The Anchorage Port Stephens Hotel & Spa

We recently stayed at The Anchorage for 4 nights! This was over the Christmas holiday period and overall we had a wonderful relaxing stay. It’s a long review!

Arrival: A glass of bubbles on arrival is a lovely touch, but when you get back to your car to head to your room to find other cars blocking the roadway was frustrating. More designated parking spots and lines showing guests where to park when checking in would certainly eliminate people blocking the road.

The rooms and the hotel is very Hamptons, which is very fitting for its location. The French doors that open to views of the marina and water is lovely, but you can’t exit from them. You have to exit your room from your main door. Which when you’re coming back from the beach or pool is annoying as you have to walk past your French doors to the car park and front doors on your building. If your room is on the ground floor, being able to enter your room via your French doors would be a bonus.

Rooms: We did not have enough coat hangers in the wardrobe. We tried ringing housekeeping. It was impossible as no one answered so we just gave up. There were no drawers in our suite to take our clothes out of our suitcases. We ended up living out of our suitcases. This to me is not a feeling that you’re in a luxury establishment but in a pokey 3 star motel. To me, staying in an establishment at such a premium price point, I was surprised there was minimal storage for clothing in the rooms.

Buffet breakfast: AMAZING! From bubbles to a juice machine with fresh apple, carrot, celery, orange segments, chocolate fountain, egg station, burcher muesli & quinoa porridge, freshly stewed fruits, fresh fruits, pastries, cheeses, and the usual bacon, hash browns, sautéed mushrooms etc, it never stopped! The best breakfast buffet I have ever experienced! Breakfast was an experience every morning!

The pool areas: It was fantastic there is a separate adults only pool. Unfortunately the pool bar and cabanas were closest to the children’s/family pool. They were the furtherest point away from the adults pool. Huh? This seems to be a big design flaw. To be able to sit near the bar in the adults only pool area would have been a perfect combination.

Toby’s Bar: A great oasis to enjoy a cocktail or aperitif before dinner. The downside was the bar is small and the air conditioning was freezing. We could literally only stay for one drink. Also the windows are beautiful casement windows, but do not allow you to enjoy the view of the water. A balcony or lower windows instead of being in a dark moody room would be more enticing.

Christmas lunch & dinner: We opted for the prepaid 4 course lunch in the function room. Each table had a floral arrangement but nothing in the function room itself was Christmas themed except the bon bons on each table. There was a Christmas tree just outside the room, but nothing while you were seated for 3 hours. Some decorations in the room would have made it more festive. The food was excellent for a set menu. The staff did an excellent job considering they seemed to have minimal information on how the event was coordinated or food would be allocated. The menu gave you 2 options but you weren’t offered an option.

As we only wanted something light for dinner later that evening, we headed to Toby’s bar. As we arrived at just before 6pm, it seemed like a last minute extended menu was put together to cater for a lighter Christmas dinner option. It seems there was not enough pre-planning by the food and beverage manager. The staff were all very professional considering they were told things changed last minute and adapted smoothly.

Overall: our stay was relaxing and the staff were all amazing.
The only other downfall was the gentleman who decided he would smoke outside his French doors of his room. All the guests in nearby rooms, took indoors to escape the smell of his cigarette smoke. One entitled guest thought he could do what he pleased even though there is signage stating that the whole establishment is smoke free.

Our stay was absolutely fantastic from the moment we stepped in till we left.
Highly recommend and would definitely come back.

Amazing! Attention to detail is a plus. The staff are very attentive.

The day spa-

From start the finish this was an exceptional experience, holy and Amanda were amazing, and the attention to detail was brilliant! The best massage I have seriously ever had. I will definitely come back here without a doubt.

Beautiful resort in Nelson Bay Area. We stayed here for 5 days. Really enjoyed our time here. Buffet breakfast was included and service was excellent. We were lucky to see dolphins in the Bay Area.

Wow what an awesome place to stay, very clean and spacious rooms, breakfast was amazing and the views are wonderful. Been here twice and will definitely be back again

I stayed with my family at the Anchorage over this past weekend and was really disappointed with our experience. The first day we noticed there was no hot water, we could only get the shower to luke warm which is unacceptable in any circumstance but especially during winter. We told reception and asked them to please take action. Our request was ignored. That evening I went back to follow up and again was met with a 'dont care' attitude. When we had returned from a day out there were screws left on the bathroom floor which is unacceptable and a risk as we have a small child. I mentioned this and the receptionist implied that the shower may have been fixed since there were screws on the floor but he didnt know for sure. I was told the manager would contact me the next day which never happened. Upon check out, still nothing was said, everyone kept quiet and it was a genuine and serious complaint which should have been attended to immediately or a solution offered. All i would have expected from such a hotel is for a complaint to be handled appropriately and in this case they could have offered a change in rooms or have maintenance attend to it immediately - just address it and not brush it under the rug. It really impacted our experience. To date i have not heard anything even though i was promised to be emailed with satisfactory compensation. Staff are not trained appropriately to handle customers and complaints. Very disappointed.

