Approaching from Sydney, Lincoln Downs Resort and Spa is located on the left side of the Princes Highway just before you cross the iconic bridge into Batemans Bay. (You can read our family review of the Batemans Bay area here).

Although a four star hotel, Lincoln Downs Resort’s room rate is price comparable to several three star hotels in town – and some of these other hotels can be quite basic in comparison to Lincoln Downs (I’ve stayed in almost all of Batemans Bay’s hotels over the years, being a Sydney weekend-escapee!).

Tip: Like any hotel on a highway, it does also mean that you may get some traffic noise in the rooms located closest to the highway, so when booking, ask for the rooms farthest away, at the rear of the property.

Standard, garden view room

As we were only spending the one night, we booked into a standard room with a garden view ($140 for a Thursday night, Booking.com), and were able to park right at the front of our lower-ground room. When you’re a single parent, ease of unpacking has a lot going for it, and this is where motor inns shine for an over-night stay – we were unpacked and settled in moments.

Lincoln Downs offer different room pricing, including rooms with a spa. All rooms come with free Wi-Fi with a guest password provided upon check-in.

Room access is via key card entry, which also operates the power in the room via a slot. The rooms feel solid – secure and safe. I always appreciate this, being a woman staying with two young children. The garden was accessible from the other end of our room via double sliding doors, which were lockable and secure.

Quality room furnishings and fittings

Although a motor inn, this hotel has a quality, up-market feel to it. The room at Lincoln Downs was immaculate, and featured elegant furnishings. We had a queen and single bed, both quite comfortable with nice, crisp bedding.

The bathroom was very modern and stylish, with a large double shower, and a good assortment of essential toiletries – I always seem to forget something when we go travelling!

There was a mini-bar in room, flat screen tv, small table with two chairs, bar fridge, tea and coffee facilities and accessories, including a small pod coffee machine (every business-person’s savior). A storage wardrobe holds an ironing board, iron, and hair dryer, and also spare blankets and pillows.

Lighting was a little sparse and annoying – many lamps to switch on, rather than one or two overall switches. There were plenty of power points for laptops and iPhone and iPad chargers.

Here is a short walk-through video of our standard garden-view Lincoln Downs Resort room

The grounds and swimming pool

The garden was a nicely maintained outdoor lawn space where the kids had a good run around and explore to burn off their road-trip inactivity.

Directly off the garden area was a nicely situated swimming pool. Being early spring and probably too cold for most guests to swim, there was no one game enough to take a dip. My kids would have swum in it anyhow, if I had let them – children don’t seem to feel the cold at all when it comes to the chance of taking a quick dip in a hotel swimming pool! I was met with much protesting when I told them no swimming – it was just too cold at this time of the year!

On-site breakfast and dinner options

The onsite restaurant is Briars Restaurant, available for both breakfast and dinner.

As a price-guide, breakfast starts from $7 for continental or for room service, $7 for a bowl of cereal, $24 for a cooked breakfast.

Lincoln Downs Resort and Day Spa is a nice little Batemans Bay hotel option, and good value for money compared to most motor inns in the centre of Batemans Bay.

Lincoln Downs Resort and Spa useful info

Phone: +61 2 4478 9200
Email: info@lincolndowns.com.au
Address: 11683 Princes Highway, Batemans Bay, NSW, Australia
Website: You can find out more at the official Lincoln Downs Spa Resort website here

Lincoln Downs Spa Resort Location Map


*All prices are correct as at September 2016

This review is an independent, non-sponsored Australian hotel blog review. All opinions are my own.

Have you ever visited Batemans Bay on a family holiday? Did you stay in a good hotel? Tell us in the comments below…

The post Lincoln Downs Resort & Spa Family Review appeared first on Let's go Mum.

A review of family fun, short scenic drive ideas and more in Batemans Bay, a popular little NSW South Coast holiday town…

The trip from Canberra to Batemans Bay includes a rather steep traverse over the Clyde Mountain, where you pass-by the famous hairpin-bend located “Yogi Bear’s Cave” up near the top of the mountain. Also known as “Pooh Bear’s Cave”, this little natural cave formation is stuffed with soft toy Pooh Bears in an on-going tribute from Canberra and local children. You’ll find this little landmark around 20 minutes from Bateman’s Bay on the Kings Highway to Canberra.

Entering town, you’ll cross the Clyde River on the iconic Batemans Bay Bridge. Turn left immediately after exiting the bridge onto Clyde Street and you’ll find yourself in the picturesque Batemans Bay town centre.

