Port Douglas Welcomes 2017 As Party Central
New Year's Eve saw Port Douglas transformed into party central with some of the seaside town's best nightlife spots and restaurants welcoming 2017 in a spectacular fashion. The night sky lit up at 8.30pm with a fireworks display next to The Combined Club and then as the clock struck midnight, the foreshore of Anzac Park fired to life with an impressive fireworks display to ring in the new year. So what were the highlights of the party in Port Douglas?
QT Port Douglas hosted a Ship Wrecked party with a rum coconut cocktail on arrival, two hours of canapes and a live DJ for revellers to dance their way into the new year. In Bazaar, a more stylish dinner package was on offer which included a bottle of wine for each couple as well as entry to the Ship Wrecked party.
Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas offered the ultimate NYE celebration with a glass of sparkling wine on arrival, an international seafood buffet and live entertainment at Feast Restaurant as well as a pumping after party with DJ in Daintree Bar. The seafood dinner included interactive food stations, Australian, Asian and European-inspired cuisine and a premium selection of seafood. There were also cocktail and champagne specials and lucky door prizes.
2 Fish Restaurant put on a special New Year's six-course tasting menu featuring a glass of bubbly on arrival and a spectacular selection of seafood. Not surprisingly, this popular event was a sellout as diners indulged in oysters, prawns, Moreton Bay bugs and perfectly cooked Coral Trout.
Pullman Port Douglas Sea Temple Resort & Spa offered two buffet seatings for New Year's including the Queen of Hearts Royal Dinner which was held on the Lagoon View Terrace. Guests enjoyed a welcome drink on arrival and a communal atmosphere created by two long banquet tables and live music by Lady Valiant. Although there was a kids' disco in the Temple Room, the real party was from 10pm counting down to the New Year in a afterparty featuring a playlist with music that spanned the decades and had the crowd singing and dancing well into the morning.
Zinc Restaurant & Lounge Bar prepared an elegant four-course set menu which treated diners to a glass of bubbles on arrival as they farewelled 2016. Although there was no mistaking that this was a celebration, the focus was certainly on the food with a menu that included a number of gourmet dishes including grilled tiger prawns and gazpacho, salmon and scallop ravioli for entrée and thyme and honey-glazed duck breast for the main. The perfect way to finish a decadent meal, dessert was an impressive chocolate Bombe Alaska.
(4th January 2017)