Great weekends – so near yet so far!
As winter approaches I always start thinking about places to go for an autumn or winter break and while I love the places I have been to including the Blue Mountains, the Southern Highlands and of course Canberra, it had not really crossed my mind to go to Terrigal.
My wife suggested it as a late summer break to get away from it all and this delightful village and the Crowne Plaza Terrigal did just that.
So near and yet so far is a perfect description for both Terrigal and the Crowne Plaza as they are so near, only about 90 mins out of Sydney, but also yet so far in that Terrigal could be a laid back little village anywhere on the east coast of Australia.
The Crowne Plaza is also set very conveniently right in the middle of this Central Coast village, by far the largest building right on the stunning beachfront, just spitting distance away!
All the rooms offer views in most directions and over the blue Pacific or Tasman sea giving views to headlands and beaches that those amazing magazine photographs are made of!
The rooms are generously sized with a really comfortable and well equipped bathroom with a balcony offering those breathtaking ocean and beach views and a great place to have breakfast or that well deserved early evening glass of ice cold nearby Hunter Valley wine!
If you want to really relax then the Crowne Plaza Terrigal has a superb spa called the Tea Tree Spa, with a great range of top quality beauty and therapeutic treatments Jurlique. A couple of hours in The Tea Tree Spa and you will return to Sydney refreshed and revitalised!
The hotel also features a fully equipped health club complete with a state-of-the art gymnasium, steam room, sauna, whirlpool spa and Mediterranean-style outdoor heated swimming pool, the gym we did not visit [too strenuous!] but the pool was a definite yes, and a great location for catching that late summer sun and a smashing cocktail or an ice cold locally made in Newcastle Blue Tongue Lager beer.
There are heaps of things to do in the Crowne Plaza and in Terrigal but first its time for dinner, with a number of dining and entertainment options within the resort, which is probably the closest you will come to an integrated resort near Sydney.
Our first dining port of call was Seasalt, the resort’s premier restaurant, which tempted me with what appeared to be an excellent menu and also a wide selection of wines which very cleverly you actually can try before buying on their innovative wine tasting table under the watchful eye of French F&B Manager Michel – [yes you may ask a Frenchman is doing advising on Aussie and Kiwi wines but he knows his stuff I can tell you!]
More about Terrigal and the Crowne Plaza tomorrow as The Mole continues a visit to Terrigal on New South Wales’ Central Coast!
Great restaurants, great hotels, great wines – even fruit ones and great views again!
A Terrigal report by The Mole
John Alwyn-Jones
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Digital Travel Reporter of the Mirror totally seduced by HotelPlanner AI Travel Agent
Strike action set to cause travel chaos at Brussels airports
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025