The most unique stays on the Sapphire Coast

Currajong Retreat 

Where: Burragate 

Slowly slip into the bathtub on the deck of your luxury tent at Currajong Retreat, exhale deeply and find yourself sinking into the bush serenity of the Bega Valley. Looking across the Towamba River and set high in the native canopy, this glamping escape is a year-round hideaway where you can hit reset by the glow of a fire in winter or stargaze from the deck on warm summer nights. With a breakfast hamper and dinners made with local produce delivered daily, there is nothing for you to plan, manage or organise but your own relaxation.  

Currajong Retreat, Burragate - Credit: David Rogers

Hillcrest Motel 

Where: Merimbula 

Layering the romance of its surf motel roots with a chic, laid-back update, Merimbula’s Hillcrest is an invitation to revel in the culture of bare feet and salt-dried hair. Abandon any inclination to do more than flit between the beach, the resort pool and tennis court, before gathering by the motel fire-pit for sundowners. From its lofty vantage looking down on Merimbula, guests can assess beach conditions and opt to grab their surfboard or simply stay put and unwind.  

Hillcrest Merimbula, Merimbula

Hotel Australasia 

Where: Eden 

Follow the luxe, midnight-blue carpet upstairs to your suite at the tenderly restored boutique Hotel Australasia and prepare to divest yourself of daily routines. Here, in this heritage building dating back to 1904, lies an incredible dining experience in the courtyard Bistro, followed by a tipple of your choice at the John Hines Bar, plus fine-dining at soon-to-open Circa 1904. While Eden’s offerings are just a step outside, no doubt the claw-footed bathtub and chef-cooked breakfast served in-room will make a persuasive argument for a delayed start to the day. 

Hotel Australasia, Eden - Credit: Daisy Hill Photography

Tanja Lagoon Camp 

Where: Tathra 

Strengthen your connection to nature by staying at the edge of a wild, coastal lagoon near Tathra. With a strong sustainability focus, Tanja Lagoon Camp offers luxe safari tents and eco cabins designed with a minimal footprint to encourage guests to co-exist with the environment around them. The eco-cabins feature fully equipped kitchens, spacious en-suite bathrooms, private decks and more, and are a short stroll to the beach and bushwalking trails (the camp is surrounded by the pristine nature of Mimosa Rocks National Park). Glide out onto the lagoon in a kayak, whale watch, and come nightfall, build a fire and marvel at the clear sky and its celestial bodies above. 

 Tanja Lagoon Camp, Tanja

Sugar Rock Ranch  

Where: Eden  

Canine compadres are welcome at this beautifully wild 39-acre property just five minutes north of Eden. With a pitched timber roof, well-chosen and bush-appropriate amenities, and a chance to properly detach, a stay with your pooch in the pet-friendly rustic-chic barn studio is all your wood-cabin Pinterest board dreams come to life. While the waterside diversions of Eden and Pambula are close by, once you settle into the delights of fresh air, misted pine forests and the curl of smoke from your self-made campfire, remaining hidden away from the world will be all too tempting. 

Sugar Rock Ranch , Eden - Credit: Louise Wellington | Sugar Rock Ranch

Green Cape Lightstation Keepers’ Cottages 

Where: Beowa National Park 

Wake to the eternal roar of the ocean, and hear the waves crash into the cliffs below your Keeper’s Cottage on the tip of Beowa National Park. The three charming, heritage cottages continue their steadfast watch over Green Cape and Disaster Bay, granting easy access to incredible vistas, whale watching (from May to December) and walking tracks. On cooler nights, a cosy fireplace and hot cuppa beckon you in post trek, while the ocean breeze cools balmy evenings as you gaze beyond your cottage porch. Follow the nearby trails to discover some of the Sapphire Coast’s most enchanting beaches, where you can dive beneath the waves or cast a line. Or book a guided tour of the lightstation to hear tales of shipwrecks and the life of a keeper at this historic outpost.  

Green Cape Lightstation Keepers' Cottage, Eden

Bermagui Beach Hotel 

Where: Bermagui

Since 1895, the Bermagui Beach Hotel has been offering patrons a cold beverage and a place to absorb the breath-snatching beauty of Horseshoe Bay and Gulaga Mountain. While the pub itself is a worthy place to dissolve daily tensions, a stay in the elegant waterfront accommodation will ensure a deeper relaxation. Recently honoured with the Best Deluxe Pub Accommodation Award by the Australian Hotels Association, this family-owned boutique hotel has a breezy coastal vibe with rooms opening out onto balconies from which you can spend a lazy morning gazing out to the water.  