Batemans Bay (and the neighbouring Batehaven area) is the largest town centre for some distance, and so has many essential services. There is a small hospital, medical centre, all major banks, several service stations.

Batemans Bay Accommodation

Being a popular holiday town, there is a multitude of hotels (mostly three to four star) and caravan and camping parks dotted around the Batemans Bay / Batehaven area.

Some of the larger caravan parks to search for include the Clyde View Holiday Park and Big 4 Batemans Bay.  Hotels and resorts include the Mariner’s Resort (cheap, on the waterfront), Zorba’s (cheap waterfront), Coachhouse Marina Resort (self-contained villas), the Reef motor inn (next to the bridge), Batemans Bay Boutique (pricey waterfront), and the Esplanade (couples only, expensive).

You can read our Lincoln Downs Spa Resort review here.

Batemans Bay Shopping Centres

Being a regional area and coastal holiday town, people don’t usually come to Batemans Bay to shop for anything other than the basics, or beach gear. That said, there are still lots of shopping options.

The main shopping area is an open-air shopping mall, the Village Centre, which houses a Kmart, Aldi and Coles supermarket, plus small boutiques and cafes. There’s also a Woolworths supermarket located in a smaller shopping mall, the Bridge Plaza, off Clyde Street. A Target store is located on Orient Street.

Road repairs in the centre of town are happening now, as it is the off-season, in preparation for the busy summer season, so you can expect some temporary shopping road access disruption. However, it is nice and quiet – no crowds, traffic, or queueing for a restaurant table!

Family meal options in Batemans Bay are numerous

It makes a lot of sense to enjoy the water-front eating options for real Batemans Bay atmosphere – and super-fresh sea food!

Along the water front on Clyde Street there are lunch cruises on the Clyde River, and a cheap but tasty fish and chip shanty overlooking the jetty. Here you can eat fresh fish and chips whilst watching the Pelicans preen, waiting for the fishing boats to return. Kids fish and chips meals are priced at $7.

There several small cafes lining the charming little esplanade area along the water front.

The trendy “Starfish” café (for a window table, be sure to book ahead) is a nice option. We had breakfast here one morning, and although the food was a little light-on (one small piece of toast each for everyone’s poached eggs on toast just wasn’t enough, we were still starving after!), it was a lovely spot to enjoy the view whilst you are eating.

The  Pizzeria and Aussie Pancake Parlour can all be found along this waterfront promenade, and you can sit admiring the view at one of the outdoor tables whilst the kids explore the rocks and jetties.

For a reasonably-priced family dinner out, there are a couple of large town clubs which offer good value meals for the family. We had dinner at the local Soldiers Club – $10.50 children’s meals (meal and an ice cream desert) and $16 roasts and other specials. My $16 chicken risotto was just as tasty as any expensive restaurant, and there was a nice family atmosphere – plenty of room for high chairs and large families. In-season there is even a child care room if mum and dad want to play the poker machines for a while. This is a great option for a bit of single parent time-out, too.

Of course, you’ll also find all the regular fast-food franchises of home in Batemans Bay too, such as McDonalds, KFC, and a Hogs Breath Cafe located on the main street which sometimes has kids-eat-free specials too, so worth checking out.

Things to do

For holidaying families, there is a popular Mini Golf centre located on the Princes Highway through town. There are also some great near-by animal parks such as Birdland – perfect for pre-schoolers and primary school-aged children, and, as mentioned, the excellent Mogo Zoo. Numerous parks and playgrounds are all along the coast, plus there are tennis courts to hire, and some good bike paths.

Fishing is a big pursuit here too, plus you can hire boats, jet skis and even Houseboats (next to the bridge) for a trip down the Clyde River – relatively expensive, but a true get-away for the whole family.

A large fair, Bell’s Carnival, takes up residence every Christmas holidays, the odd seasonal circus passes through. If you’re visiting in January, there are Australia Day fireworks at Batehaven near the Carnival too.

Go for a scenic South Coast tourist drive

The Batemans Bay to Moruya area is also well known for its pretty scenic drives. Here are a couple of half-day trips for you to consider.

