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Rubys Retreat, 44 Achilles Street - pet friendly, aircon, wifi & boat parking

Photo gallery for Rubys Retreat, 44 Achilles Street - pet friendly, aircon, wifi & boat parking

A two-story house with a front porch, a small front yard, and a green fence.
A modern kitchen with a large island, a built-in oven, and a view of a balcony with outdoor furniture.
Beach
A covered outdoor patio with a table and chairs, surrounded by greenery and a well-maintained lawn.
A teal sofa in a living room with a flat-screen TV, a small table, and a window with blinds.

Reviews

9.0 out of 10
Wonderful

Highlights

  • Made for relaxation
    Top-rated for comfort — guests feel right at home here.
  • Private fenced-in yard
    One of the few properties with a fully fenced outdoor space.
  • Discover nearby landmarks
    Near Shoal Bay Beach

Popular amenities

  • Balcony or patio
  • Pet-friendly
  • Air-conditioning
  • Washer/dryer
  • Refrigerator
  • Internet

Explore the area

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

Rooms & beds

3 bedrooms (sleeps 6)

Room 1

1 Queen Bed

Room 2

1 Double Bed

Room 3

2 Single Beds

2 bathrooms

Bathroom

Bathtub · Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom

Toilet · Shower only

Spaces

Balcony
Separate dining area
Garden

Add dates for prices

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About the area

Nelson Bay

Located in Nelson Bay, this holiday home is in the mountains and near the beach. Fly Point Marine Reserve and Toboggan Hill Park are local attractions and those in the mood for shopping can visit West Nelson Bay and Salamander Bay Square. Port Stephens Koala Sanctuary and Irukandji Shark & Ray Encounters are also worth visiting. Jet skiing and scuba diving offer great chances to get out on the surrounding water, or you can seek out an adventure with ecotours and cycling nearby.
View more Holiday homes in Nelson BayOpens in a new window
Map
Nelson Bay, NSW

What's nearby

  • West Nelson Bay - 5 min walk - 0.5 km
  • Little Beach - 5 min walk - 0.5 km
  • Shoal Bay Beach - 7 min walk - 0.6 km
  • Nelson Head Lighthouse - 9 min walk - 0.8 km
  • d'Albora Marinas Nelson Bay - 16 min walk - 1.4 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 - ‬3 min drive
  • ‪Zenith Cafe, Restaurant and Bar - ‬17 min walk

Frequently asked questions

Is Rubys Retreat, 44 Achilles Street - pet friendly, aircon, wifi & boat parking pet-friendly?

Yes, pets are allowed at this property.

How much is parking at Rubys Retreat, 44 Achilles Street - pet friendly, aircon, wifi & boat parking?

On-site parking is available at the property.

What time is check-in at Rubys Retreat, 44 Achilles Street - pet friendly, aircon, wifi & boat parking?

Check-in begins at 2:00 PM.

What time is check-out at Rubys Retreat, 44 Achilles Street - pet friendly, aircon, wifi & boat parking?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is Rubys Retreat, 44 Achilles Street - pet friendly, aircon, wifi & boat parking located?

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

Reviews

9.0

Wonderful

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. 7 out of 13 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 5 out of 13 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 1 out of 13 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 0 out of 13 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 0 out of 13 reviews

9.0/10

Cleanliness

9.8/10

Check-in

9.0/10

Communication

9.4/10

Location

9.6/10

Listing accuracy

Reviews

Verified review

10/10 Excellent

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy
Comfortable, clean, pet friendly.
Stayed 10 nights in Dec 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 17 Dec, 2025
Thank you so much for your review, Jeni. We’re delighted to hear you found the property comfortable, clean, and pet friendly. We really appreciate you taking the time to share your feedback and hope to welcome you back again in the future. Thanks McGrath Port Stephens
Verified review

8/10 Good

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

Very nice place

Very homely good private garden for dogs plenty of room
Stayed 7 nights in Aug 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 10 Sept, 2022
Hi Mike, Thank you for your review. So glad you dogs had a fun time too! Team O'Meara
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

Nice and private good yard for my dogs had verything I needed

Clean, secure perfect for my dogs, central to what I wanted and very private
Stayed 8 nights in Aug 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 20 Aug, 2024
We are glad you enjoyed your stay and look forward to you staying with us again soon. McGrath Port Stephens
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

Perfect short stay

Lovely little house. Comfortable and nice neighbourhood. We stayed with two small dogs. Feel so lucky this property is pet friendly.
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2022
Response from VrboOwner on 4 Aug, 2022
Hi Lexie, Thank you for your lovely review. We are so glad you enjoyed your stay and we look forward to seeing you again. Thank you
Verified review

8/10 Good

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

Great location

We stayed at this property in winter. The property was full of light, warm and comfortable. The location was excellent. Walk to the beach and cafes / restaurants. Short drive to a beautiful, off lead dog beach.
Stayed 3 nights in Jul 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 19 Aug, 2024
We are glad you enjoyed your stay and look forward to you staying with us again soon. McGrath Port Stephens
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

Very good

Good location. Clean house. Close to any activities.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2023
Response from VrboOwner on 20 Aug, 2024
We are glad you enjoyed your stay and look forward to you staying with us again soon. McGrath Port Stephens
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

