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Travel Review: Minerva Cottage Jervis Bay
Photo: Taken at 6.00 am Orion Beach just 5 minutes walk from Minerva Cottage
There is something spectacular about the NSW South Coast and Jervis Bay is a popular place to go and spend some downtime. So when I was invited to stay at Minerva Cottage Jervis Bay I was enthusiastic to get out of Sydney and take the 3.5 hour trip down to the South Coast. My sister-in-law, Mayumi (Mayu), was my travel companion. We set off on Monday and decided on the scenic way through Kangaroo Valley, thanks to detailed instructions from my brother, Kev, who doesn't trust Mayu and I with navigation after our last fiasco on the Central Coast.
The trip down Kangaroo Valley is nothing short of spectacular, and we also stopped there to have lunch and take a silly snap for instagram. If travelling this way you might also like to visit Fitzroy Falls and take a walk to stretch the legs.
Click to expand smaller photos
Once we were back on the road, we hit a bit of traffic at Nowra but before we knew it we were turning into our street and pulling up in the driveway for a two day stay in Minerva Cottage.
It's a cute little two bedroom cottage that has been lovingly restored.
We entered through the back door, after retrieving the key from the key safe. The backyard is very open, it has a little herb & vegie patch, large table, bbq and open fire pit with wood ready to go for those who want to sit by a 'camp fire' on their stay.
We entered through the combined laundry/bathroom area and I was immediately impressed. Firstly, there is a brand new washing machine and dryer, next to a generous sized sink. There was a lovely bunch of herbs and flowers in a vase, mirror, hand wash from Ashley & Co, scented reeds, a seperate toilet to the left and a very modern shower next to it. Yes, we liked this straight away.
There are two fabulous bedrooms that just ooze comfort and style! In the master bedroom, hanging on the wall, are two stylish bathrobes, and a beach bag with beach towel ready to use. In the cupboard snorkels and flippers are provided to use at the beach. There is also a body board, nestled behind the palm. I noted straight away the colourful cushions and gorgeous bed linen, as well as the modern wall art and modern lamps in both rooms.
The management of Minerva Cottage want you to step inside the house and feel like home; they have nailed this one! The lounge is very comfortable and the decor is modern. There is a funky dining bench (which had a welcome gift for us), TV on the wall, bluetooth sound system, and a comfy chair to relax in. They even supply WiFi which works very well!
Everything you need is packed in the cottage including rice, pasta, condiments and all kitchen basics. All you bring are the fresh vegies and meats. You can use any herbs from the garden outside. The fridge contained some Capi drinks and other cooking essentials you may need. They even supply an iPhone charger!
After all my hard work taking these photos, and before we dumped our bags everywhere....I deserved a drink so we relaxed into the comfy chairs on the veranda with a glass of our lovely welcome gifted Rose, and watched a spectacular thunder storm over the bay as we soaked up the balmy atmosphere.
For dinner we referred to the notes left for us and decided on the 5 minute drive to the Huskinsson Hotel. The vibe at this place is really something and obviously a popular hotel with the locals and tourists. The view is great, and we sat outside overlooking the bay watching a spectacular sunset. We ordered slow cooked pork belly with crackling and calamari to share. Once our meals arrived we couldn't believe how amazing the crackling looked on the pork. As soon as we had a bite of the crackling and the pork we were convinced that it was the best and crunchiest crackling and most tender pork we have ever tasted and we are still raving about it! In fact, we decided we were coming back the next day for more! The calamari was equally good and we knew we have found a winner. We actually did come back the next night for dinner, and this time we both had the pork. Such creatures of habit we are!
Back at home we settled in the comfy lounge chairs listening to our music on Spotify from my iPhone using the bluetooth speaker, and laughing and catching up on our family stories.
I'm an early riser and Mayu isn't so we agreed I'd probably get up and go to the beach early in the morning and at around 8.00 am we would both go on a walk and find a place for breakfast. So the next morning I got up early and went down to Orion Beach where I took the photo at the top of this post.
Later, we walked to the local shopping centre via the beach and found a great little cafe, thanks to two local teenagers who gave us a tip where to go. The cafe is called Albert n Miso and we ordered a bacon & egg roll and two soy lattes. Mayu and I share our meals because neither of us will finish a full one. You know when I mentioned we are creatures of habit before? Well we loved this place and the bacon & egg roll so much we decided to the the same thing the following day. And we did LOL!
By the way this cafe has its own honeycomb from a local farmer and collects the honey from it. This brings me to another story...once we finished our breakfast we took a long walk along the beautiful beach. Can you guess which blogger would be the unlucky one that stepped barefoot on a bee, and got stung on the sole of her foot? Yes, of course it was me and what a commotion that followed; I had to hobble for the next hour!
Once home we had a rest and then took off to Hymas Beach for lunch and another walk along this very popular tourist attraction. There are plenty of beaches around Australia and anyone can claim the prettiest; I have to say Jervis Bay rates very high on my list. You can also see the Naval College in the distance.
Well folks it was time for Groundhog Day..... we went back to dinner at the Husskinson Hotel and spent another night enjoying catching up with 'sister-in-law fun' and before we knew it were back at Albert n Miso sharing another bacon & egg roll and our short stay was coming to an end.
Our trip home was just as lovely, through Kangaroo Valley and then Bowral. On the way I even managed to snap some parachuters landing through the window of the moving Pajero travelling at 110km an hour.
We really loved staying at Minerva Cottage and I have no hesitation in recommending this cottage for couples, and/or a small family. I've already been asked by one of my instagram friends @rubythestaffy1 if she can stay and I'm pleased to say "YES"...pet friendly! There are no fences though so your pet would need to be on best behaviour.
Facebook: www.facebook.com/minervacottagejervisbay
Insta: @minervacottage_jervisbay
Sydney Chic stayed at Minerva Cottage as guests. All expenses getting to the cottage, meals etc were our own except for the gifted wine on arrival. Please read full Disclaimer - we only recommend places to stay on Sydney Chic if we really like them and, most importantly, feel our readers would too.
