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Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.
See why so many travellers make Bali at the Bay their small hotel of choice when visiting Nelson Bay. Providing an ideal mix of value, comfort and convenience, it offers a luxury setting with an array of amenities designed for travellers like you.
You’ll enjoy relaxing rooms that offer air conditioning, a kitchenette, and a refrigerator, bringing comfort and convenience to your visit.
Plus, Bali at the Bay offers free breakfast, providing a pleasant respite from your busy day. For guests with a vehicle, free parking is available.
Close to Gan Gan Lookout (2.1 mi), a popular Nelson Bay landmark, Bali at the Bay is a great destination for tourists.
While in Nelson Bay be sure to experience local oyster favourites at Little Beach Boathouse, Seabreeze Hotel, or Wharf Restaurant Cocktail Lounge & Bar.
Nelson Bay is also home to Port Stephens Native Flora Garden, a popular garden that is not too far from Bali at the Bay.
We’re sure you’ll enjoy your stay at Bali at the Bay as you experience all of the things Nelson Bay has to offer.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Luxury
Charming
Location
1 Achilles St PO Box 148, Nelson Bay, Port Stephens, New South Wales 2315 Australia
Bali at the Bay
4.2 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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Fantastic experience here. Everything you needed and in a great location Felt like you were in Bali. Very relaxing And our dog was very welcome so could relax that he was able to Move around the property freely. The spa and day bed meant you didn’t need to leave if you didn’t want to Will definitely be back
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Date of stay: November 2021Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Grant was an exceptional host and the accomodation was fantastic. The house was very clean, spacious and well set out. Given the timing of our stay and limited options for local dining due to closures, we still had a great time and made good use of the great outdoor kitchen area. It felt like we were on an overseas holiday. Would definitely recommend the accomodation and location and we hope to return.
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Date of stay: January 2022Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We loved the carved doorways, beautiful furniture, stone walls, peaceful statues, and luxurious outdoor & indoor cooking areas. French champagne, Indonesian beers, expresso coffees on the house. The whole place was immaculately clean and private. We had a great family holiday in this lovely haven. Thank you.
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Date of stay: January 2021
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Absolutely terrible We were booked in on the 3rd of may for our wedding in november Bali at the bay was suppose to be were the wife and her bridesmaid was to get ready on the day When we checked in He claimed our booking was cancelled Didnt give us a date of when it was cancelled, as we did not cancel it, we were booked there for four nights but we were told that we could only stay for 3 as he double booked. Extremely rude and hopefully we will get a refund as we had to book another place to stay. What was suppose to be the happiest time of our lifes Turn out to be a disaster because of the creepy man that lives up stairs Yes thats right He lives upstairs and it doesnt say that on the booking sites
For a bunch of girls staying there for a few nights we didnt to know that his a bachelor and if they need anything, his upstairs for whenever they need him Extremely creepy
Would only recommend if he is to not be at the property
For the inconvenience he offered us massages and facials No thanks
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Date of stay: October 2023Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very bad experience here... had to cancel our January booking due to COVID-19 state border closure. Attempted to get some refund or reschedule booking, but owner has been very rude in replying to our emails and to date has been quite unwilling to negotiate some form of refund. Appreciate his business needs but now know that he was able to re-book part of our time with two other bookings, so has benefitted from our misfortune; effectively double dipping. A highly distressing experience.
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Date of stay: January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fabulous Bali inspired accommodation. Super comfy beds and quiet location so the sleep quality is excellent. Very well appointed with an absolutely huge outdoor BBQ and Kitchen. Enjoyed the Spa, the massive day bed and Netflix on the Flat screen TV. Absolutely authentic Balinese architecture.
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Date of stay: July 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I booked the Shinto Garden Apartment for a romantic getaway for myself and my partner, and was really disappointed in the distinct lack of privacy.
Some of this is due to the design of the apartment - The photos are taken on the web so that it looks far back from the road, but It is on a busy corner, with lots of windows, and has a see-through fence. Even the blinds they provided were completely see through. So when you sit down to eat it feels like people are walking right past you all the time, and it really crept me out when it was dark as people could see in very clearly. (It is a busy road as it heads down to the beach entrance, so there people walking/driving past all day/early night). Same with the bedroom windows. Plus, if you sit in the hammock, you might as well be on the footpath, as the fence is see-through. The worst part was the privacy screen for the bathroom window which was about 30 cm too short. There are no curtains, so neighbours (and some extra 2 storey houses a couple of houses away), plus anyone walking past can see right into the bathroom. Especially when you are taking a shower and standing up in the bathtub.
Other things were to do with the owners - There is no fence separating the apartments from their own home next door - feels like you are staying in their front yard, and their child and dog would just come over and play on our porch/bbq area whenever they felt like it. The owner Grant also decided it would be a good idea to get the leaf blower out at 845am on our first morning there, and blow leaves away from right under all the windows including the bedrooms!! This took about 20 minutes until I finally came out the front and shot him a dirty look for waking us up. The description on the website also says the place is for 4 adults max only, but both sets of people upstairs had more than 4 people, and one had children, which made the place much noisier, especially since the wooden floors upstairs meant we could hear every step they made and all the talking/crying. I had deliberately selected an adults-only retreat for the quiet and privacy, so was disappointed by this.
