WHY YOU SHOULD CHOOSE CAMPING OVER HOTELS, MOTELS AND CABIN ROOMS.
This blog is all about why we believe that camping is the best accommodation in Cairns! Gone are the days where camping was considered ‘roughing-it.’ In all honesty, the majority of hotels, motels and cabin rooms rarely seem updated but continue to inflate in price. Camping however, is rapidly becoming more and more popular due to the continually improving range of equipment and “creature-comfort” products.
Here at Kickback Camping, we admit we’re a little biased when it comes to announcing the best accommodation in Cairns, but for good reason! We’ve tried all the different accommodation types numerous times and camping always came out on top for us. Plus we can back up our love for camping as we literally created a business surrounding it.
We wanted to create a service that allows anyone to experience camping, the way we do. We take care of all the equipment, transport and set up of your campsite so that you can truly focus on the amazing experience that camping offers.
Below is our list of the top reasons we think you should ditch the hotel, motel and cabin rooms; and why camping is the best accommodation for visiting Cairns!
Camping has No excessive price markups on “rooms-with-views”
When it comes to stunning views, Hotels are ready to charge you exorbitant amounts for them; and a lot of customers are willing to pay. Sorry. That doesn’t happen with camping. Plus, the views from camping are infinitely more exceptional than the majority of marked up hotel “rooms-with-a-view”.
The best part about camping is that you can stay in the landscapes of your choosing, not just view it through a window. Think “beach-front”, “mountain ranges”, “bush land”, “waterfalls”, “lake-front”. You can choose whichever you like, without the added price tag.
The majority of these types of campgrounds, with a view, are generally found in National Parks where there are no fixed accommodation options in sight. To claim your area for the night usually costs under $7 per person.
Now tell me, where else can you get beach-front accommodation for under $7?
Of course staying on this land generally means you need to bring your own camping equipment. However, for those who don’t have their own equipment or means of transporting it, you can utilise Kickback Camping services. Kickback Camping provide camping equipment hire, and the complete set up of your campsite at a campground of your choosing. If you want to experience the best accommodation in Cairns, click here!
Camping has Rapidly improving amenities and creature-comforts
Like I said, camping is no longer about “roughing-it”. Most modern campsite set ups are packed full of new features and creature comforts that you find in hotels, motels and cabins. The best part is that no two campsites are exactly the same.
The whole point of camping, is to embrace the outdoors while staying in a campsite that is completely customised to your needs. Honestly, I think these days you can get so much out of camping which is why I strongly believe it is the best accommodation in Cairns.
Here’s why:
1. Camping can offer as much power as you choose!
If electricity is a must-have for your holiday, you have several options with camping. Generators are your best option for appliances with large outputs of power. If you need to bring a microwave, hair dryer or other cable appliances, you can plug them directly into your generator.
Kings 2KVA generators are a great option for beginners and will easily power your campsite for a weekend or the whole week. Just remember that you’ll need fuel to power your generator and be careful of generator restrictions at certain campgrounds.
If you’re looking for a greener power source that isn’t met with restrictions at campgrounds; you can go solar. Camping stores are filled with a huge range of solar power products from blankets, to large solar power boards. The great thing about this is you can find solar products that best suit your needs.
We personally use solar power panels for our campsite set ups. You just position them in the perfect angle to get the sunlight then leave them while they power your campsite battery. No mess, no noise, no fuel, just a perfect energy source for your camping holiday.
Batteries and Battery boxes are the last main component of powering your campsite. For us this is the one thing you do not leave home without. Deep cycle batteries on their own can charge any appliances that have alligator clips. However, if you purchase a battery box such as the Kings Lare Battery box, you get the advantage of plugging 12v applicances straight into the power source. There’s also areas to plug in your USB cables and Anderson connections to plug in your solar panels.
Setting up your solar panels to continually keep your battery charged will ensure you have plenty or sustainable power for your campsite. We provide our solar panel, deep cycle battery and battery box as a power option for all of our campsite set ups.
If you want to experience the best accommodation in Cairns, click here!
2. Camping fridges are bigger!
This is one that I believe Camping wins hands down over hotels, motels and cabins. I’ve booked in to 5 star hotels before with the tiniest bar fridges that make me think, what is the point? This doesn’t hold enough for food for a night let alone drinks for the weekend. If I’m paying all this money to be in a 5 star hotel, I at least want a decent fridge.
