Tropic Now checked in with locals Paul and Chelsea, a Melbourne family that went from being Cairns Airbnb guests to running a popular independent guest house in the heart of Far North Queensland.
Before moving to the Tropical North, Paul ran his own Property Management Company and Chelsea was a Physiotherapist.
"After navigating a couple of years of Covid with three children we decided to take the plunge and go in a completely different direction!"
"Chelsea was offered temporary employment that would bring us to Cairns for three months. We jumped at it and packed up our entire life."
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"In that time, we decided that we didn’t want to leave Cairns and whilst staying in an Airbnb just down the road from Dreamtime - we saw that it was up for sale!"
"It has been the busiest year of our lives - but just a couple weeks ago on 15 November, we celebrated 1 year of running Dreamtime."
"We are loving our new life in Cairns and want every traveller that comes to Dreamtime to enjoy everything that this beautiful place has to offer!"
The families day to day can get a little hectic, what with three kids and a flurry of travellers, Paul shares his day with us, and just what it takes to make someones travel dreams come true.
6.00am
Wake up and immediately put some music on to kick the day off on the right foot. This could be anything from The Beatles to my recent discovery, Cinnamon Sun, while I check my phone and emails to see if anything urgent needs attending to.
6.30am
Outdoor shower - nothing better. Followed by a ten minute yoga stretch to help me set my intentions for the day.
7.00am
Wake up all 3 kids. Say ‘get dressed' and ‘brush your teeth’ about ten times while all wandering around the house looking for a sock, or a water bottle, or a hat or something.
8.00am
All leave the house and drop two of the kids at school. By this time, I’ve often had at least a few phone calls to answer from guests - mostly people enquiring about vacancies.
8.30am
At this point, all we are thinking about is coffee.
Our go to place, is & Co Coffee, right next door to Dreamtime! Flat white’s all round, and if I’m feeling peckish I’ll grab a toastie.
9.00am
We’ll go over the plan for the day and write a small to do list which helps us focus on what needs to be done.
At this point, Chelsea will take our four year old to Gymbaroo or Muddy’s so he can let off some steam, while I get to work.
9.30am
Empty and clean all bins. We take recycling seriously, separate the rubbish and recycling and then ensure all cans and plastic bottles that can be returned to the recycling depot are in the correct bin.
We then empty, clean, and aerate all the compost bins so that everything can eventually be broken down and put back into the soil.
It is a bit more effort, but very rewarding, and our guests appreciate our eco-friendly approach.
10.00am
Check-out time for the guests is always a busy part of the day as people are heading off on their travels.
We always try to have a quick chat with our guests before they leave to make sure they’ve enjoyed their stay and find out what adventures lie ahead for them.
11.00am
The cleaning frenzy is in full swing as every kitchen, bathroom and toilet is thoroughly cleaned, and any newly empty bedrooms.
11.30am
I’ll be busy answering calls and emails, and checking guests in and out.
If I find a quiet five minutes I’ll make a healthy smoothie for me and my hard working team.
12:00pm
Check-in time is at midday - this has proven popular with our guests as most accommodation options only offer a 3pm check-in.
12:30pm
My wife and 4 year old will often return around this time with something for lunch.
A bit of Ipad time for our kid gives Chelsea an opportunity to meet and greet some of our guests and do a bit of a top-up clean of the shared areas if required.
1.00pm
We reach out to all of our present and future guests to chat about tours.
If our guests choose to book their tours at Dreamtime we offer the best advice and prices, so it's a great opportunity to ensure they have the best stay possible and take full advantage of what beautiful Cairns has to offer.
2.00pm
Go through my guest reviews which are an important aspect of running a busy Guest House. I’ll choose one of the best and put it on our social media pages.
On the flip side, If there are any reviews under 10 stars, I’ll contact the guest directly to try and get some feedback. This is important as it helps us to improve.
I’ll also take care of some admin and pay some bills.
3.00pm
School pick up time for our other 2 kids. Either myself or Chelsea will collect them from school and sometimes bring them back to Dreamtime.
I try and get them to do some cleaning or gardening, but that often results in colouring in and eating snacks instead.
4.00pm
Prepare for any after hours check-ins.
Guests arrive from all over the world at all hours of the day, so once we’ve received a photo of a valid passport we’ll provide the access codes for an after hours check-in.
4.30pm
At this time, a walk around the common areas to see if anything needs cleaning.
Replenish toilet rolls, fold up and store any clean laundry away.
5.00pm
Replying to emails and calls is fairly consistent throughout the day, but I’ll aim to catch up on any I’ve missed at this point in the day.
6.00pm
By now, we all aim to be at home and preparing for dinner.
I try to have an hour or so of not looking at either my phone or laptop, but if I get calls I’ll answer whilst Chelsea or I cook dinner, and make sure the kids are fed, watered and happy.
7.00pm
A cold beer or wine, simple as that.
