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REVIEW: Bannisters by the Sea at Mollymook, NSW, Australia

REVIEW: Bannisters by the Sea at Mollymook, NSW, AustraliaScore 75%Score 75%
a tree next to the water

I should be writing from Vienna, staying in some hotel within the Ringstrasse like the Hotel Bristol, or the Ritz Carlton or the Kempinski, but due to the dreaded COVID-19, I’m not allowed to go to there. Instead, I am stuck in Australia, forced to lock my passport away and go to a domestic destination drive-to holiday, in winter. I can’t describe the agony of entitlement.

a sign with a white text and a white building with trees

Ideally, we would have headed north to the warmer climate of Queensland. But with many state borders closed back in June 2020 here in Australia, that was not possible. We thought of going to Melbourne, but that is even colder than Sydney and as it would happen, was suffering its own second wave of COVID-19 infection, so I am glad we didn’t go there, with their renewed Level 3 no-fun restrictions on social gatherings, restaurants, cafes and pubs.

Instead, we ventured to the south coast and the beautiful Mollymook at Banisters by the Sea, as opposed to Banisters Pavilions, which a very helpful reservations staff member talked me out of. I explained that my husband was starting a new job, and this was our weeks vacation of doing what we never have time for – cocooned in a warm room to bury ourselves in the pages of books and going for long walks by the seaside.

She talked me out of the Pavilions by saying that it only had suburban street views, whereas she had a suite available with beach/sea views at Banisters by the sea. Surprisingly, I traded size for quality, forgoing a 100+ square metre suite at the pavilions for a 50 sqm suite where I can hear the sea.

a potted plant on a deck overlooking the ocean

Booking & Price

I had surfed around the internet looking for places, and initially we were tempted to go north to Port Stephens, where Bannisters also have an outpost. Careful review of information on both locations, the more serious food culture, and the proximity of friends, made us head down the south coast, even though the cost was a little more.

The price for this suite is greater than we would normally be prepared to pay, but given we would have been paying close to this kind of price for a centrally located room in Vienna, and had saved the expense of 10 days accommodation in Bali for our cancelled May trip, it was a price we were willing to pay.

a building with lawn chairs and umbrellas
Our room was on the 2nd level on the far left hand corner

Details

Stay: 22 to 26 June 2020
Stars: 4
Room: Luxury Suite, Rm 7 (with double spa & large deck area)
Size: 50 sqm (~540 sqf)
Bed: King
Per Night Average: AU$489
Address: 191 Mitchell Parade, Mollymook NSW 2539
Phone: +61  02 4454 7400
Email:info@bannisters.com.au
Web:www.bannisters.com.au/mollymook/

The hotel had only just re-opened after closure due to COVID-19. They were still coming to terms with the changes that the pandemic had heralded, but already had physical distancing procedures in place in their reception area. Only two guests were allowed into reception at a time, and there was a perspex barrier installed to separate staff from guests.

a desk with a person behind it

Location & Arrival

Bannisters by the Sea is located on a headland to the north of Mollymook Beach. It’s about a 3 hour drive from Sydney, make that 4 hours if you stop for a spot of lunch at somewhere like Otis in Kiama.

a tree next to a building

History

The hotel sits on Bannisters headland to the north of the Mollymook village, which in the early 20th century used to house a silica crushing facility and a loading jetty.

‘From the outside the lodge looks like one of those typically 1970s surfside motels, but once you get beyond the concrete driveway, it’s a different story.’

Bannisters Point Lodge review, Sydney Morning Herald 2003

The site is spectacular and back then in 2003:

‘. . .construction (is) underway on a wet edge swimming pool, due for completion in December . . .’

Rick Stein attached his name and reputation to the hotel with the opening of his restaurant in 2009.

Bannisters by the Sea, and Rick Stein have become synonymous, but the hotel is owned in conjunction with Peter Cosgrove (not the ex Governor General) a businessman associated with outdoor advertising and media companies including Here There and Everywhere (HT&E), formerly APN News & Media.

Bannisters by the Sea is the cornerstone of a three hotel empire including two in Mollymook – Bannisters by the Sea, and Bannisters Pavillions, or Bannisters NOT by the sea, as I like to think of it, and Bannisters at Port Stevens.

a glass wall with a lamp and a palm tree
Reception at night

Check-in

Was fast, friendly, and efficient, with the staff explaining the new COVID-19 related protocols from behind the perspex sneeze guard, including the provision of breakfast on a tray instead of the usual restaurant buffet. Staff wanted to know what kind of stay we intended – out & about, or cocooning. Cocooning was our priority, although we did have some restaurant outings in mind. Helpful suggestions were offered, and our choices complimented.

a deck with a view of the ocean
You can’t beat this view from our balcony
a hallway with white walls and a white wall
A little ex-motel vibe from the corridor to the room.

The Room

You have to accept that this is an adapted motel, with the Bannister’s signature ‘shabby chic’ vibe. I say ‘adapted’ as it’s not like they stripped back to the buildings bones and rebuilt. Instead, it looks like they got rid of anything they didn’t like, repaired, repainted and re-furnished.

