Entire home

Shoal Bay Beach Retreat

Photo gallery for Shoal Bay Beach Retreat

A dining area with a wooden table, four chairs, and a view of a garden through a glass door.
A bedroom with a bed, a ceiling fan, a window with blinds, a bedside table with a lamp, and a decorative plant.
A spacious living area with a large wooden dining table, comfortable seating, and a view of the outdoors.
A modern kitchen with white cabinetry, a dishwasher, a microwave, and a sink.
A modern kitchen with a wooden table, a vase with flowers, and a sliding door.

Reviews

8.4 out of 10
Very good

Highlights

  • Centrally-located
    You're never far from where you need to be with this convenient location.
  • Discover nearby landmarks
    Close to Shoal Bay Beach

Popular amenities

  • Balcony or patio
  • Barbecue grill
  • Air-conditioning
  • Refrigerator
  • Washing machine
  • Garage parking available

Explore the area

View in a map
Nelson Bay, NSW
  • Place, Shoal Bay Beach
    ‪3 min walk‬
  • Place, Nelson Head Lighthouse
    ‪9 min walk‬
  • Place, West Nelson Bay
    ‪10 min walk‬
  • Airport, Newcastle, NSW (NTL-Williamtown)
    ‪35 min drive‬

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 8)

Bedroom 1

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 2

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 3

1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 4

1 Single Bed and 1 Single Bunk Bed

2 bathrooms

Bathroom 1

Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom 2

Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Kitchen
Balcony
Garden

Add dates for prices

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About the area

Nelson Bay

Located in Nelson Bay, this holiday home is near the beach. Nelson Head Lighthouse and Point Stephens Lighthouse are local landmarks, and travellers looking to shop may want to visit West Nelson Bay and Salamander Bay Square. Fly Point Marine Reserve and Toboggan Hill Park are also worth visiting.
View more Holiday homes in Nelson BayOpens in a new window
Map
Nelson Bay, NSW

What's nearby

  • Shoal Bay Beach - 3 min walk - 0.3 km
  • Tomaree National Park - 5 min walk - 0.5 km
  • Little Beach - 7 min walk - 0.6 km
  • Nelson Head Lighthouse - 9 min walk - 0.8 km
  • West Nelson Bay - 10 min walk - 0.9 km

Getting around

  • Newcastle, NSW (NTL-Williamtown) - 33 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪Magnolia. - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪The Buoys At The Bay - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Cafe on the Bay - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Aussie Bob's Fish & Chips - ‬18 min walk
  • ‪The Wood Oven - ‬3 min drive

Frequently asked questions

Is Shoal Bay Beach Retreat pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

What time is check-in at Shoal Bay Beach Retreat?

Check-in begins at 3:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Shoal Bay Beach Retreat?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is Shoal Bay Beach Retreat located?

Situated near the beach, this holiday home is within a 10-minute walk of Shoal Bay Beach, Tomaree National Park and Little Beach. West Nelson Bay and Tomaree Community Hospital are also within 10 minutes.

Reviews

8.4

Very good

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.
Learn moreOpens in a new window
Rating 10 - Excellent. 8 out of 22 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 10 out of 22 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 22 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 22 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 22 reviews

7.6/10

Cleanliness

8.0/10

Amenities

8.6/10

Check-in

8.6/10

Communication

9.6/10

Location

8.4/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great house, only a few minutes walk to the beach. Well equipped.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2026
Response from Management on 28 Oct 2026
Thank you for your lovely review! We’re glad you enjoyed the house, its well-equipped amenities, and the easy walk to the beach. We hope to welcome you back for another great stay! - PSA team
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Great location, clean
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 26 Mar 2026
Thank you for the review, Trinh! - PSA Team
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
great location
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 14 Jan 2026
Thank you for the review, Mark! - PSA Team
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Modern spacious property

