Marina Resort, Nelson Bay review: Motel room with a view

We’re sorry, this feature is currently unavailable. We’re working to restore it. Please try again later.

Advertisement

This was published 13 years ago

Marina Resort, Nelson Bay review: Motel room with a view

Above all ... Marina Resort; the view from a top-floor room.

Above all ... Marina Resort; the view from a top-floor room.

Daniel Fallon stumbles on a quest for good-value family accommodation.

You can't always judge a holiday resort by its website.

This thought briefly crosses my mind as we pull up to Marina Resort in Nelson Bay. It is not how I remember the photo on its home page. The main image on the website - which is shot from water level with boats in the foreground - gives the impression that the accommodation is a short distance away.

In fact Marina Resort sits on a hill, more than a short walk from the marina, especially for a family with young children tagging along.

"Well, let's just see what the beds are like before we decide to stay," my wife says.

"I'm sorry," I confess. "I've already paid for it. It was a last-minute website booking ..."

The three kids in the back seat don't care. Having returned from an animal-cuddling expedition at Oakvale Farm on the way to Nelson Bay, in which kangaroos were petted, goats hugged, cows milked and emus fed, they are in high spirits. I sheepishly approach the reception desk.

Karen at reception searches for our details.

She can't find us. Relief wells at the prospect of driving straight back to Sydney and is just as quickly dashed. "Ah, Daniel - I see you there. You have the luxury room on the top floor," she says and hands me a key.

Advertisement

First impressions can stay with a person a long time, especially when it comes to olfaction.

There is an odour in the elevator that reminds me of a whiff of vomit, urine and dampness in quick succession. I press the button for level four, the numeral written by hand on the panel button.

Our room sits on the same floor as the restaurant. Our door has dirt splattered across it and at the entrance we see the carpet is loose. There is a musty smell, too.

Though the 44 rooms are described online as motel-style and I have secured what I believe is a bargain price for a night for a family of five, I do expect a little more when words "resort" and "luxury" are used.

However, the kids are as excited as ever and begin unpacking their clothes.

Our fourth-floor room isn't large but it does have a magnificent outlook over the marina and across Port Stephens.

The "luxury room" is mid-range in the five room categories (the corner spa room and the one-bedroom suite presumably have more space). Our room has a queen bed, a single bed and a fold-out sofa, a flat-screen television with Foxtel, a bar-sized refrigerator, tea- and coffee-making facilities and an alarm clock.

The balcony is a decent size. But the rail looks too low for my comfort, especially knowing how our children climb. So we move the outdoor table and chairs inside and decide to try the pool, which we can see directly below.

It is never a good sign when a resort pool is empty during school holidays. There has been a steady flow through reception, so there's no shortage of patrons at the resort. Still, the water is refreshing and I immediately feel more upbeat. My son interrupts the moment - he's looking at the nearby spa, where his sister is wading: "There's a dead cockroach in the spa, dad."

I remove my daughter from the spa, as well as the deceased insect. It's time to try the beach.

Although there are closer options, we take the 10-minute drive to Fingal Bay, an ocean beach with a gentle swell.

Later, as evening falls, we peruse the bustling restaurants and cafes at the marina and settle on wood-fired pizza and, for me, an ice-cold beer at The Wood Oven, followed by a mint-and-choc-chip gelato.

The kids are in dessert heaven and we look over the water together and plan an outing the next day.

We sleep fitfully - I have accidentally pressed the "heat" button on the ageing airconditioning unit located at floor level in the corner of our room, turning the atmosphere into that of a Bikram yoga studio. Relief comes early in the morning, when I open the balcony door to catch a sea breeze.

In my sleepy state I don't bother to stoop to check the airconditioner's settings.

A buffet breakfast is available at the restaurant on our floor but we are slow to rise and, as it is not included in the tariff, we decide to try pancakes and scrambled eggs at one of the marina's cafes.

It is a pleasure to check out of the Marina Resort and we quickly book ourselves on a 90-minute dolphin cruise leaving from the marina. I stand next to the captain on the bridge as we make our way past the breakwater and into the bay. We're looking for bottlenose dolphins.

"There are two types of pods," she says into a microphone. "A bachelor pod - males looking for females - and a nursery pod - females and their offspring. Approximately 180 dolphins live in Port Stephens." Only moments later we spot a grey dorsal fin slice through the surface about 10 metres away. Then a second and a third soon after - it's a pod of males.

"See the one with the white gash near its face?" the captain says. "We call that one Lucky - it survived after being attacked by a shark."

Lucky is still frolicking near us when a boom is lowered on one side of the vessel with a net that sits in the water.

Children are organised into groups and allowed to lie on the net and hang on while the swell rolls over them, as we continue chasing dolphins. "Time for the next lot of shark bait," I overhear a crew member say jokingly as I take my son out for a turn on the net.

The dolphins are swimming next to us and probably under us but can't be seen in the deep blue water.

The swell rises as the boat turns back into the wind and towards the marina and we cling on.

I take a dip with the kids. Despite the netting being hard on the feet, the warm salty water revives me. The memory of a poor night's sleep is washed away.

Weekends Away are reviewed anonymously and paid for by Traveller.

VISITORS' BOOK

Marina Resort

Address 33 Magnus Street, Nelson Bay.

The verdict The view is grand from the top floor, the staff are friendly and the rooms reasonably priced. Yet the accommodation falls below my expectations.

Price Ground-floor rooms cost $180. Our "luxury room" costs $240 for two adults; each child costs $10.

Bookings Phone 1800 814 400, see marinaresort.com.au.

Getting there Nelson Bay is about 2½ hours' drive north of Sydney. Head north on the F3 Freeway and then Pacific Highway, turn onto Nelson Bay Road at Raymond Terrace.

Perfect for A cheap getaway and base of sorts to launch into the great outdoors around Nelson Bay.

Wheelchair access Easy access to the foyer. Two rooms have wheelchair access to showers.

While you're there Take a dolphin- or whale-watching cruise from the marina, or visit Oakvale Farm to pet animals.

Sign up for the Traveller newsletter

The latest travel news, tips and inspiration delivered to your inbox. Sign up now.

Most viewed on Traveller

Loading