Wanderers Retreat

Delightful stay at Wanderer's Retreat for the weekend. Five minutes walk to gorgeous One Mile beach, the cute, clean cabin is nestled in the bush with loads of birds and wildlife. Loved sitting the outdoors hot spa at sunset! Antony is a very pleasant, relaxed and thoughtful host who attended to anything we needed. Will definitely visit again.

I looked forward to visiting and being in the rainforest to relax and see the wildlife which was the highlight of my stay, lots of birds and butterflies and possums who came up onto our balcony. But I do feel disappointed with our stay here. Upon arrival I found there to be a composting drop toilet that was not clearly advertised in the booking. We found an empty packet of chips in the compar**ent of the coffee table. The window sills were dusty and there were dead insects there. Underneath the bed was very dusty and my partner found cutlery that had been left there. I also found the bathroom mirror to have dirty marks. The cutlery and crockery had to be re washed as they had not been cleaned properly. This showed me that the cabin had not been properly cleaned since the previous guests, and that the cabin was not well maintained. I read on the information sheet on the fridge to "clean up after yourself and leave the place as you found it" So then I thought that the previous guests had most likely done the washing up and left their rubbish behind. Unfortunately when I walked around the retreat and when we arrived back from our outings there was a strong smell of what I thought was sewage, I also noticed this when sitting on the balcony occasionally. I feel mislead by the advertising of this place as being a Luxury Retreat. Very overpriced for what I experienced. I expected better service for the price we paid, and a clean and comfortable environment. If the accommodation was more transparently advertised and price appropriate there would be less reason for disappoin**ent.

We came for a 3 night secluded holiday and it turned out to be the most romantic comfortable forest cabin stay with brand new hot tub, a pool and was walking distance from the beach. The owner was fantastic, providing everything we needed in the cabin including a tv you can cast to, local knowledge and immediately helped if we asked. The local area has ParkRun, trail walks, spectacular beaches, camels, sand boarding, great food and more. If you love nature and relaxing and/or like to walk or run, this is the place for you. We'll be back. This is officially one of my favourite places to stay - THANK YOU!!! Highlights : Romantic · Quiet · Great value Our cabin (love the cabins) was perfectly clean, well presented and in good condition. Well provided with pillows, towels, kitchen & bathroom needs, stove, oven, microwave, fridge, dishwasher, clothes horse, iron and board, hairdryer. And you can stream from your device to the TV! Love the eco toilet (properly maintained - no smell!). Love the brand new hot tub!! Nearby activities : ParkRun is held every Saturday at 8am in Fingal Bay and it's one of my favs because it's a beautiful wide path under lots of shade cover, slightly undulating and super friendly Volunteers! There are popular local trail walks both up and down the coast line that have recently been upgraded by local council with fantastic views. We ran up to Tomaree Head Summit and walked the trail to Anna Bay. And we enjoyed a 20min camel ride on Birubi Beach and had fun trying out sand boarding! We intend to try the quad biking next time. Walk across the road to the local beach and its cafe/bar/restaurant. A 30min walk to Anna Bay to the closest shops. Such a nice quiet forest area. Anna Bay has pizza, thai, the local club and more. Or drive anywhere nearby such as Fingal Bay for even more choice and supermarkets. Noteworthy : The owner operator rocks! He gave us tips on the local walks and where we could get food and how long they'd be open, especially good to know on the first night. He gave us a tour of the cabin and how to operate the hot tub. He was easy to contact when a lightbulb needed replacing and replaced it immediately. He also provides spider removal if required :) This retreat is quiet, romantic, has beautiful natural landscaping, accessible, has parking, well located and run by a family man who cares about your experience.

