The Palms Apartments

The Palms Apartments is built for travellers who prefer an apartment to a hotel room, particularly when a few days by the coast involve more than simply sleeping in it. You get a self-contained base in Merimbula, with room to cook, sit down, and spread out rather than balancing everything on the edge of a bedside table.

The property has six apartments, all recently renovated with a modern, practical feel. Families, couples on a longer coastal break, golfers and anglers are all part of the picture here. For you as a diver, the appeal is straightforward: air conditioning in the living area, heating and ceiling fans in the bedrooms, laundry facilities, and enough living space to make the evening feel like a proper pause rather than a stopover.

There is also a solar-heated outdoor pool, a hot tub and a garden with outdoor seating. The mood is apartment living with a few hotel conveniences, not a resort timetable. That suits you if your ideal evening involves a swim, something cooked in your own kitchen and a quiet drink on the balcony.

You will find The Palms Apartments at 63 Main Street in Merimbula, on the New South Wales coast of Australia. The property sits close to the heart of town, so you can leave the car in the undercover parking and walk towards the local clubs and restaurants rather than automatically reaching for the keys.

Santa Fe, Dragon Lake and Merimbula RSL Club are all around 350 metres away. Top Fun Merimbula is a four-minute walk, while Merimbula Marina is less than 1 km from the property. That gives you useful options close by when the legs have had enough of the day's activities.

The coastal geography is a little more spread out than the address might suggest. Merimbula Beach is about 1.5 miles away by car, Short Point Beach about 1 mile, and Jiguma Beach about 2.7 miles. The property is also described as being on the seafront with direct access to a sandy beach, so you should check which stretch of coast suits your plans. Merimbula Airport is 1.1 miles away by road, around a two-minute drive.

This is the section that makes the difference between an apartment and a conventional dive base. The accommodation is arranged as two-bedroom apartments with two bathrooms, a living area, a balcony or terrace and a full kitchen. You can keep breakfast simple, cook a proper meal, or put the kettle on without waiting for room service to discover that it has gone home.

The layout works particularly well for two couples or a family, because the second bathroom saves the usual post-dive queue. The main bedroom has a king-size bed, a large wardrobe, heating and a ceiling fan. The second bedroom has two single beds, which can be arranged as a short king on request. There is also a spa bath in the main bathroom, plus a walk-in shower.

The kitchen is equipped for real use rather than decorative cupboard-opening: oven, hob, microwave, refrigerator, dishwasher, toaster, coffee machine, kettle and kitchenware. A washing machine and tumble dryer sit in the apartment's European laundry, which is handy when salt, sunscreen and coastal weather have all had their say. Reverse-cycle air conditioning covers the living area, while bedroom heating, ceiling fans and electric blankets help with cooler nights.

You also get a private entrance, a dining area, a sofa and seating area, a flat-screen television with Foxtel channels, WiFi throughout the property, linen and towels. The balcony or terrace gives you somewhere to sit outside, and some apartments have a pool view. In short, choose this address when you want your accommodation to carry part of the holiday rather than merely store you between excursions.

There is no hotel restaurant, bar or stated meal plan, so the food arrangement is firmly self-catering. That is not a euphemism here: the apartments have full-size kitchens with an oven, hob, microwave, refrigerator and dishwasher, along with dining space. You can make coffee before an early start, put together a generous breakfast, and cook when returning hungry is more appealing than finding a table.

The outdoor setup gives that plan a second gear. Undercover Weber BBQs, tables and chairs, a patio and garden let you take the meal outside rather than eating every dinner at the same table indoors. After a long day in the water, grilled food and a cold drink usually need less explanation than a tasting menu.

When you prefer someone else to do the cooking, Santa Fe, Dragon Lake and Merimbula RSL Club are all within roughly 350 metres. The nearby town centre also brings clubs and dining venues within walking distance. The practical advantage is choice: cook in, barbecue outside, or walk out without turning dinner into an expedition.

The solar-heated outdoor pool is the obvious place to keep moving without committing to another serious outing. Sun loungers, beach chairs and umbrellas are available around it, while the hot tub offers the more sensible option when you want warmth and bubbles rather than another lap. Pool view apartments keep the setting close even when you are taking the afternoon slowly.

The garden, terrace, picnic area and outdoor furniture give you room to sit outside, and the undercover BBQ area turns a quiet evening into something with a little structure. Board games and puzzles are available for a low-effort night in. There is also a flat-screen television with Foxtel channels if the weather, the fatigue or simple good judgement tells you to stay indoors.

Merimbula and the surrounding area provide the more active choices: fishing, hiking, cycling, snorkelling, canoeing, horse riding and golf. Merimbula Beach is about 1.5 miles away by car, while Pambula Merimbula Golf Club is around 3.1 miles away. Ford Park Playground is about 1.2 miles away by road. You can keep the non-diving day gentle, or give it a different sort of exercise entirely.

Merimbula Airport is close, at around 1.1 miles by road, and an airport shuttle service is available. You can also arrange car hire, while free private parking is available on site in an undercover carport. That combination is useful if your plans include beaches, the marina, golf or fishing spots beyond the town centre.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 18:00, and you need to tell the property your expected arrival time. Check-out is from 06:00 to 10:00. Express and private check-in and check-out are available, which helps if your travel day refuses to fit neatly into office hours.

WiFi is free throughout the property. The apartments are non-smoking, parties and events are not allowed, and quiet hours run from 22:00 to 07:00. Children of any age are welcome, cots are available on request, and there are no extra beds. The minimum age for check-in is 18, and cash is an accepted payment method.

Solar panels are part of the property's energy setup. It is a modest, concrete measure rather than a lengthy sustainability programme, but it is still something you can see in the way the accommodation is run.