other’s way. The living room was comfy. The patio was well used. The outdoor BBQ cooked some tasty dishes, and the Pool was a huge hit. A quick walk out the back gets you right on the beach. Sadly the water was still stinger season so we could not get in, but it was great for walks. Go out at night and be AMAZED by the stars. The kitchen was well used on a daily basis, it has everything you need, and the grocery store just up the highway ensured we ate well. There is a little dinner and store in Newell beach that has amazing fish and chips. We rented bikes from Port Douglas Bike Hire, and they delivered them to the house that was a lot of fun. The last night of our trip, we took a tip from Wendy and had Chef Jed come over and cook a 5 course tasting meal for us. Wow. Just wow. A great way to end the trip. Again, very highly recommended..

From the moment we pulled into the drive, there was a collective “wow” from the car. The house is beautiful in its design and furnishings with a well equipped kitchen. It is located directly on the beach, is approximately 10 mins drive to Mossman where the nearest supermarket is, and about a 30 mins drive to Port Douglas. Wendy had left a personalised welcome note, a few essentials and a bottle of wine, which was a lovely touch. We enjoyed a fabulous holiday at “Pearl” as we could explore and do all the excursions we wanted to and then kick back and relax in beautiful surroundings. It was a very nice home and well equipped, in a very quiet neighbourhood right at the beach. Its away from the buzz about 15min to Port Douglas and thats what we were looking for.