Our Suite, which included sitting and dining area, renovated bathroom and a separate bedroom was a lot of white, with a bit of charcoal, pale wood and cane, and some aqua highlights.

a white couch and a round mirror in a room
The lounge area

That said, you could easily forgive the mismatched ceiling heights and repairs, the slight mustiness and the low ceilings. What I can’t forgive is the broken lamp, and the paint dribbles on the floor tiles in the newly renovated bathroom. I’ll leave my bête noir about hotel renovations for later.

a hallway with a door and a shelf
Looking back at the entrance with wardrobe, minibar and desk to the left, and bathroom to the right.

The entrance to the room – motel like – is via the parking lot, from a verandah on this the ‘ground’ floor. I say that because the resort cascades down the headland, and what is ground for us, is a floor above the pool and bar area. Note the narrow corridor entrance – in keeping with its motel derivations

a room with a table and chairs
The Lounge and dining area of the suite complete with the most hated connecting door.

Decor is all white, with whitewashed wood and cane, and distressed pastel aqua. Black and white beach images work well. It’s quite pleasant, but you can still see its motel history.

a white couch and a round mirror in a room
Kinda Cape Cod, shabby chic ?

The main bathroom opens onto the living room. Yep, I know, I asked why too. You can pull Venetian shutters across, but that doesn’t exactly act as much of a sound barrier if you know what I mean. More about the refreshed bathroom later.

a white couch in a room

That feature wall light is a bit out of place, and if you are going to do a floating wall mounted TV, then those cords need to be invisable.

a tv on a cabinet in a room

Bedroom

The bedroom is separated by a sliding door, and it features accents of red, along with that clapboard feature wall behind the bedhead. As you can see it’s a tight but OK fit for the king bed and the sidetables.

a bed with pillows and a lamp

The remote controls in sealed plastic envelopes are a masterstroke of genius for this post-COVID-19 lock-down stay in 2020. Giving you protection, making it easy to access the controls, and to wipe down with those anti-COVID wipes!

a remote control and a red vase on a table
The genius of a plastic enclosed remote
a lamp on a nightstand next to a bed

The real feature of the bedroom was these voluminous sheer drapes (with blackout curtains behind) and the amazing clifftop view beyond. The staff had promised us a magnificent room, and this view delivered!

a white chair in a room with curtains

Laying in bed, with a breeze rustling these drapes, or staring off at the sea was a highlight of our stay.

a shelf with glasses and cups on it

Mini-Bar

One of the sad things about the COVID-19 era is the emptying of the minibar. You now mainly get the bare necessities, and a largely empty fridge.

a small white refrigerator in a cabinet

. . . except for actual fresh milk. No cupboard stored carton packed long life milk here.

a small refrigerator with a door open
a safe in a cabinet
Safe, hairdryer, and plastic encased blanket

Wardrobe

Small but adequate, including safe and storage and hanging space, with a motley collection of hangers, ironing board, hair dryer and iron. Nothing to really comment on, but all perfectly serviceable.

a rack with swingers on it

At least those coat hangers weren’t ‘thief proof’, one of my pet hates.

a bathroom with a tub and sink

The Bathroom

Now, we have spoken about this before – I am NOT a fan of the bathroom with an opening to the rest of a hotel suite, even if the view is spectacular – especially when it opens onto a lounge room.

We were told that this bathroom had recently been refurbished, and there was some unfortunate evidence that was the case, which I will get into later.

a white round bathtub with silver buttons

I like a spa bath, but not one to share, or one with basically no pressure, and certainly not one that has coloured lights. I’ll spare you that image.

a bathroom with a large tub and sink
A good overview of the bathroom, with spa bath, sink, and shower and toilet behind the door
a white towels with black letters on them

The bath-towl presentation was reminiscent of every country hotel I have ever stayed in, with the soap on top of the towels.

a shelf with toilet paper and toilet paper on it

Below are some shots of the refurbished bathroom, featuring vertically lain subway tiles, marble benches, imitation antique basin, overhead rain shower, hexagonal marble look floor tiles, and of course that spa bath.

a bathroom with a round mirror
marble bench
a shower head on a ceiling
Rain shower head
a toilet in a bathroom
Toilet

The shower is in front of the toilet. If it wasn’t a rain shower – then you would be in trouble. That’s probably why there is no handheld shower head.

a sink in a bathroom
Shower screen
a sink with silver faucets and towels
‘Antique’ basin
a white round bathtub with silver knobs
Spa bath for 2. Those smaller chrome fittings are the ‘rainbow’ lights.

