The Retreat Port Stephens

Filthy and disappointing. The accommodation was very dirty, with mould on the pillows, dirty kitchen utensils and floors, and a filthy outside area. Shameful. Port Stephens is beautiful and we’ll definitely visit the area again, but we’ll never spend our hard-earned money staying here again.

The kids’ area was great, and the pool was the best part for us. It has a shallow section where our 3 yr old could play. Staff were lovely all week, and we can’t wait to book again next year. A massive storm knocked out power and communication in the area, so we missed our first night. Charlotte called by 9am the next morning to say our accommodation was ready, and she was lovely and very apologetic, even though it clearly wasn’t her fault. When we arrived, the power had just come back on. The cleaners and maintenance team had done an amazing job getting everything ready, and they extended our accommodation to cover the missed night without any hassle.

We stayed in the big house with 16 people and had a blast. It has 6 rooms and 3 bathrooms, and the fridge could’ve been bigger, though it was fine. The Retreat isn’t luxurious and is a bit run down, but still well maintained, if that makes sense. It was clean, with lovely bath and hand towels and bedding provided. The location is great. You can walk straight onto the sand dunes, and if you fancy a longer adventure, cross them to the beach. That would probably take an hour, and it’s not a swimming beach. The pool is great but unheated, so best in summer. There are ping pong and pool tables too. We loved our stay, it was lots of fun.

The manager and staff were lovely and really helpful. We had a good time overall, and the family enjoyed the pool. The garden is lovely, with a big playground for the kids, and there was plenty of room in the cottage bedrooms and kitchen. We stayed three nights in one of the cottages. There’d been a sandstorm a week before, and from what I understood they were still cleaning up. There were lots of plants and dirt on the pool floor, which I guess was still from the storm. The cottage also could’ve been cleaner when we arrived: garbage and toys from previous guests were under the beds, the floor wasn’t clean, and we had to wash most of the dishes before using them. I think the cottage needs a proper deep clean.