The Coastal loop

Leave Batemans Bay main street, turning left and sticking to the coast towards Batehaven.  Keep driving, choosing any major left turn as you go, and you’ll come across surf beaches and pretty little bay and beach cove towns and inlets such as Surf Beach (as the name implies, there’s a great surf beach here!), Malua Bay, Rosedale, Tomakin, Guerilla Bay (a fascinating big rock is here), Broulee and Barlings Beach (basically, a huge caravan park along a beautiful beach). If you’re lucky, out to sea from the cliffs you may spot dolphins playing in the waves, or even whales out in the ocean-proper during South Coast whale season.

The coastal section of this drive only takes about twenty minutes, and if you head back to Batemans Bay via the inland highway, that’s only around another twenty minutes drive back, plus you can stop off at Mogo, a tiny town full of cute little craft shops and cafes. Here also you’ll find the brilliant little Mogo Zoo – well worth a look, with it’s mix of small right up to large African animals, including rare white lions. You can have a lovely lunch at their café, with the roar of lions in the background!

To drive this costal loop, here is a map guide to roughly follow

Highway trip to the Bodalla Cheese Factory

If you opt to turn left and continue on up the highway, or take the Princes Highway direct from Batemans Bay, you can visit some great little towns such as Moruya (30 minutes from Batemans Bay via the Princes Highway, some nice cafes here) and Bodalla (50 minutes), home of the Bodalla Cheese Factory and Dairy Shed café.

This charming little café has a great tree-top seating area out the back and huge lawn for the kids to play on, and their resident calves, alpacas and goats in a paddock just off it. If you are there at 4pm, you can even help feed the calves!

To drive to Moruya and Bodalla Cheese Factory, here is a map guide to roughly follow

Batemans Bay is worth the trip

This picturesque little area is popular for family holidays for a reason – there so much to see and do, and there’s not a sky-scraper to be seen, making it a true city get-away holiday.

Even if you are just taking the coastal-route to Melbourne or Adelaide from Sydney, definitely plan for a decent stop-off in this great little New South Wales South Coast town – Batemans Bay is well worth the trip!

For more information on Batemans Bay and the NSW South Coast, visit the Eurobodalla Coast website here.

This review is an independent, non-sponsored Australian travel blog review. All opinions are my own.

Have you ever visited Batemans Bay or the NSW Eurobodalla Coast on a family holiday? What did you enjoy doing, or where did you enjoy staying? Tell us in the comments below…

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We headed to Wollongong this week to attend an event being held at the WIN Entertainment Centre, located in Wollongong city-centre.

I only had a week’s notice to book my accommodation, and according to the usual hotel comparison websites there were no rooms available inside of twenty minutes drive of Wollongong. However experience had taught me that these websites are only allocated a certain number of rooms to sell, and so the actual hotels may still have have vacancies tucked away – it was time to start phoning around!

I Google-Map searched for hotels surrounding the Wollongong Entertainment Centre and started calling them – no luck, all full! The City Beach Motel, rated 3 stars, had been my final call, and I had left my phone number with them on the off-chance they might get a last-minute cancellation. Luck was finally on our side – the lovely staff called me back within an hour with a cancellation. We were finally accommodated – phew!

Literally right across the road from the WIN Entertainment Centre and WIN Stadium and just one short block from the gorgeous Wollongong City Beach, location is they City Beach Motel’s major asset. It actually turned out to be perfect for our two-night Wollongong stay – mainly because it saved us hours of mucking around commuting and parking over the weekend. It is the only motel so close to the beach AND the WIN Entertainment Centre. There’s a great kid’s playground on the way to the beach too – both are just one short block (or two minute’s walk) away.

The Wollongong City Beach is a beautiful beach with white sand and big surf. The majestic Wollongong lighthouse located at one end and Port Kembla steel works a direct contrast in the distance at the other. It’s well worth the five-minute stroll to take in the gorgeous vistas.

On the day of our arrival at the City Beach Motel we were running quite late, but reception staff couldn’t have been more polite or welcoming. This excellent standard of service continued right throughout our stay. In no time at all we were parked under the building (no worries about finding parking at the Entertainment Centre for us tomorrow!) and provided with our room key and some milk for tea and coffee.

I assumed that with the City Beach Motel being a three-star motel, we would be staying in a tiny room with no cooking facilities, however when we entered our room I realised that this wasn’t to be the case at all.

The room was large, and there was even a small kitchen complete with full oven/stove, microwave, bar fridge and toaster. There was crockery including plates, cups and glasses, plus cutlery. A hot water jug and tea-making accessories, including tea, coffee, sugar, milk and biscuits were all supplied.

Reassessing our weekend set-up, we dashed off to the supermarket (10 minutes walk) to stock up on a few breakfast items – now we didn’t need to go out and search for breakfast in the morning – we were set!