Property suited us well. Modern, clean. spacoius. A little out of town, but Nelson Bay is just such a wonderful place.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 15 Nov 2023
Hi David, Thank you so much for your 5-star review! We are thrilled to know your stay with us was a success. We look forward to your return!
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Location
Disliked: Cleanliness, communication
Very disappointed with the lack of essential items not provided for a home stay. Only 1 roll of toilet paper provided for 2 x toilets. Very penny pinching not to provide toilet paper. House needs a good clean. Filthy under beds. We would not stay again. And this is an annual tripwe do.
Stayed 3 nights in Feb 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 17 Mar 2026
Thank you for your feedback. We sincerely apologise that the amount of toilet paper provided did not meet your expectations. There should have been one roll supplied in each toilet on arrival, and we’re sorry if this was not the case. As our homes are self‑contained, only a starter supply of essentials is provided, but we’re always happy to assist if more is needed. We also apologise for the cleanliness concerns you experienced. We have a 24‑hour guest support line specifically so issues like these can be reported and resolved promptly during your stay. We would have gladly arranged additional cleaning or supplied any extra items to ensure you were comfortable. We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience and will be addressing these matters with our team.
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Check-in, communication
Disliked: Cleanliness

Quest

Property was not very clean. A bit of a walk to get to the beach. No backyard fence so I wouldn’t recommend if you have young children
Stayed 4 nights in Jan 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 28 Jan 2024
Hi Yiota, We appreciate your review and apologise for the disappointment. We take great pride in the cleanliness of our properties. We encourage our guests to report issues during their stay to be able to correct them. Rest assured that we are on top of this with our cleaning team working on improving the service for future stays. We hope to welcome you back at another time.
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Check-in, communication, location
Disliked: Cleanliness

Birthday get together

Left details with property manager. Someone is not doing their job. Should state details of steps. The property is a delightful family stay.(my wife and I are 80+)
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 24 Oct 2024
It has been a pleasure hosting you! We will make sure to share your feedback with the appropriate team. We look forward to your next visit!
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great space for the kids and close to beaches

The house was a great space for adults and kids. No back fence means watching little ones at all times but a very quick walk to shoal bay beach and a short drive to little beach.There was no washing up supplies provided at all and I left a message with no response. Also I would have assumed some salt and pepper and maybe cooking oil would have been provided?Unfortunately the lady working at the holiday rental office was also rude upon collection of keys which put a stain at the start of our weekend.May want to also refresh roach baits as a few were around at night, but with all of the wet weather they would have retreated inside. A lovely weekend all around.
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 15 Apr 2025
We love your review! We appreciate your time in sharing your positive experience and we look forward to your next visit. Thank you!
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Birthday Weekend

Lovely house, close to dinner , beach
Stayed 3 nights in May 2022
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Excellent location and spacious house

The location was excellent and the house was very spacious even with 6 adults two teens and 2 infants. The only things we were somewhat disappointed about were the cleanliness of the oven and in/under furnitures (wardrobes, sofa’s, beds, dusty and cockroaches) and the basic kitchen amenities. The soaps provided were in little sachets barely enough to make it through the 5 days and also the soap for the dishwasher was a very low quality powder in a single use sachet (only 1 provided) it makes no sense to save on little things like these as there are very affordable alternatives that would create a much better customer experience. There are also some possums in the roof, so you will hear some funny noises at night.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2022
Verified review

4/10 Poor

Liked: Location
Disliked: Cleanliness, communication, listing accuracy

Disappointing

The location and size of this property was fantastic. HOWEVER - the floors weren't clean (we even found a condom when we swept up on arrival); 2 rolls of toilet paper for 7 people for 2 days; no handsoap; no basics in the cupboards (glad wrap, cooking spray etc); air con wouldn't work; dishwasher was hopeless; doonas look like they haven't been washed in a really really long time (found dry blood on one of them!). I've tried contacting the property agent to discuss, but I keep getting told that someone will get back to me!
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 22 Sept 2023
Hi Jill, we are terribly sorry for all the issues you encountered during your stay and please be assured this is not the kind of service we would like to offer you. This has been sent to the management team to be fixed. We look forward to having another opportunity to make amends and deliver an unforgettable experience to you.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Great location

