The Writers' Retreat is a 1927 fishing cottage located on the scenic central coast of NSW, Australia.
BEACH SHACK CHIC
This waterfront fishing cottage was built in 1927 and has been sensitively restored and upgraded to one of the most stylish and comfortable places in the area. This quintessential Australian weekender is the ideal retreat from the urban whirl.
Owner, Fiona Caulfield is a travel writer currently based in India. After a high-powered career in advertising in London, Sydney and New York, Fiona moved to India in 2004 and created the Love Travel series of travel guides, designed for Luxury Vagabonds. Many of the books have been written here at her coastal retreat. Her Australian home reflects her global life, with a strong Aussie foundation complemented with a touch of Manhattan loft and Indian glamour in the décor.
A HOUSE WITH A SOUL
We asked Fiona, where does a travel writer go to escape?
After months on the road crisscrossing the globe, there is nowhere better than retreating to the refuge of Hardys Bay to be still and slow down. My days seem to last longer my spirit gets restored. After some time here, I emerge revived and ready to head back into the world.
Staying at this fishing cottage almost feels like you are on the water, I enjoy the gentle rhythm of the tides and watch the ‘boats bobbing in the blue of the bay’. My days are full of simple pleasures, a long beach walk, a stroll to the local bakery to pick up delicious fresh bread, milk and the papers and then a day of writing taking some time out for my yoga practice. The evenings are spent quietly cooking, enjoying a glass of wine and unwinding with a film or a good book. In winter the open fire makes the house even more romantic.
I sometimes take a sortie on the ferry across to the Boat House café at Palm Beach, enjoying each second of the twenty-minute trip, soaking up scenery, where the bush meets the sea and crossing the mouth of the might Hawkesbury River.
I keep my trips to urban environments at a minimum however occasionally I head to metropolis of Woy Woy offering a Woolies supermarket and a sparkling new suspension bridge, named after the only famous resident of the town, the writer and comedian, Spike Milligan.
Hardys Bay has pretty much everything now, including excellent boutiques, a beauty salon, a hairdresser, a bottle shop, gourmet deli and some great dining choices as well as the traditional RSL club, perfect for a cold beer.
In the evenings, I may venture out to our local BYO restaurant run by Spanish people offering great tapas, or for excellent Italian I head up the hill a bit to Chef Stefan Manfredi’s restaurant at the acclaimed Bells resort, and a highlight of each trip is a night at Lizzottes’, the live music venue on the coast.
HARDYS BAY – an easy 90 minute drive north from Sydney
The fishing cottage is located directly on the bay, and the garden extends into the bushscape of the Bouddi National Park. Hardys Bay is a small fishing village located on the tip of the Bouddi Peninsula, which is on the scenic central coast of NSW.
The cottage backs on to the Bouddi National Park and is located on the Bouddi Peninsula which is the southern-most tip of the central coast region and is just across the water from Sydney's Palm Beach.
The area is surrounded by pristine beaches and there are many excellent walking trails through the Bouddi National Park around Maitland Bay, Pretty Beach, Killcare Beach and across to the hamlet of Wagstaffe.
Many people enjoy a hit of nostalgia when the visit, feeling that Hardys Bay is like the Palm Beach of the Avoca of yesteryear, simple warm coastal communities before transforming into playgrounds for the Rich and Famous. Even thought the most expensive boutique hotel in Australia is also located here, namely the Pretty Beach House, Hardys Bay has kept its down to earth character and offers stunning beach and bush scenery. For the adventurous, it is easy to charter a yacht, rent a kayak, take surfing lessons or go horse riding.
A ROOM OF ONE’S OWN
Recently restored and renovated, the fishing cottage has two levels.
The main house, upstairs, has a large open living space with designer kitchen, a king size bedroom with adjacent writing study and a bathroom. The rooms all have floor to ceiling glass doors that open to the covered deck with glorious views over the bay.
The downstairs suite has a large open bedroom, a light filled writing alcove and luxurious five star bathroom complete with walk in shower and oversize bathtub. There are three sets of vintage double glass doors that open to a glorious deck made from recycled hardwood.
Both levels have extensive libraries, downstairs is the travel library arranged by geography. Each level has separate access with no internal access between and offers guests complete privacy.
Both outside decks offer expansive bay views, some of the best in the area, as evidenced by the front cover of Susan Kurosawa's book Coasting. The travel editor of the Weekend Australian newspaper and local resident selected the view from the Writers' Retreat for the cover shot of the lovely book about a year at living at the bay.
FEATURES
Waterfront position with expansive bay views, just minutes from the pristine surf beach. Two large entertaining decks, natural bush garden setting. Heritage cottage with polished original timber floor, stylishly decorated with vintage Australian furniture and modern European classics. Light filled. Open Fireplace. Extensive Libraries and two dedicated writing spaces. Walking distance to local shops and restaurants.
RATES
For a Weekend
2 people (upstairs only) weekend rate $ 450 ($225 per night) plus $100 cleaning fee)
4 people (full house) weekend $550 ($ 275 per night) plus $150 cleaning fee
Weekend Special - Pay for 2 nights and receive the 3rd night free
For a Public Holiday Long Weekend
Full house only weekend $900 ($ 300 per night) plus $150 cleaning fee
Long Weekend Special - Pay for 3 nights and receive the 4th night free
By the Week
Full house week $1400 ($ 200 per night) plus $150 cleaning fee
Winter Rates $1050 ($ 150 per night) plus $150 cleaning fee – June, July and August
Summer Holidays (Dec 20th to Jan 28th)
Full house week $ 2100 ($ 300 per night) plus $150 cleaning fee
SPECIALS:
Weekend Special - Pay for 2 nights and receive the 3rd night free
Long Weekend Special - Pay for 3 nights and receive the 4th night free
Singles and repeat guests receive a 5% discount
Winter Week rates discounted by 25%.
Substantial discounts available to writers and other creative people booking the house for four weeks or more.