NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Park review – near Coffs Harbour, NSW
We’re partnering with NRMA holiday parks to show you around their family-geared, feature-packed holiday parks!
NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort is a beautiful holiday park located half an hour from Coffs Harbour, NSW, Australia.
We spent 10 wonderful days at Darlington Beach, a stunning eucalypt-studded holiday park bursting with wildlife, and fringed with a gorgeous sandy beach stretching for miles in either direction. Plus there’s more holiday fun, adventure and activities at this Coffs Harbour caravan park than you can poke a stick at!
A beautiful surf beach just down the path
The Arrawarra-Corindi Beach offers everything you could want from a coastal holiday. Swimming, surfing and fishing – even the family dog is allowed off-leash on the beach! In just a couple of minutes stroll you’re on the gorgeous white sandy beach and in holiday-relax mode whilst the children are shell-collecting and sand-castle building to their hearts content.
Kangaroos live at this holiday park
A big feature of Darling Beach holiday park is its local inhabitants – Kangaroos roam the park at will, peacefully co-existing with the park guests. It’s not unusual to wake up to a kangaroo gently nosing around under your caravan awning, or a mother with her joey still in the pouch grazing just outside. Kangaroos eat, sleep and play amongst the caravans and tents – watching them became our new favourite hobby! It’s like living in a wonderful wildlife documentary. (Check out our Let’s Go Mum Youtube Darlington Beach review video to see just how cute these new neighbours can be on your next family holiday!)
No time to read? Watch our NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort Youtube video
NRMA Darlington Beach features and activities
Resort fun activities and entertainment
There are all kinds of holiday entertainments, activities and attractions to keep the family happy at Darlington Beach Holiday Park. From the most energetic kids and adults, to parents who may just prefer to relax and laze the days away – there’s something to keep everyone happy at Darlington Beach!
The central hub of Darlington Beach is a complex of food, fun and entertainment.
Two resort swimming pools
The swimming pools and water park at Darlington Beach are located next to each other, however a pool fence separates the two. This means parents can know that whilst watching their little ones playing in the water park, they aren’t going to suddenly run off towards the swimming pool area!
The best thing about having two large water play and swim areas in close proximity is that the big kids can play all day between the two areas and never get bored!
The two stunning resort swimming pools are separated by a bridge crossing, and feature twin waterslides in one large pool and a warm baby pool branching off the other. There is also a separate hot spa close by.
An exciting new waterpark
Darlington Beach already has so much for families to do together, but now you can add to it a brand new water park with two huge water slides, water-play fountains and a big tipping bucket!
There are lots of picnic tables surrounding the water park area, so families can settle down for lunch, a coffee from the café – or even for the day if they want to!
NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort Kids Club
Other activities you’ll find in this central park area are the big jumping pillows, a children’s playground, a kids club and activity room to keep those busy crafters happy, plus a games room featuring arcade games and a ping pong table.
NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort games room
A holiday park with its own golf course!
Darlington Beach offers sports galore! Swimming, surfing and body surfing are just a stroll down the path at the beach. This park also boasts a full size lawn bowls green. If you love golfing holidays, this is the place to be – because there’s a complete 9 hole golf course at the other end of the park!
Then there’s a sports field, a tennis court, and even an archery range! You get the idea – you have options, and lots of them. Your holiday can be as relaxing or active as you like at Darlington Beach!
Pump Track and BMX track
One thing is for sure – kids love to bike and scoot in holiday parks, and with the 10km speed limit parents can relax a little more knowing the traffic is slow. But there’s also a dedicated area that keeps them off the roads and having fun! Darlington Park has a moulded plastic pump track for scooters and bikes, plus a dirt BMX track too.
Don’t worry if you forgot to put the kid’s scooters in the boot, or couldn’t bring your own bicycles – because go carts and bikes are available for hire from reception. You’re all set!
The Pet friendly holiday park that feels like a National Park!
Even though NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort is chock-full of Australian native wildlife, dogs are allowed at this holiday park. You can still bring your pet along as long as you keep them on a leash when you’re walking around the park. There’s no need to rough it either – there are pet-friendly cabins, tent sites, caravan sites and even pet-friendly en-suite sites!
