Palm Cove is the northern-most residential beach suburb within the Cairns northern beaches strip adjoining Clifton Beach to the south. Although the suburb does feature a large amount of residential land use, Palm Cove is primarily a tourist location and is very popular for its holiday accommodation, restaurants, cafes and activities. Palm Cove is located approximately a 25-minute drive north of the Cairns International Airport and Cairns CBD. The postcode for Palm Cove is 4879.

The closest major shopping centre is Clifton Village located approximately a 5-minute drive south on the Bruce Highway in Clifton Beach. Clifton Village features many specialty stores including pharmacy, post office, Commonwealth Bank, doctor’s office as well as major retailers Coles and Target. The next closest shopping centre to Palm Cove is Smithfield Village Shopping Centre; approximately a 10-minute drive south in Smithfield featuring Coles, Woolworths, K-Mart, many speciality stores and a food court.

The closest schools to Palm Cove include Trinity Anglican School approximately a 5-minute drive south in Kewarra Beach offering kindergarten through to Year 12, Trinity Beach State School approximately a 5-10 minute drive south in Trinity Beach offering primary education, and Smithfield State High School approximately a 10-minute drive south in Smithfield offering secondary schooling. The Cairns Sunbus public transport service also runs throughout the area with multiple stop overs in the suburb.