Upgrade into the comfort zone

BY DANIEL DASEY

Have you noticed that as you get older, your idea of what makes a great holiday tends to change? When I was 20, my idea of heaven was paying $2.50 a night to stay in a squalid room on Bangkok's Khao San Road. The more smelly backpackers there were around, the better.

Now, comfortable travel, clean hotel rooms with crisp sheets and air-conditioning have far more appeal.

The same goes for the ideal beach getaway. I started out a grubby, tent-loving teenager, graduated to cheap holiday units and then moved on to increasingly snazzy beach houses. Now, with 40 years under my belt and a new baby, I've started looking at other options. The beach resort is on my radar.

After years of surfing trips and visits to beach houses and units at Forster and Seal Rocks, my family is familiar with New South Wales' mid-north coast and its beautiful beaches.

But Blueys Retreat, at Blueys Beach, is different. Built on former farming land abutting a forest, it is a development of privately owned units leased to holidaymakers.

The villas are clustered around a loop road and a central restaurant, reception, swimming pool and tennis court. Palm trees, manicured grass and lush ferns abound.

Our villa has two levels. Downstairs is a spacious, well-equipped kitchen, dining room, living room and toilet. Outside are a barbecue, dining area and veranda. Upstairs, there's a master bedroom with en suite.

Our daughter is more than catered for, with a portable cot and her own room with adjacent bathroom.

After a much-needed night's sleep, we load the baby into the pram and walk to the resort's Kingfisher Restaurant for breakfast.

There must be a mothers' group meeting in town; as we take our places at a table under a shady tree, we see at least five other babies at a nearby table, their mums all happily chatting while they drink coffee.

My favourite breakfast dish is eggs benedict, something most cafes either do very well or very badly. Kingfisher's version is spectacular. There's a generous amount of real lemony hollandaise splashed over perfectly cooked eggs and ham, with a hit of asparagus on the side.

Over breakfast, Blueys' developer and site manager, Jan Maclean, fills us in on the vibe she has tried to create at the resort.

The emphasis is on people behaving well and enjoying the top-class facilities. Groups of schoolies are banned. So, too, are groups of female surfers, apparently after some bad experiences in the past. My partner, a woman who happens to surf, momentarily bristles on hearing this. Overall, there is something of a rarefied atmosphere at Blueys Retreat, although the resort's hosts and the other guests are certainly very friendly.

With breakfast over, we head to Blueys Beach, which is both pretty and renowned for its first-class waves. The retreat is about 600 metres inland from the south end of the beach - a comfortable eight-minute walk if you head along Boomerang Drive.

On the way, we pass the sweet little commercial centre of town, with its bottle shop, supermarket, newsagency, fish and chip shop and cafes. Wanting to check out a few other beaches as well, we take the car and end up spending the morning at the north end of nearby Boomerang Beach. There are some dining outlets by the beach so we enjoy a holiday lunch of hamburgers and fruit juice.

Here's where a resort is different from a holiday house - everything you want is already there. That afternoon, instead of flagging out, we decide to hit the tennis court, which is a lot of fun.

Next, we take the baby to the pool, where she has a great time getting wet. I even manage to sneak off for a late surf at Blueys while the sun is going down.

In the evening, we opt for self-catering on the villa's barbecue. Although we have supplies from the local shops, tasty packages are also available through the resort.

The next morning, there is time for more splashing by the pool and another tasty breakfast at Kingfisher before hitting the road for Sydney.

So what is the verdict? On the downside, resort life is a little more buttoned-down than we are used to, having mostly stayed at beach houses with friends where dressing well means putting on board shorts.

On the plus side, staying at a resort like Blueys Retreat gives you access to great facilities, including a pool and tennis court.

We're not ready to totally give away beach houses just yet, but for anyone with children in tow, this resort is a good option.

The writer was a guest of Blueys Retreat and Tourism NSW.

TRIP NOTES

WHERE Blueys Retreat, 285 Boomerang Drive, Pacific Palms. See blueysretreat.com.au.

BEST THING The cafe is licensed and BYO.

WORST THING The winding road to the resort at night.

LOCAL SECRET Drop into Seal Rocks on the way up or down to Blueys. It's a gorgeous beach.

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