The spa might be for two, but it was actually relatively shallow, and not really long enough to be comfortable.

a bathroom with a tub and a sink

The shower was spacious, although it did end in the toilet (hidden behind the door above). The design was functional, and did include a separate articulated shaving mirror, which I love. For someone who loves a bath, I was underwhelmed. It took a year to fill, was not hot, and the spa part was underpowered. The less said about the rainbow lights, the better.

a plate of food and a bowl of juice

COVID-19 Safe arrangements

Remember that this stay was back in June of 2020, post our first lock-down, and everyone was coming to terms with how to provide service in a COVID-19 safe way.

Breakfast

Banisters’ solution was to deliver a set breakfast, with few options. Mind you that continental breakfast of fruit salad, yoghurt, cold meats, cheese, baguette, croissants, honey, jam, vegemite and cold-pressed juice was delicious! Having to notify reception of our choice the day before was annoying, but understandable. As they were sorting out their service, the options included eggs, which moved the breakfast from delicious to glorious.

Remotes

The other bit of genius was the plastic covers for the remotes. Firstly it made you feel that they were safe. You could also access all their functions, and I imagine they could be easily cleaned, or replaced for a new set of guests. Such a simple solution.

a remote control in a plastic bag

With many hotel brands moving to bulk amenities for cost and environmental reasons, it was good to have individual tubes of shampoo, conditioner etc. I know its not environmentally sound, but they are more COVID-19 safe.

a group of bottles of shampoo

Amenities

The Kevin Murphy brand is more known for its ‘skincare for your hair’ range. But it launched a hotel line in 2017, and here it is – featuring the ‘smooth again’ line, with a pleasant, mild citrus scent.

a bar with a man behind it

Public Areas – Bars, Restaurants & Gyms

We didn’t venture into the pool – late June is too cool for us, but we did spend some lunchtimes and early evenings at the Pool Bar. Although there were gas heaters outside on the deck, we tended to keep ourselves indoors.

The bar has a number of small private-ish rooms at the back, which would be good for small family or friends groups.

a pool with a chair and a table in front of it
Pool with a view
a drink in a glass
Gin and tonic, and another leg in my world-wide quest to taste every Negroni
a plate of food on a table
String chips and calamari rings – the afternoon snack of champions
a room with a fireplace and a table and chairs
Our preferred table, and its magnificent view.
a bar with a lamp and a table
Restaurant Bar

Rick Stein’s Restaurant

The consensus was that this in-house restaurant was overpriced because it carried the Cornwall/South Coast based Stein name.

a table with a white tablecloth and chairs in a restaurant
a plate of oysters on ice
A mixed dozen of the three types of New South Wales oysters on offer

I beg to disagree. You may not know, but I am allergic to fish – although most other seafood is OK, so I was surprised that they didn’t have a substantial shellfish main course on the menu. (They do now – Lobster!) However, they did have a 300g Black Angus Scotch Fillet on the menu. Much larger than I would normally eat, it was perfectly cooked and absolutely delicious.

a menu with black text

My husband had the infamous fish pie, which he said was the best ever. Sure it wasn’t cheap, but with socially distanced tables, and good (although not great) service – it was worth it to us.

a menu on a table
a dessert on a plate
Mont Blanc with chestnut puree and creme anglaise to finish
a group of people sitting at tables in a room
COVID-19 safe table spacing

Our meal was very good, if expensive, but worth it. If you don’t want to splurge, then head over to the Italian based eatery at Banisters Pavillions – away from the beach. The food there was very good too, but at much more reasonable prices.

a room with a couch and chairs
Restaurant Foyer

Lets talk about hotel room faults . . .

Best get it over and done with. Here are the faults in the room – all in one place – explanation in the photo captions:

a white tube in a white wall
Broken lamp shade, so it always had a lean
a white surface with red screws
Well something was there by the bath, but no longer
a white shelf with a sink and a window
My beef with shutters, there’s always one that’s broken
a white spot on a tile surface
Paint splatter #1
a close up of a tile floor
Paint splatter #2
a close up of a tile
Paint splatter #3
a black mark on a white fabric surface
White upholstery is all very well until . . .
a white door with a light on it
Beautifully integrated something

Am I being pernickety? Of course, I am. It’s in my DNA.

But over and above the fact that we were on the peg for close to AU$500 a night for this suite, is the message these faults send to the occupant of the room. That is, ‘We don’t care.’ And that is the opposite to the message any hotelier wants to give. They so say ‘You’re not worth it’.

The mess on the bathroom floor given that it had been ‘refurbished’ was unforgivable in my opinion.

a deck with a table and chairs overlooking the water

2PAXfly Takeout

Look, other than my little rave about room faults, these 5 days away from Sydney after lockdown were absolute bliss. The hotel staff that assured me they had the perfect room, with the perfect view were not far wrong – especially about the view, and booking a suite was definitely worth it.

It’s a mix of country charm service, and city shabby chic design, at an absolutely stunning location that makes this a winning hotel.

We would have happily stayed another 5 nights if budget and responsibilities allowed.

Review

75%

Summary This converted motel on a stunning headland offers some wonderful rooms with views to die for, and food to indulge in. It ain't perfect, but its pretty good.

A perfect repose by the sea, with views and food to die for
75%

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