Rating Details: The property manager was very helpful. The vacation rental was spotless. I was very happy with the location. I was more than satisfied with the condition of the vacation rental. Overall, I recommend this vacation rental. Reviewer Comments: Terrific house in a great location. Perfect for a group of friends (like us)or a large family with three queen sized rooms and another with three single beds. Two bathrooms and a great outdoor area.
Response from VrboOwner on 22 Sept 2023
Wonderful to hear! It has been an absolute pleasure hosting and serving you.
From a partner site

8/10 Good

great location and house for family

Rating Details: The property manager was very unhelpful. The vacation rental was very clean. I was very happy with the location. I was satisfied with the condition of the vacation rental. Overall, I recommend this vacation rental. Reviewer Comments: I found Winnings hard to deal with. Got very sick of all the messages. I did not like the call centre approach at all. The house itself was ok. Had stayed there twice before.
Response from VrboOwner on 22 Sept 2023
We apologise that our service did not satisfy your expectations. Thanks for taking the time to bring this to our attention. We will use the feedback to make us better and to ensure these issues don't happen again. It is only through feedback like yours that we can maintain and where necessary improve on the services that we provide to our valued guests.
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Would be perfect just needs some tweaks!

Lovely spacious family house in great location. Back deck perfect for enjoying a wine or meal in the cute garden. Would have been perfect had the air conditioner filtered into the bedrooms and these were very hot! May need upgrading. Also would have appreciated to have some loo rolls available. Lucky I packed one as an emergency as there were none when we arrived. Likewise a few extra tea towels and dish washing liquids wouldn’t have gone astray. Otherwise a very accomodating space for a large family.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2021
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Liked: Cleanliness, location, listing accuracy
Disliked: Check-in

Great place but needs a little work

The place was good and in a great position. But when we arrived there was no linen even though we made a extra $ to have the beds made up. It took three phone calls to have things fixed up. The last lady was very helpful and she solved the linen problem. Also I think it’s time for a new Air con it took awhile to get it working. No lights in a couple of rooms but at least there were lamps. We would stay there again as it’s a great size and position. Hopefully no more problems.
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019
Response from VrboOwner on 22 Sept 2023
Thank you for your feedback, we are so sorry there was an issue with your linen but we are glad we eventually got in sorted. Thanks for letting us know about the air con and some of the lights being out. Apologies for the inconvenience.
From a partner site

10/10 Excellent

Great Accommodation

Great Accommodation. Clean and tidy. Cosy and comfortable just like home close to shops beaches and cafe/restaurants. Fantastic for families.
Archival

10/10 Excellent

Hidden beauty

Great house. Much bigger than it looks in the pics. Great lay out too. Nice big airy lounge room, huge kitchen and good-sized yard. Easy walk to town, beach, shops, skatepark, coffee shop…. It’s the perfect, multi-family beach house. That dream we all have of cooking big dinners then enjoying them over long lazy arvo’s while the kids run around the yard is very achievable here. Great place
Response from VrboOwner on 22 Sept 2023
Hi Benjamin, Thank you for your great review!! We are so happy to hear your whole family enjoyed their holiday at this gorgeous beach cottage. We hope to see you again one day! Kind Regards PRD Holiday Team
Archival

8/10 Good

Nice house, spacious and clean.

The house is close to the beach and walking distance to both Nelson Bay and Shoal Bay. House has nice feel to it,has large kitchen and rooms with comfortable furniture (rooms are bigger then it looks on the pictures) and ideal for kids - there are books, dvd's and games in the house. One point of improvement:provide sun umbrella for the garden.
Archival

8/10 Good

Spacious place

Rented this place a week ago, was wonderful, clean big, great for the baby, loved the tree house. Lounge was very uncomfortable!!!
Verified review

8/10 Good

Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 16 Feb 2026
Thank you for rating us, Amanda! - BOM Team
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Stayed 9 nights in Apr 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 11 Jun 2025
We are incredibly grateful that you took the time to leave us a 5-star review!
Verified review

8/10 Good

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2020
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