When camping, you have the option between ice boxes, fridges or fridge/ freezers. They all come in many different sizes to suit your needs. The longer your stay or the more people you have camping with you; you will need a larger fridge than if you’re just setting up by yourself for a weekend. Ice boxes are your basic option. They’re insulated boxes that you need to fill with ice to keep your food and drinks cool.
Portable fridges and fridge/freezers are your next step up. They require a constant power source such as a generator or battery connected to solar power. This option ensures your food can stay safely chilled or frozen at a constant temperature without the need for continually adding ice.
Our standard campsite set ups all come with a large 85L ice box however we give the opportunity to customise your campsite by upgrading to a 62L portable fridge.
If you want to experience the best accommodation in Cairns, click here!
3. You can actually have a full kitchen and not rely on takeaway!
One thing that is bound to blow your budget on your next holiday is the food bill! Whether you’ve booked a hotel, motel or cabin I can almost guarantee that you’ll have a very tiny kitchen or no kitchen at all. Now that’s fine if you’re not one for cooking in the first place however for the majority of people, cooking your food rather than eating takeaway meals saves a lot of money. Camping stores will provide you with absolutely everything you need to make a fully functioning camp kitchen; and yes the kitchen sink is included!
Being campers ourselves, we’d never go anywhere without a full kitchen set up. This is why we ensure all our campsites are set up with a fully equipped camp kitchen. This includes gas burners, gas bottles, cookware, dinner ware, tables, storage etc. We even pack the salt & pepper for you! So if you’re like us and want to cook delicious family meals while enjoying your holiday, then camping is definitely the winner of this category.
Showers & Toilets – Now if having no toilets and showers while you’re camping is a deal breaker for you, we understand! Luckily these days, most campgrounds have toilets and many are providing showers or shower rooms.
If your campground doesn’t have a toilet or shower, don’t stress!
Your big camping stores such as: BCF, Anaconda, Snowy’s and Tentworld, will provide you a range of toilet and shower options to suit your budget.
Toilets range from a bucket-with-a-lid, to full flushing portaloos. Showers can range from a small battery operated pump shower to a luxurious heated shower set up. And if there’s no shower room on your campground, your local camping store will have a range of ensuite tents for optimal privacy when using your camp shower and toilet.
If you want to experience the best accommodation in Cairns, click here!
5. You can Holiday on a budget
For those of you on a budget but still want an amazing experience for your family & friends; again, we believe camping trumps the rest of the accommodation types.
The difference is, camping provides an all-in-one experience while hotels, motels and cabins are just providing a room. For example if you’re staying in a hotel you will incur the costs of the room fees, all your takeaway meals, travel costs to explore the town, and fees for any local tourist attractions you have planned.
If you have your own camping equipment, you can save on accommodation costs as you’ll only have to pay a small campground fee per night. You can set-up your own kitchen which allows you the option of cooking all your meals rather than rely on take away. Plus your campground should be filled with numerous attractions and free things to keep you and your family entertained.
A great examples is beach-front camping. You will have stunning views every day while having the options to go swimming, fishing, having some private food and drinks on the sand, going for walks along different beach trails, etc. No matter where you decide to camp, I can guarantee you will find plenty of things to do opposed to paying exorbitant amounts on quick tourist attractions.
If you want to experience the best accommodation in Cairns, click here!
6. Swap 5 stars for 5 billion stars
This will always be one of the purest and simplest attractions that comes from camping. Gazing upon billions of stars on a clear beautiful night.
This experience only gets better the further you get out of town. That’s because all the lights around you in the city create something called “skyglow”, which blocks out the starlight. Yes the size of the town or city you’re in impacts how much skyglow is produced; however, we believe any skyglow is too much skyglow when it comes to gazing upon the stars.
We also know that this is one activity you must ‘see to believe’. We can go on and on about how good the star views are when camping, but really, you just have to see it for yourself.
If you want to experience the best accommodation in Cairns, click here!
7. Social atmosphere or quiet seclusion, it’s your choice!
Hotels and motels are very much about keep your family or guests in your own room and not socialising with neighbouring hotel / motel rooms. At the same time, when you’re purposely looking for that peace and quiet in your hotel room, those will be the nights that neighbouring rooms decide to have a loud party. Or multiple people in the hallways or outside your balcony doors seem to lose all noise control.
Camping on the other hand can more often than not give you the ambience you need. If you’re after that very social atmosphere, I suggest going to a popular caravan or holiday park. The vibe in those campgrounds are always very friendly, very inviting and highly social. If you are after the peace quiet, I’d suggest national park campgrounds. Many of these have more space between campsites, and you can find many that aren’t overly populated.