The rooms at the City Beach Motel were a little dated, which given the price-point was to be expected, however they were also spotlessly clean and comfortable, and serviced our needs very well over the weekend.

There was a large flat screen tv, plenty of wardrobe hanging space, lighting, power points (for my six thousand charge cords) and a powerful reverse-cycle air conditioner – even this early in Spring it was certainly appreciated!

The bathroom was clean and serviceable, with a full-sized bath and a strong, hot shower. A range of complimentary toiletries were supplied too.

As the City Beach Motel is located on a corner of a busy intersection in the Wollongong city centre, it was not without the expected traffic and pedestrian noise. That said, being Wollongong this wasn’t constant and it did quieten down later in the night – perhaps after 10/11pm. There was still the odd tyre-screeching episode a couple of times through the night.

The intersection became an attraction of sorts in our room – the kid’s favourite thing was to sit at the floor to ceiling window and watch the world go by, two floors down! All motel rooms at the City Beach Motel are located on the first or second floor, so up one or two flights of stairs. For this reason this motel wouldn’t suit anyone who may be in a wheel chair, or is significantly mobility-impaired.

For us, being on the 2nd floor did give me a feeling of us being more secure – plus we were surrounded by other families staying for the weekend. It was possibly a little quieter too.

At just *$155 for the three of us per night this motel was a real bargain (weekend rate – cheaper off-peak at around *$129), with the nearby large hotels charging *$450 per night.

It you are a beach-goer or attending an event at the WIN Wollongong Entertainment Centre or Wollongong Stadium and are on a budget, then the City Beach Motel is a solid option that will save you some cash, and time. I know I would book here again if we have another event at the entertainment centre – it’s just too convenient to pass up!

City Beach Motel useful info

Suits – budget conscious travellers / families

Parking – undercover parking
Stairs – no wheelchair access
Rating – three-star rating
Food – accommodation only – room service is currently unavailable

Beachfront/park – 2 minutes walk
Shopping/Woolworths supermarket – 10 minutes walk
Restaurants and cafe’s – 5 minutes walk
McDonald’s family restaurant – 5 minutes walk

*All prices are correct as at October 2015

Have you ever visited Wollongong, NSW? What did you enjoy doing there? Tell us in the comments below…

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Jamberoo is a family water park, and a great fun way to spend a day!

We headed off on our hour or so drive to Jamberoo with sunny skies, but by the time we arrived it was unseasonably cold! However being die-hard family fun-seekers that we are, Brooke (9), Samantha (7) and myself voted to brave the weather and go swimming and water-sliding anyhow – and we’re very glad we did!

One of the great things about Jamberoo is that apart from buying food, you can practically put your wallet away as everything is covered in the entry price. So the first thing we did when we arrived was to hire a locker for the day for our gear ($10 locker hire). Now we could wander around the park carrying nothing at all and simply hop from one ride to another with no worries.

The shortest of us, Samantha, met the height minimum for all rides, and thanks to the chilly conditions there were barely any queues – so we managed to cover every ride in the whole park in just a few fun hours. Here is our ride-by-ride guide to Jamberoo…

The Bobsled – two rides in one

You need to take a chairlift up to the start of the Bobsled run. This was a bit of a worry for me as it only fit two people, and so I needed to send Brooke, my 9yo, on her own. She rode ahead of Samantha and I, with me periodically calling out to her “Just sit still! Are you okay? Keep the safety bar down!” like the embarrassing mother I am – we all made it to the top safe and sound of course, and ready for our run down the hill.

The Bobsleds were very heavy and you needed to lift it down off a rack and carry it to the track by yourself which I found quite difficult – there was no chance the kids could lift them on their own. Then we climbed aboard and set off down the mountain, which was as safe and as slow as you wanted to make it. We did find that the sleds kept stopping here and there – so you then had to push them along with your hands which was a challenge – especially as I had my 7yo on my double one. The track was very bumpy on the joins which made the ride quite uncomfortable. Maybe it was just that we had chosen the slower track, or that we were going too slow, but in any case, at the bottom we all decided that one run was enough, and we thankfully headed off to try something else.

The Taipan water slide – lots of fun

With no queues to speak of, we walked up to the Taipan water slide and could get straight on each time we rode. This ride was a lot of fun for all of us! We all sat in a big rubber ring which headed off into a dark water tunnel lit up just a little here and there, making it a bit spooky – but in a fun way! Slightly thrilling, but not too much to handle for our little crew – we rode the Taipan three times – thumbs up!

