Hidden Retreat at Lake Macquarie

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Public holidays are hard to come by in Sydney, and when they do, especially on a weekend, they’re highly treasured. So when we had a 3-day long weekend a couple of weeks back, I took matters into my own hands and planned a little getaway of our own up north. My first plan was to visit the vineyards and wineries in Hunter Valley for 2 nights, but it proved to be impossible to book a room for both nights. I must had been too late. After much pondering, I decided to stop by Lake Macquarie on the first night, since it’s halfway between Sydney to Hunter Valley.

Beautiful Lake Macquarie from the room

Welcoming us to Norfolk Pine Retreat

Comfortable Queen-size bed

Finding a room at Lake Macquarie one week in advance was no easy feat too. I almost had to lay that plan to rest, until a kind lady recommended a hidden gem to me – Norfolk Pine Retreat. It was, literally, a hidden gem, because this retreat was not advertised on any of the hotel or Lake Macquarie websites. I told myself, this was it. If I still couldn’t get a room, I’d give up the idea completely. And as luck would have it, Carol, the person in charge for Norfolk Pine Retreat, confirmed that the room was available! I was just overjoyed.

Studio room at Norfolk Pine Retreat

Combined lounge and bedroom area of the Studio

Lounge and TV area

Come Saturday morning, Saucer and I packed our bags in the car and began our journey up north. Weather was fabulous and sun was shining unto us like a happy, laughing kid. We cruised up effortlessly and with the help of the GPS, found the place located in Wangi Wangi. Wangi Wangi (pronouned as wan-ji) is, coincidentally, the home to the Australian Olympic gold-medal sailors who just returned from London a few months back. It was an amazing little town, surrounded on almost all sides by the beautiful Lake Macquarie.

View of Lake Macquarie from the balcony

Spacious balcony

Sundeck and dining table on the balcony

Upon parking our car, Carol greeted us warmly and brought us to her home to fill up some paperwork. And then, we were shown to our studio. With a lovely view of the lake, the studio had everything that we wanted! It was spacious, cosy and had a really huge balcony. The whole place had a constant scent of flowers, partly from the newly bloomed spring flowers, I’m sure. It was also the one and only studio available for rent, which guaranteed privacy and exclusivity.

Entrance to the Studio

The little touch that mattered

Shower

Washroom

Quality toiletries

Everything about the studio screamed home – the plush pillows, the soft bed, the comfortable couch, the candles, right up to the soothing CDs that accompanied us at night after dinner. At some point, I almost wished I was going to stay there for the whole 2 nights instead of just one.

Norfolk Pine Retreat

The next morning, we awoke to a simple but healthy breakfast that was included with our room – freshly baked croissants, milk, juice, cereal, bread and jam, yogurt and coffee. We certainly had a memorable and enjoyable stay at Norfolk Pine Retreat, and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for a getaway at beautiful Lake Macquarie.

For more information on Norfolk Pine Retreat: norfolkpineretreat.com.au