ANCHORAGE PORT STEPHENS

With some errands to run in Newcastle recently, James and I figured we'd make a weekend of it and head a little further north to Port Stephens. I had never been there before and James had never stayed overnight, so we took to Trip Advisor for recommendations on Where Was Good. The Anchorage was the most consistently well-rated, so that pretty much decided it for us! With its Cape-Cod inspired architecture and absolute waterfront location, The Anchorage is the perfect place to stay in the idyll that is Port Stephens.

We loved our recently refurbished attic room, which had a gorgeous little balcony where we could enjoy views of the pool and bay. 

One thing we missed out on was dinner on the waterfront. We thought wouldn't need to book ahead for dinner but it turns out we were wrong! Oh well, we managed to make up for it at breakfast time. A lovely place for some coffee and bacon, wouldn't you say?

You can even fashion the tablecloth into a top once you're done:

Enough about the hotel! Let's explore the area. If I have one recommendation, the single must-do, it's that you embark on the Tomaree Head Summit Walk. It's a short one, but I'll warn you: it's incline all the way there. 

The view is totally worth the sore legs.

I was pleasantly surprised to discover such paradisal landscapes so close to Sydney. Port Stephens boasts a number of stunning beaches, some of which really feel like they're in the tropics, like this one:

I'm so glad we made the time to go there and I'm looking forward to showing off the region to my next interstate visitors!