Bella Vista, 8-19 Shoal Bay Rd - views, air con and Wi-Fi

My family and I recently travelled to Shoal Bay and we were not disappointed!! This apartment is in an amazing location directly across the road from a stunning beach - clear water and powdery white sand. Fantastic for my children (11 + 14) to swim safely, protected bay area. The apartment itself suited the 5 of us comfortably. Kitchen, dining and living area together, well equipped kitchen, laundry facility with washer and dryer. One bathroom was probably the hardest thing! 3 female adults and two female teens! LOL We managed! Bathroom is small, but very clean and tidy. The shower/ bath are combined (very small bath), so, you do have to step over the bath side to get into the shower- could be hard for an elderly person. Step provided in bathroom for this though. The apartment is also beautifully decorated in neutral coastal tones. Games and books available. Toys for younger kids - like coytes, cricket, frisbee...... Small balcony, bbq, sitting area with partial ocean view. Small clothesline on balcony. We were lucky enough to see dolphins from our balcony and we had a gorgeous Kookabura come sit on balcony over the time we were there. Lovely grassed area and tropical flowers down stairs from apartment. Great for kids to have a run around. Communal beach shower also there to wash off the sand. The apartment is upstairs- one flight to climb to reach front door. 2 minute walk from apartment to Shoal Bay Country Club, restaurants and boutiques. 5 minute drive to Nelson's Bay for grocery shopping and other activities. Highly recommend the apartment (bargain price for what you get) and Shoal Bay as a holiday destination. Friendly community and lots of fun activities to do around Port Stephen's

Before our stay I had read reviews which mentioned that the Parking bay for the apartment was "tight". This Parking space is impossible to park in. I had no chance of manoeuvring my small SUV into the bay. The problem is the angle of the Parking bay and the side wall and the brick/ cement wall behind you when you try to reverse!! Just impossible to do without scraping a side or front panel. After contacting McGrath real estate with this issue, Crystal the property manager was extremely helpful and found us alternate parking. I was very grateful as all street parking in Shoal Bay is metered from 830am to 530pm!! We hired linen for a small fee - would be really nice if beds were made up as part of the service.

Fabulous location, clean and tidy, lovely outlook of the Bay from the balcony.

Parking space was very tight. Would prefer linen included and beds made upon arrival.

The place was awesome, right on the beach and close to the restaurants and shops. It was so lovely to see the water from the balcony. The apartment had heaps of board games and other toys for kids which really helped us to keep the kids entertained when we were indoors. The garden and grass area downstairs is also great for kids to run around. We loved it!