Surf Hill – like the big slide at fun fairs – just add water!

Surf Hill was rows of fast, straight downhill slides on mats. The girls did this one alone while I watched. They said it was fun but only did it once – they wanted to move on!

Splash Out – good old-fashioned fun

These two classic twisty-turn-y blue open air water slides were fun for everyone – not scary unless you can’t swim – one little girl behind me clearly couldn’t swim when she hit the deep water at the end of the slow slide, and I raced back towards her as the life guard offered her his float which she clearly couldn’t grab – he finally jumped in to fish the poor thing out, coughing and spluttering. My kids had harmlessly swum out when finding themselves in the deep water, thank goodness. We did ride this one a few times – it was good fun.

The Rock – high-jumping thrills

The kids thought this was really fun, or at least Brooke did. Samantha and I just liked hanging out in the warm pool underneath, as by this point we were pretty cold out of the water! You could choose from three jump points – one short slide with a long drop into the water and two rock jump-offs, one higher than the other. Most older kids loved jumping off The Rock – I was happy to just watch this one, and Samantha said jumping off hurt when she hit the water, so she just did it the once (even that surprised me – she’s a brave one!). I took her down to a little kids area below The Rock where she was much happier playing with the squirting frogs, little slides, raining mushrooms and lilly-pads!

Outback Bay – catch a wave

Outback Bay is the first thing you see when you walk into Jamberoo – a massive hard-bottomed wave pool fringed by a sandy beach with deck chairs. There is a toddler pool to one side and a huge tv screen belting out the latest hit videos and counting down the wave sets. The waves are set off around every half hour and are a lot of fun. My girls are both good swimmers, but I needed to be with them in the waves if they were not right near the edge, as wave water depth can be very deceptive for little kids. Outback Bay is also where we enjoyed a scrumptious lunch overlooking the bay. The “Bombora Seafood” café had absolutely delicious food – don’t miss the fish and tempura prawns, plus Churros from the snack bar there too – yummy!

Mini Golf – for something different!

Not what you’d expect in a water park, but a bit of fun on the side, just the same. All you need is a $2 deposit for your putter and ball and you’re in business. Both girls enjoyed taking a Mini Putt-Putt time out here at the end of the day.

Rapid River – not really so rapid…

Even for a mum with two young kids, this ride was pretty slow. You sat on a blow up ring and drifted around in a big circle, getting sprayed by what felt like random hoses. In the end we all jumped off the rings (it’s only around a metre deep) so we could walk it faster and get out sooner, which everyone seemed to be doing. Perhaps it’s more suited to parents pushing toddlers on the rings – or it’s more fun on a hot day when you just want some relaxing chill-out time.

Billabong Beach – fun for the under-tens

Billabong Beach  is a cute little area for kids to climb, slide and play. We practically had the place to ourselves, and it was a nice spot for me to lie on a lounge and relax whilst the kids raced around, splashed, slid and played safely.

Banjo’s Billabong – a big splash!

Banjo’s Billabong is like the big brother of Billabong Beach – it is another climbing structure, just bigger with longer slides coming down off of it, and an enormous bucket that fills and dunks periodically. All the kids eagerly wait for this, as it’s quite the massive splash! Lots of young-to-older kid fun to be had here.

The Funnel Web – as thrilling as it gets

The Funnel Web is clearly the big-gun ride of Jamberoo. A huge, twisty covered water slide that at one point spits it’s riders out into the most massive funnel (that spectators can watch from a viewing deck) before sucking the screaming occupants back into a tube. Unfortunately Samantha, made the height minimum so I had no excuses not to go on it, however luckily the kids suddenly had second thoughts at the top and we all scarpered back down the path and left it to the braver folks – phew! Well, maybe next time…

The Jamberoo Action Park has a lot going for it – we really enjoyed our time there. If the kids are getting bored in the holidays or on those long hot Summer weekends, Jamberoo Action Park is a great family activity that will give you and the kids a fun day out!

Jamberoo Action Park is located on the South Coast of NSW, around an hour’s drive South from Sydney, two hours from Canberra and twenty minutes from Wollongong. Public transport is via train to Kiama Station then (seasonal) connection bus.
Admission is $49.99 per adult, $41.99 per child. Season passes are available for $109 online. Prices are correct at 21/01/2015.
Check the Jamberoo website here for further details.

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