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Sydney Escapes: Crowne Plaza Terrigal Beach
Tickets, money, passports… Well not quite! But the Ben Sherman overnighters are packed, the roof's down on the Renault and the tunes are programmed on the iPod ready for our road trip. Yes thats right; the three Sydney Chic Style guys hit the highways for a little mini break to the beautiful Central Coast.
Over the Bridge and off to the North on the freeway it takes only 1.5 hours of picturesque (mostly freeway) driving to arrive at the glorious Terrigal Beach. It instantly feels like a summer haven of tranquility and beach chill vibes. This was going to be a great little stylish weekend Sydney getaway.
First stop lunch at Bombini (see my full restaurant review on the blog). What an awesome way to start the trip!
Then it was time to head on to our check in at Crowne Plaza Terrigal Beach. We've arrived at the right time - the place is buzzing with great poolside beats. It's still relaxing but there's a clear party spirit in the air that rivals any Sydney bar Sunday sesh. But before hitting the poolside for a cocktail its time to check out our suite.
Now this property occupies absolute true beach front on Terrigal Beach looking out to the horizon as far as the eye can see! My partner Leo, and son Dante, are excited as we're led to our top floor room. With its commanding views over the beach, the ocean and towards the Headland where we can already see people enjoying water activities like paddle boarding, snorkelling and fishing. We feel instantly relaxed. Our room feels very Hamptons and very beach chic - clean white and light grey walls, new carpet, beautiful appointed furnishings with crisp white hotel chic bedding and splashes of azure blue and palm green splashed around with cushions, pillows and a gorgeous big ottoman. Perfect for enjoying our welcome bottle of champagne - thanks to Emma the Marketing Manager for this lovely gesture.
We didn't have long to sit and relax because Dante had spotted the pool in the pics on the Crowne Plaza Terrigal website, and he couldnt wait to try it out! What a perfect spot it occupies in the hotel, the hub of everything. It wasn't long before we were all splashing around enjoying the view of the treetops and the ocean from the pool - and of course the cocktails which are available to order poolside. We were energised and ready for the day ahead.
Terrigal is a very relaxing area with loads of holiday tourists but it also feels like a very local community and a very active population. Everywhere we looked there were people running, jogging, doing yoga, paddle boarding, swimming, snorkelling or just walking along the esplanade. Having this much activity and positive energy around you is inspiring so we hit the gym to work off our breakfast before hitting the beach.
The gym was well equipped with weight and cardio machines in abundance as well as sauna and spa.
The water in the ocean at Terrigal is so serene and calm making it perfect for relaxing and letting the kids play. We did get to do some snorkelling in a nearby cove which thrilled Danté. The atmosphere was as lovely as the weather - we were really starting to fall in love with Terrigal, with it's distinctly relaxed pace compared to Sydney.
After an awesome day of sun. surf and sand it was time to head back to the hotel to freshen up and enjoy a beverage in the Lord Ashley Bar, which is the stylish and sophisticated cocktail lounge adjacent to the hotel's in house fine dining restaurant SeaSalt, which was the destination for dinner that evening.
Dinner was as beautiful and relaxing as the rest of the hotel and the little short holiday in general. I'll leave the details to another post but I will say that I've seldom been this impressed by the down to earth friendly service and hospitality of the Crowne Plaza Terrigal staff. Whilst they are clearly trained in their jobs to offer only the highest level of service they manage to do it in a very casual, coastal way without any compromise - great job guys! It really adds to the experience of a coastal Sydney getaway - a change in pace but with all the luxuries and pleasures we're accustomed to.
Terrigal and in particular the Crowne Plaza has found its way into my new favourite places to go. If you've been to the Central Coast before I urge you to revisit - if its your first time, brace yourself for how serene it is and how much you're going to love being a "beachy". For our little family the vote was unanimous - we will definitely BE BACK!
