The Benson Hotel Cairns Review: Rooms, Pool and Location

Our two-night stay at The Benson Hotel

We stayed from 12 to 14 April 2026 after arriving in Cairns. The hotel is on Grafton Street, close enough to reach the railway station, restaurants and waterfront on foot.

You can compare live prices and available rooms for The Benson Hotel Cairns on Agoda. Agoda's URL still contains the property's former Rydges Plaza name, but the page opens for The Benson Hotel.

Our stay

12–14 April 2026, two nights

Location

50 Grafton Street, Cairns City QLD 4870

Our room

Two beds, walk-in shower, desk and television

At the hotel

Outdoor pool, restaurant, bar and luggage storage

Room names, inclusions and cancellation conditions vary. Check the final total and exact room description for your dates before booking.

From Cairns Airport, our family took a taxi directly to the city. The airport guide compares that choice with rideshare and pre-booked transfers.

Cairns Airport to City: Taxi, Uber and Transfer Options

Central Cairns location and walking distances

The hotel is at 50 Grafton Street. You can check the entrance and surrounding streets on Google Maps.

We could walk back from Cairns Railway Station after our Kuranda Skyrail and Scenic Railway day trip. The Reef Fleet Terminal and Cairns Esplanade Lagoon were around a ten-minute walk for us, depending on the route and traffic lights.

The hotel is not directly on the waterfront. That means it lacks the immediate sea outlook of an Esplanade property, but its city-centre position worked well for shops, restaurants and transport.

Kuranda Skyrail and Scenic Railway Day Trip from Cairns

At night, we could also walk to Cairns Night Markets for dinner and souvenirs rather than arranging a taxi for a short city trip.

Our room and beds

Our room had two beds and enough floor space to open our luggage. It was a straightforward hotel room rather than an apartment, but it gave us a comfortable place to return between full days outside.

The two beds still left a clear path through the room. The hotel currently lists several room types, so the bed configuration and outlook shown in our photos should not be treated as universal.

A wall-mounted television, table and chairs covered what we needed for two nights.

The wardrobe also contained an ironing board, which helped with clothes that had been compressed in our luggage during the flight.

Bathroom and walk-in shower

The bathroom had a vanity with towels and small amenities. Our room used a walk-in shower rather than a bathtub, which suited quick showers after a hot day outside.

Current room descriptions on the hotel's website also list walk-in showers, but accessible layouts and individual room details can differ. Check your selected room if the bathroom arrangement matters.

Outdoor pool and terrace

The outdoor pool gave us somewhere to cool down without leaving the hotel. The hotel's current room page lists the Level 4 pool as open daily from 7 am to 9 pm, with towels available from reception.

From above, we could see the compact shape of the pool and the surrounding deck before deciding when to swim.

Terrace tables and deckchairs surround the water. It is a city-hotel pool rather than a large resort complex, but it adds somewhere to pause before or after sightseeing.

Closer to the water, the deckchairs provided a separate place to sit between swims.

The upper-level position also opens the view towards the surrounding city and hills. Conditions and access can change when private events are scheduled, so check with the hotel if pool time is important to your stay.

Lobby, restaurant and practical hotel facilities

An outdoor terrace sits beside the hotel entrance on Grafton Street. It gives the street-facing exterior a more relaxed feel than the simple city-hotel façade suggests.

The lobby and reception area felt bright and straightforward. We came and went several times each day and did not have trouble leaving luggage or asking for help during our stay.

The hotel's current information lists check-in from 2 pm, check-out by 10 am and luggage storage before and after a stay. Early check-in and late check-out may incur a fee.

Additional terrace seating gave guests another place to sit outside without going up to the pool level.

Inside, a bar lounge adjoins the restaurant area. Breakfast is currently served daily, while dinner and bar opening days are more limited.

Check the latest room and hotel information if you plan to eat on site.

The A$100 deposit during our stay

At check-in in April 2026, we were asked for an A$100 deposit. This was security for incidental charges or damage rather than part of the advertised room rate.

Deposit amounts, accepted cards and release times can change. Check the booking conditions and ask the hotel before arrival if a temporary hold would affect the money available on your card.

Who we think The Benson Hotel suits

We think The Benson suits travellers who want to spend most of the day in Cairns, at the reef or in the rainforest, then return to a central hotel with a pool. The station, waterfront and dining areas were all reachable on foot for us.

That location suited our own mix of a Green Island day, a Kuranda trip and time in central Cairns. With my parents, reducing the walk between transport, dinner and the hotel mattered more than having a large resort complex.

It is less suitable if your priority is a self-contained kitchen, in-room laundry or a waterfront resort setting. Our separate Il Palazzo Boutique Apartments review covers a nearby apartment-style alternative.

For a short city stay, compare the available The Benson room types and booking conditions against the facilities you will actually use.

Summary

The Benson gave us a well-placed base for a short Cairns stay. We could walk to the railway station, lagoon, ferry area and restaurants, then return to a simple room and outdoor pool.

It suits an itinerary built around sightseeing more than a stay centred on resort facilities. Compare the exact room, deposit and meal arrangements for your dates before deciding.