Bannisters Port Stephens

We found Bannisters a delightful place to rest and enjoy. The room was excellent and well furnished, with a balcony overlooking greenery and water (we apologise for feeding the kookaburra and lorikeets). The lounge area was a pleasant space in which to sit and relax, even if we did not use the appealing looking heated outdoor swimming pool. Walks along the beach in both directions were an additional special experience of the stay. A pleasant surprise was how lavish and varied was the buffet breakfast, in the same Rick Stein restaurant where we had dinner one evening. The Bistro in the lower bar area was fine on the other night. Pleasant, engaged staff too. We hope we will come again.

I love this sanctuary! I fell in love on my first visit when travelling without my dog and as an international traveller was absolutely sold on the place for its class, comfort, culture and cuisine options. Oh yes of course I indulged at Rich Steins fabulous on site restaurant and later when travelling with my pooch at Cheeky Dog. Just a few hours from Sydney and half a day from my home in Byron Bay it offer me a superb stop over a sanctuary to relax, relish and recharge with or without my pooch.

My wife and I stayed at Bannisters Port Stephens for a week. We had a penthouse room which was well appointed with a huge area, and amazing views across Nelson Bay to Yacaaba and Tomaree Headlands. There is a large terrace with plenty of space with choices of seating, but, unfortunately, the weather was not kind enough for us to make use of it. Staff were very friendly and helpful at all times. The breakfast we had each morning was excellent with a wide variety of food cooked on request and self serve cereals etc. The hotel is getting quite old, but was refurbished to an excellent high standard. However, it is now showing its age with minor deterioration of fixtures, like the curtains which were difficult to open and closed. There is not much to do within walking distance of Bannisters, apart from the Bowling Club across the road. However, there is wonderful walking along the shore of the Nelson Bay with a choice of a grass path or the beach sand, we enjoyed this walk on most days, even with light rain. We enjoyed our stay at Bannisters Port Stephens and we are happy to recommend staying there. Therefore, we give Bannisters Port Stephens 5 stars out of 5. (PS there are Koalas in trees on the water side of the hotel, but they are hard to spot)