The Mitchell's

We booked the house originally as it was pet friendly and the photos and description of the house. Unfortunately our 17y old Maltees passed away 2 weeks prior to us leaving to go to the house. The house expectations
Stayed 5 nights in Oct 2024
Response from VrboOwner on 4 Apr, 2025
So sorry to hear your sad news, I hope you could enjoy some parts of your holiday. Thanks McGrath Port Stephens
Verified review

8/10 Good

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

Felt like home

This beach cottage is comfortable and accommodating. If you love walking, you can walk everywhere from here. We hardly used the car except for shopping. Great swims at Shoal Bay. Shoal bay shops are a 15-20 min flat walk through the reserve and beside the bay, Nelson Bay a 30 min walk. Mostly flat. The only down side was the kitchen facilities were a bit light on, with no pantry items at all (bring salt etc) or washing up stuff. I would also suggest you bring sharp knives and a good pan. Apart from this a wonderful stay, very clean and comfortable.
Stayed 7 nights in Apr 2025
Response from VrboOwner on 1 May, 2025
Thank you for your kind review and for choosing to stay at our cottage. We’re so pleased to hear you found the accommodation clean, comfortable, and ideally located for enjoying the beautiful walks and nearby beaches. We appreciate your comments regarding the kitchen facilities. As noted in our listing, we don’t provide pantry items, but we understand how this can be an adjustment for some guests and will consider ways to make this clearer or more convenient. Your suggestions regarding kitchen tools are also helpful, and we’ll look into how we can improve this aspect for future stays. Thank you again for your feedback—it helps us continue to improve. We hope to welcome you back in the future!
Verified review

8/10 Good

Nice place but....

The property was beautifully appointed. Clean and tidy on arrival. But...it is not boat friendly as advertised. Maybe boat friendly for a very small tinny. We had to park ours out the front. This property is managed by a real estate agent so the personal touch from the owner is missing. But a great place to stay otherwise.
Stayed 9 nights in May 2019
Response from VrboOwner on 2 Apr, 2020
Thank you Mark for your review. There is plenty of room for a boat, we’ve had dual axle boats that around 6 metres at the property before. The owners had extra concrete put beside the driveway to make it easier for a boat to be reversed in. Homeaway do advertise that it is an agency managed property as well. We are glad to hear that you found the property clean, tidy and well appointed, we hope to see you again in the future.
Verified review

6/10 Okay

Disliked: Communication, listing accuracy
A LOT MORE Information is needed about this property for guests to make informed choice to stay and hire - it is not well sign posted - it is very difficult to see the house number when it faces down the street on the mail box instead of out towards the street; the driveway is not open and easily identified and is very steep and could be tricky to navigate in a bigger vehicle; specify that air con is only in the living area; advise linen is required in the listing before people book; say no basics in kitchen like sugar and a tea towel; the property needs a thorough clean - corners of rooms need attention; gaps in floor boards that you can see through to the ground; exhaust fan in the separate toilet is very noisy; all exhaust fans in bathrooms need cleaning; front screen door doesn't lock & screen door in back bedroom has no lock - not secure; need handrail on other side of front steps; we were told there were 2 queen sized beds - 1 queen 1 double; the double bed wasn't the best - too low; there were far too many messages from Real Estate agent - I would prefer 1 email with all necessary information rather than multiple messages each day e.g. not aware of needing linen until 2 weeks before stay; not aware of having to put the bins out until AFTER we had left Nelson Bay; even though we had a great time with friends I would not book this property again
Stayed 3 nights in Mar 2026
Response from VrboOwner on 17 Mar, 2026
Thank you for taking the time to provide detailed feedback, Cathryn. We’re sorry to hear that a number of aspects of the property and your experience did not meet expectations. We appreciate you highlighting the issues regarding access, signage, driveway, bedding configuration, and general maintenance items. We will be passing all of this feedback on to the owner for review, including the concerns around cleanliness, exhaust fans, door locks, and safety items such as the handrail. For clarity, the property details—including information about air conditioning, linen requirements, and features—are outlined in the listing to assist guests in making an informed decision prior to booking. We also appreciate your feedback about the kitchen provisions and bedding comfort. We do encourage guests to raise any concerns during their stay, as this allows us the opportunity to assist and resolve issues promptly where possible. Regarding communication, our emails are automated and intended to provide helpful reminders and key information throughout the booking process. We understand your preference for fewer messages and appreciate that feedback. Thank you again for your detailed comments—they are valuable in helping us and the owner improve the experience for future guests. Thanks McGrath Port Stephens
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

Great experience

We loved our stay at Ruby’s Retreat! Loved the property, very clean, well maintained, lovely backyard. We will be back!
Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2021
Verified review

8/10 Good

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

Reasonable location, good property. Our dogs could not walk on beach. Disappointing.

Fairly easy process, had some hiccups with receiving email links and we had 2 dogs, only one noted on form. Otherwise pretty good.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2021
Verified review

10/10 Excellent

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

Great holiday place !

Love the house nice and clean close to the beach and shopping nice backyard and clean kids loved it great outdoor space for dining in summer time really had a great time would recommend to anyone .
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