Great location - only 10 minutes drive from the Nelson Bay shops, cafes and marina. Close to other attractions such as Anna Bay's camel rides through the sand dunes. Koala Place is a pretty cul de sac and a short walk to One Mile Beach. Our host, Antony, had directed our attention to a tree mounted Koala drinking station near the end of the beach path. This was attached to a mature Swamp Mahogany (Eucalyptus Robusta), one of the Koalas favourite foods. We met the owner, Antony at the quaint Reception mini cottage on his bicycle - very Eco orientated. He delivered us to our chosen accomodation a Bush Spa & Hot Tub Cottage. We found it well appointed, tastefully presented and welcoming with complementary Port and Bubbly (pity we recently gave up alcohol). All three rooms and the deck were comfortably furnished with ample kitchen utensils and a large Webber BBQ ready to cook the fish we would soon catch during the charter we had booked. The Retreat's gardens were well designed, providing privacy and seclusion. We came to envy the guests in the Tree Houses as we walked to the pool - maybe next time! Our favourite memories, other than the many interesting conversations with Antony are relaxing in the outside Hot Tub looking up at the Tree Canopy or being caressed by the inside spa while admiring the view from the bathroom. We enjoyed our 3 night stay and would recommend it to all who love nature and the Australian relaxed bush lifestyle.

Wanderers Retreat, is more of a night mare than a retreat. I paid $724.86, for two nights which was expensive considering all the other options available, but thought I’d give this place a try as the images advertised were amazing online, but I was fooled. As soon as I walked into the cottage we were welcomed with cockroaches, spiders, fruit flys that were in the kitchen, bathroom, living room and even the bedrooms. The owner is well aware of what was going on, as he told us there was fly spray and personal repellent under the kitchen sink that we could use as needed. To my discovery I realised the fruit flys, were lingering, from the hole in the floor from the toilet pit (not your normal flushing toilet) that’s filled with toilet paper and fecal matter and that it had not been rotated (I shined a torch down the pit to see what was going on) nor advertised when we booked the property, which is false advertising and also explained the smell of the sewerage as soon as you parked near the cottage. The shower curtain was hang by a chain and when your showered the bathroom floor water was spread across the entire bathroom. The spa bath had hair caught in the jets and super un clean as threads were being released when turnt on. The bedrooms and ceilings were filled with spider webs and there was a thick coating of dust behind and near the beds. The room was tiny with a double bed and not queen, as advertised. The couches were absolutely filthy and seatings need to be cleaned and there was crumbs under the sofa seating. The cottage smelt musty. The outdoor furniture is horrible and rusty and you might require a tetanus shot if you accidentally cut yourself on the metal chairs or the screws fixed over the wood paneling across the porch. The bbq needed a clean and I was too disgusted to use it. The gardens are over grown and not maintained at all. I was looking forward to a rainforest, but this is not the case. Just a overgrown shrub and bush land that is not maintained. There were no kangaroos or koalas either. The owner Antony, is a micro manager who wanders around the property at all hours of the night and even came out one night with a torch and told my sister and her partner that no visitors were allowed, when they came past to drop off some water bottles and they won’t allowed to park where they were. You can barley see anything when walking at night and I felt unsafe. The property also mentions that there is privacy and this is not the case either. I could see other properties, from where I was situated. My daughters are highly sensitive to irritants (which the place was full of) and when I asked Antony if I could use the washing machine for another combined load the second day (which I was really appreciative of and thanked him), he asked me why I had so much clothes to wash (one load) and that he was not ok with letting me use it again. When I explained that I had to wash my kids clothes due to sensitivity and literally beg him, he then allowed m

Lovely place. One feels like living right in the bush. Great place to relax. Magpie came for breakfast concert. Walking distance to beach and coastal walk. Bus station nearby with regular buses to Nelson Bay and other beautiful spots. Very friendly host.

3/5 because we had to kill 3 cockroaches in our first hour there. They were coming out of the dishwasher and we had to stuff a towel to keep them from coming. Definitely something the owner should address. I understand it's a nature reserve and you will get some bugs but to have the cockroaches coming like that is not normal. Also, it would be good if there was a fan in the bedrooms.

The environment was beautiful and quiet with no road noise which allowed you to hear the lovely sound of local bird life. We feel this property was once upon a time a little slice of luxury. While it seems to be still priced for luxury, it’s a little tired and very dated. Blinds and bathroom grout were mouldy, the furniture lacquer was sticky, the kitchen cupboards had a funky smell, the mattress was not the most comfortable and the kitchen utilities are in need of an update. The owner advised on arrival that the previous owners had removed a main window blind which meant the morning sun shined directly onto your face in bed when it rose. We wouldn’t have booked had we known this. We simply think it was overpriced for what it offers.

Spa was amazing at night time, looking up at the stars. Possums were very friendly followed us around everywhere & eat out of your hands.