A dog friendly Coffs Harbour Coast beach
Best of all, this may be the happiest holiday park for dogs in Australia, as in addition to being allowed to be walked around the park on a lead itself, the beautiful Arrawarra Beach (accessed directly from the holiday park) is a dog-friendly off-leash beach! Our dog Sweetums thought she was in seventh-heaven with all the wonderful walks she took with us at Darlington Beach. (You can see all the fun she had at the beach in our Darlington Beach review video)
There are some pet exclusion times during peak booking periods such as school holidays, so you’ll need to book your holiday with dogs stay at Darlington Beach by phone.
A resort restaurant
The Flamingo Cafe/Restaurant offers all kinds of tasty treats from breakfast to dinner, with boards full of yummy meals. There are many indoor and outdoor seating options, including a large indoor space with a TV, and seating by the water park and toddler playground (yes parents of little ones – you may actually get to finish your meal or have that coffee from the cafe, undisturbed!). If the bigger kids finish dinner early, they only have to walk a few steps to be at the pool or water park too! A parent dinner in peace – ah!
Also located at the restaurant area you’ll find the resort gift shop and kiosk – I dare you to leave here without buying at least one of their gorgeous souvenirs on offer, which includes holiday clothes and all kinds of beautiful, shiny things! Plus if you’ve run out of any essentials, here is where you’ll find those too (I was very thankful to find an extra packet of pegs!).
Darlington Beach Caravan Park & Other Accommodation Options
Our NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort powered site
From dog friendly cabins to private villas, glamping safari tents, powered and unpowered motorhome, bus and tent camping sites, to ensuite caravan sites and tent sites – NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort has it all! The sites are spacious – really spacious. The feeling is a natural bush setting teaming with wildlife. Beautiful birdsong, grazing kangaroos – it’s a lovely place to stay.
We holidayed on one of Darlington Beach holiday park’s pet-friendly powered caravan sites, as we travel with our dog Sweetums. It’s the perfect way to take your pets on holiday and still have a great family holiday together.
NRMA Darlington Beach holiday park facilities
Darlington Beach facilities are modern, spotlessly clean – and there’s plenty of them for guests to use without feeling crowded.
From BBQs and a camp kitchen for all your camping needs, to multiple guest laundries and large amenities blocks with hot, strong showers. The focus is on easy, convenient options that minimise your time doing the essentials so that you can spend more time doing what you’re there for – relaxation and fun!
The park also offers multiple rubbish stations, plus dump points to empty your porta pottie or toilet cassettes.
Beach wheel chair accessibility
Beach accessibility can sometimes be an issue for disabled members of the family. Accessibility to the beach can be supported more easily at Darlington Beach with a special beach wheel chair available for hire from park reception. So now everyone can share the beach fun more easily!
The perfect Coffs Coast holiday park
Coffs Harbour Jetty is just 30 minutes away
Located on NSW North Coast, Darlington Beach is located only half and hour from Coffs Harbour holiday fun and attractions. Think the famous Big Banana, Dolphin Marine Conservation Park, the Coffs Harbour Jetty, shopping malls, even more great beaches…the local area is stunning.
Darlington Beach makes a great Queensland family holiday as it’s only three and a half hours drive from Brisbane. It also makes the perfect Sydney family holiday getaway, six hours drive up the Pacific Motorway.
How to book your NRMA holiday parks holiday
NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort has your next Coffs Coast family holiday covered. A great location, surf beach front, local wildlife, modern facilities, pet friendly options, and lots of activities for both kids and adults. There’s everything you need to allow you to relax and unwind – or have an adventurous, high-energy family holiday so that you all have a great time together – it’s family holidays made easy!
For more of our NRMA holiday park reviews, check our NRMA Holiday Parks list
Find out more or book your accommodation for NRMA Darlington Beach Holiday Resort at the official website here.
How to get there
All information is correct as at February 2021 – please check the above website link for relevant, up to date information and accommodation prices.
The Let’s go Mum family are partnering with NRMA Holiday Parks, however all opinions remain firmly our own.
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