The Anchorage Port Stephens is in a beautiful location. It is spread out across multiple buildings. We stayed in a building where the only access was through the stairs. The room was ok, large, but a bit dark. For the price close to $500 per night I was expecting more. The bed was very comfortable. While other rooms may have better view, our room did not. We could hear other guests through the paper-thin walls. Not quiet, not luxurious, no great view from our room, no great value. Service was good, especially concierge/receptionist. Buffet breakfast was a nice touch 4/5. It is located next to a beautiful marina that is "fish friendly".

Beautiful setting and the rooms were immaculate. Our balcony was facing the sea and the view was magnificent. We had a really enjoyable time but it was a shame that we did not use the swimming pool as the water was freezing

A memorable experience! The rooms, the food and customer service is second to none. Big thank you to Ali, Benny, Carlos, Alex, Jan, Mariah, Catherine and all the staff at The Anchorage!
See you guys soon:)

We stayed at The Anchorage for one day and night to celebrate our baby’s first birthday. We had wonderful experience. They kept these cute and tasty macarons for our welcome. I was touched by their gesture. The location is amazing. The staff is helpful and friendly as well.

Great hotel
Great views of Port Stephens waterways
Friendly staff with great service
Hotel very clean and well maintained

Beautiful hotel. Really nice and welcoming staff. Rooms were clean and with all amenities that you may want and more, including minibar. The pool was awesome with very convenient opening times from 8am to 8pm. They give you towels which completed the great pool side relaxing area, where you can enjoy drinks from the pool bar. Definitely coming back!

Angela from the restaurant was so welcoming and accommodating. We really enjoyed ourselves! Thanks so much!

I stayed at the Anchorage for two amazing days the 17/2/23-18/2/23 it was a very relaxing/ pleasant experience. The room was at a superior standard on par with hotels that I have stayed in around the world. The room had a beautiful view of the beach, pools and marina with an extremely comfortable bed with beautiful pillows and fantastic air conditioning.
The staff were very tentative and the food at the Anchorage was great. The Anchorage is a 2 minute walk to the beach but I enjoyed relaxing around the pool sipping on a cocktail soaking in the view. It is only a 12min drive to Nelsons bay shops or a $20 taxi ride.
In my opinion I would recommend this hotel for a good weekend escape.
Many thanks to all the staff at the Anchorage especially the Manager whom organized a bottle of champagne for my friend and I and a welcoming card on our arrival.

Very peaceful place to have the getaway. The cottages are separated but if you walking from one by one, you won’t be covered if it’s too sunny or raining. The breakfast buffet is generous and the food is delicious.
The rooms are a bit old but spacious, some of them have the great water view if you pay more.
The reception lounge is lovely.
Nothing to do nearby, only walking along the coast you can see the super clear water.
The most closest shopping place about 2.9 km away.

Everything was WOW WOW
Best accommodation in Port Stephens.
All staff very friendly from general manager right down to cleaners.
Extremely clean.
Buffet breakfast had a huge variety to satisfy all taste buds.
Great location.
Will definitely come back.

Amazing location, brilliant facilities, pool looks soo inviting, breathtaking views!

Rooms very clean, spacious and well maintained!

Simply amazing! Brilliant facilities, excellent restaurant and bar, pool looks perfect and the view is breathtaking!

Beautiful accommodation to relax and enjoy some downtime for a romantic getaway. Staff very attentive and pleasant. Close to shops if needed. Gym and spa amenities available. We thoroughly enjoyed the food! Definitely recommend.

In the middle of a 4 night stay here for a second baby moon, and very impressed. Kid free. Excellent + service at all levels and across the facility. Felt very warm welcome from the get go at check in and very attentive service at breakfast and poolside. Especially with complimentary snacks offered by staff at the pool side. It’s a small detail but makes a huge difference - cootos to the manager for green lighting this. The buffet breakfast was great, self service fresh juice facility and champagne free flowing. Hot options great and omelette and egg service on point. We stayed in a loft room which had nice split space. The room furnishings feel slightly older, but very clean, good quality and range of complimentary bathroom products and TV and wifi all good quality. Would come again, including with kids next time. There is a nice park right next door and small very quiet and relaxed beach also right next door.