The owners also seemed to pop over when they felt like it for maintenance, to show us their renovation plans, or to tell us the 'house rules', but weren't available when we actually needed them, like check in/check out time.
There were definitely some positives: the place was clean, big and beautifully decorated with lots of nice touches including candles, flowers and incense, and the proximity to the beach was definitely a plus.
I suppose it was just a shame that the owners seemed much more interested in their own 'dream' to create a balinese oasis, than in actually being a good host for their guests.
I think this place would probably be fine for a group of friends who want a beach holiday, but I wouldnt recommend it to couples wanting privacy or a quiet romantic getaway - I was very disappointed by this, because their marketing is very misleading.
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Date of stay: March 2009
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Villa is within a new estate and fenced off from other surrounding houses. Very safe area and villa is nice and parking is great. however all house utensils had to be re-washed and the floor didn't look like it had been cleaned besides the cleanliness not bad for the price we paid. Also wouldn't be good place to stay in the summer as there is no aircon.
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Date of stay: November 2014Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Very clean and lovely decor. Great to have everything we needed (i.e. tissues/coffee plunger etc.) Asked for fresh linen; got it but seemed like a real hassle. TV cable broken, hence TV not working properly; had to INSIST owner come look at/fix now (shd have been done before we arrived). Most irritating thing was when my v. pleasant, friendly partner called out good morning & tried to make pleasant conversation with female owner; she replied with what could only be described as a "grunt". We were both really shocked; her demeanour from the lovely, friendly hostess had suddenly changed for no reason (can only assume she was peeved that we asked for some extra linen!!!) Shame, it is a nice place but will not return when treated like this by host - we are decent couple who do not cause trouble, so can only assume they don't like being asked for anything "extra". Also, hosts are not quite as available as you would hope. Will not go back
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Date of stay: September 2008
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The accommodation itself was fine but No attention to detail, using inferior products or No products where expected given the Marketing positioning & website description … So for me it “Over promised and under delivered”. The lovely balcony was not used at all due to the wasp infestation; in fact we couldn’t even open the doors fear of being stung. Breakfast consisted of 2 packets of Muesli & frozen Sara Lee croissant; hardly what you’d expect from a “luxury resort”. Other disappointing products were Cheese and crackers; uneatable!!! No bathroom products what so ever; the bathroom poorly designed such that when using the shower, the entire bathroom is drenched, making it potentially hazardous. There was No contact from the hosts during our stay; except signage demanding that you wash up, clean up, take the rubbish out and basically clean it before you leave or you risk an additional cleaning charges… really - if I wanted to do house work I would have stayed home!!! Not welcoming at all, poor form…
T
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Date of stay: April 2016
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:If you're looking for a Luxury resort type accommodation; you wont find it here.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Grant and Jenni E, Owner at Bali at the Bay
Responded 18 Apr 2016
Thank you for your review Faye- it is surprising to receive such a polar opposite opinion to most of our guests. Bali at the Bay is a self-catering apartment and not a hotel. As such we go above and beyond the standard inclusions of Lipton tea, Nescafe coffee, sugar and UHT milk found in self-contained apartments across the country. We supply the first breakfast as a convenience to our guests, many of whom arrive late on a Friday night from Sydney. We are sorry that Byron Bay Muesli, King Island Camembert and Arnott's Water Crackers purchased on the day of your arrival from Woolworths were not to your satisfaction. Frozen croissants are a necessity- fresh croissants purchased on the day your arrival would be stale by breakfast the next morning. As you received our email confirmation package you would have been aware we could also have provided you with homemade muesli or even homemade almond milk at your request. We have stayed at many self-contained apartments throughout Australia and have never come across bathroom toiletries other than soap- these are things you normally only get at hotels. We are sorry that you were inconvenienced by having to turn the dishwasher on and place your garbage in the outside bins on your way out. The small sign in the kitchen you refer to is generic and found in any hospitality supply outlet as this request is standard practice in all self-catering apartments. We went out of our way to assist you prior to your stay- there were numerous phone calls and emails including requests for a hair straightener and suggestions of things to do during your stay. We were happy to oblige your request for a late cancellation of your original booking due to your partner's sore throat even though it meant we could not re-book the apartment at late notice. I recall we even suggested Olive Leaf Extract and Manuka honey may help your partner. In regard to your comments about the wasps we are at a loss to explain this- our annual pest inspection last week confirmed there are no pests present whatsoever. We tell all our guests on check in that we are close enough if you need us but far enough away for you to have privacy during your stay. We always advise that if you have any concerns to please call us and we can be there in 5 minutes. It is a shame that you didn't do so. Perhaps you would be better off staying in hotels in future Faye- luxury hotels with concierges and room service may be more likely to meet your expectations. Bali at the Bay provides peace and ambience that is unique in Port Stephens.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
"The upper floor apartment is perfect for seclusion and balcony breakfasts; the ground floor is what you'd want if in BBQ and party mode! Both levels exude Bali, and are superb."
There are more places to choose from in the Nelson Bay area.
PRICE RANGE
AU$327 - AU$420 (Based on Average Rates for a Standard Room)
LOCATION
AustraliaNew South WalesGreater NewcastlePort StephensNelson Bay
NUMBER OF ROOMS
2
Prices are provided by our partners, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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