Incredible sight from hotel balcony
It's a magical morning when you are gazing out from your hotel balcony and spot dolphins playing in the water below.
I caught their antics while staying at the newly refurbished Rydges in Port Macquarie.
My family quickly raced down to watch these beautiful creatures frolic in the river for over half an hour before we spent three days exploring the coastal town.
We spent two nights at the revamped hotel where its rooms now boast airy and bright spaces, comfortable beds, a lounge to relax on, a dining table and chairs for planning, a massive bathroom and a much-needed large balcony to watch the sunrise (and dolphins).
It's in a central location too which gives you easy access to the town's stunning beaches, lighthouse and, surprisingly, wineries.
Our first night we decided to eat at the hotel's restaurant called Zebu. It was buzzing with live music in the bar area and requests for any cocktail you could imagine.
Given its popularity, the restaurant was packed but it was worth the wait for our meals.
We feasted on burrata, gnocchi with prawns, scotch fillet steak and charred broccolini - the portion sizes were generous too which is always a bonus.
Our room also came with buffet breakfast included which was incredible to set us up for the day. It included fruits, cereals, pastries breads, hot foods and made to order poached eggs. The highlight for kids was the pancake machine, which rolled them out with a press of the button.
Port Macquarie is known for its beautiful beaches and lighthouse. We spent a lovely morning checking out the epic views and playing on Lighthouse beach as nippers practised their surf lifesaving skills nearby.
However, one of the things that surprised me most was that Port Macquarie has a booming winery scene just 20 minutes out of the town centre.
The kids can explore the vineyards and parents can get a true taste of the region. We stopped in at Cassegrain Wines, which have an impressive amount of huge barrels to greet you before you enter the tasting room.
The winery has a large selection wines on offer to taste and it was interesting learning about the history of the vineyard. It's $10 for a tasting but you get that money taken off with any wine purchase.
The standout though for me was Long Point Vineyard & Art Gallery. They have a smaller section of wines but an interesting port collection. It's on a sprawling property where you can take a picnic and indulge in a delicious cheese board for just $25 and the kids can play on the sculptures dotted through.
Shout out too to the excellent customer service – the lady was an absolute delight and the kids were thrilled they were allowed to play with her dog.
I would also recommend checking out Billabong Koala & Wildlife Park. While it wasn't cheap for entry it was a fun morning watching the animals and marvel and taking in huge sculptures dotted throughout the park.
Back in town, there are a bunch of restaurants and cafes within walking distance of Port Macquarie Rydges. Literally a minutes walk away from the hotel was Pancake Place – a delightfully indulgent lunch spot for children, while the restaurant Pizza Obsession offered an easy takeaway dinner in the hotel room.
We also spent a night at the more exclusive Sails Port Macquarie by Rydges.
The room's direct access to the pool was a real highlight and the kids had great fun splashing between the various swimming options, including a heated sauna.
There was also a friendly lizard that frequented our balcony and the kids excitement was sweet – while we quickly discovered that spotting lizards dotted around the hotel grounds was an excellent game.
You could order cocktails and food directly from the pool area via a QR code. We had a pina colada and mojito and some chips and arancini balls. Unfortunately, service was a tad slow and they forget our chips and we had to chase them up.
I personally love a big bathroom and the one's at Sails were a tad small. There also appeared to be an issue with the hot water but thankfully it was fixed in no time.
During our stay at Sails, we dined at its Boathouse Bar and Restaurant, which offers front row seats to boats docked in the marina and some green space to go lizard spotting.
I was impressed they included cucumber sticks with the kid's fish and chips, while the warm sourdough was divine. We enjoyed the lamb shoulder to share with salsa verde, pickled spanish onion, mixed greens, chats and jus – which literally melted in your mouth.
For dessert, I had the chocolate crème brulee with raspberry sorbet.
We finished off our stay with a beautiful sunrise to start the day and a splash around the pool before the drive home.
As a family we preferred the refurbished Rydges rooms in the town centre for our stay. The only thing that would have made it better would be to import the Sails pool set up with the direct access to swimming through the room's ground floor balcony.
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