Bermagui Beach Hotel, Bermagui

Seahorse Inn 

Where: Eden 

From this historic inn, it’s a matter of mere steps before you reach the soft sands of Twofold Bay. Born from adventurous enterprise, and enduring through misfortune and disrepair, this incredible property built by Benjamin Boyd in the 1840s and carefully restored in 2006, is now a beacon of luxury. Stay in the elegant, recently refurbished garden and ocean rooms housed in the original inn, or opt for a contemporary, self-contained villa. Either way, that deep-marine hue of the bay and its therapeutic waters will lure you across the manicured lawn for beach strolls or dips. With the Sea Horse Inn Brasserie and two bars onsite, you’ll have a plate of fish and chips and a gin at the other end. 

Seahorse Inn, Boydtown - Credit: Sapphire Coast Destination Marketing

Tathra Beach Eco Camp 

Where: Tathra  

Cut the tether to everyday pressures and simplify life with a bush-edged escape at Tathra Beach Eco Camp. Easing into a butterfly chair in the still, cool morning is the perfect way to embark on a restorative day that may involve a bushwalk, a beach session or no more than a good book and a nap on the deck of your luxe tent. From camping sites to cabins, glamping spots and self-contained gumnut pods, choose your best-fit accommodation to immerse in the birdsongs, fragrance and serenity of the bush. You may even be paid a visit by a resident kangaroo. 

Tathra Beach Eco Camp, Tathra - Credit: Sandra Juffermans | Carmen Risby - Tathra Beachside

Myer House 

Where: Mimosa Rocks National Park 

Designed in the late 1960s by renowned architect Sir Roy Grounds and built with colleague Kenneth Myer (of Myer store and foundation fame), Myer House is a retro-chic holiday home tucked away in Mimosa Rocks National Park. It was donated to NSW National Parks in 1976 and has been beautifully maintained. A stay here is like stepping back in time, with classic 70s furniture, a record player and rotary dial phone, though you’ll be happy to see the kitchen has been updated. Sleeping up to 12 guests, it’s the place to recreate the family beach holidays of years gone by. 

Myer House, Mimosa Rocks National Park - Credit: John Spencer | DCCEEW

Kianinny Bush Cottages 

Where: Tathra 

You’ll never be bored at Kianinny Bush Cottages. Set on 100 acres just a few minutes’ drive from Tathra Beach, there are bushwalking trails, canoeing on the private lake, an 18-hole mini golf course, solar-heated swimming pool, sports courts, a games room, and even flying fox and archery lessons during the school holidays. Choose from secluded cottages that sleep four or six people, or large groups can stay in the lodges with bunk beds across multiple rooms. Surrounded by tranquil bushland and with an abundance of wildlife, this is a true rural retreat. 

Kianinny Bush Cottages, Tathra - Credit: Goose Boy | Kianinny Bush Cottages

Munns Tower House 

Where: Merimbula 

Sleep in a piece of Sapphire Coast history at Munns Tower House. Built in 1872 as a wedding present for the son of local industrial baron Matthew Munn, it’s the only remaining historic residence in Merimbula. The house is heritage listed, with a large stone cottage and a striking two storey Victorian Gothic tower beside it. The interiors have been faithfully restored and are decorated with period furniture, and the house is surrounded by lush gardens complete with a sparkling swimming pool. 

Munns Tower House, Merimbula - Credit: Munns Tower House

Saltwater Creek Campground

Where: Green Cape

Lovers of the great, remote outdoors will relish pitching their tent at the bush-cloaked Saltwater Creek Campground in Beowa National Park. Cocooned in nature, this hidden haven enables complete disengagement from daily life and an immersion in the sights, sounds and aromas of an apple gum forest. Edged by beach and small, gentle lagoons, days are spent by the water before retreating to your cosy campfire to watch the nocturnal life of possums and bandicoots scuttle around in the undergrowth. Soundtracked by tumbling waves and lit by pristine night skies, expect sleep that is deep and timed to the sun. 

Saltwater Creek Campground, Green Cape - Credit: John Spencer | DPE