gambling that would be a strong draw for you. We stayed at the Shangri-La and it was a very nice place, but Cairns just didn't do it for me. There really aren't any beaches there either, while Port Douglas is surrounded by beautiful ones. Port Douglas has a lush, tropical feel....Cairns just has a dirty town feel. Plus, if you're going to the reef, Port Douglas is a lot closer to where the boats go. Quite a bit to see just outside of PD too. Cairns seemed to require a good drive to get to anything cool.