Stay At Raffertys Resort

Stay At Raffertys Resort suits you if a dive trip should include proper living space rather than four walls and a kettle. You stay on the shores of Lake Macquarie, in self-contained accommodation with a kitchen, dining and living areas, air conditioning, at least two bathrooms and an internal laundry. There is room to eat, dry off and recover without having to whisper around a single hotel room.

The accommodation is individually owned and each property has its own style, so the photographs are not a guaranteed blueprint for the place you receive. That is worth knowing before you book. What remains consistent is the holiday-home format, with covered decks or sunny courtyards giving you somewhere to sit outside once the wetsuit is hung up and the day has finally slowed down.

You are in Swansea, Australia, on the edge of Lake Macquarie rather than in the middle of a town. The resort has direct access to a golden-sand beach, with sun loungers and umbrellas for the moments when you want water without a cylinder attached to your back. The lakefront setting also brings a private jetty and boat ramp into the picture.

For a change of scenery, Wallarah National Park is about 0.9 miles away, while Pinny Beach is around 1.5 miles from the resort and Catherine Hill Bay Beach about 1.8 miles away. Caves Beach is roughly 2 miles away. Murrays and Lakehouse Cafe are each about 0.7 miles away, so you have a couple of nearby alternatives when self-catering feels like unnecessary admin.

Newcastle Airport is about 32 miles by road, with a drive of around 50 minutes. The resort sits roughly 40 minutes south of Newcastle and about 90 minutes north of Sydney, making it more practical with a car than as a base for wandering around by public transport.

The sensible choice depends on how many people are travelling and how much personal space you value. Two-bedroom townhouses and cottages work well for a couple who want a separate bedroom, or for a small group that would rather share a proper home than book adjoining hotel rooms. With two bathrooms, the morning queue is less likely to become the day's first negotiation.

For larger groups, the loft villa and three-bedroom cottages provide more separation, while the larger holiday homes are built for extended family or friends travelling together. The four-bedroom Magenta Beach holiday home is the outlier for space, with three bathrooms and enough capacity for a sizeable group. You will find the detailed sleeping arrangements on the room cards; here, the useful point is that the resort is built around houses and cottages, not compact dive-base bedrooms.

Every property has air conditioning, an equipped kitchen, dining and living areas, spacious bedrooms and an internal laundry. A covered deck or sunny courtyard gives you somewhere to take the first coffee of the day, or to sit with a cold drink while your dive computer dries out. The self-contained layout also means you can keep an early start quiet, prepare something simple when you return hungry, and retreat from the rest of the party without leaving the accommodation.

The resort's main after-dive move is Cams Wharf Tavern. You can settle in with a meal and a cold drink while watching the sunset over the waterfront, or head to the Sports Bar when your priority is the match rather than the view. Its super screen removes any doubt about where the evening's attention will be directed.

There is one bar facility and a restaurant at the resort, with wine and champagne also available. The information here does not set out a breakfast service or a board formula, so your equipped kitchen matters: you can make your own breakfast before an early start, keep supplies in hand and use the barbecue facilities outside.

Murrays and Lakehouse Cafe are both around 0.7 miles away for a change of table, while Swansea and Lake Munmorah provide grocery shopping and more cafés and restaurants within a short drive. That combination gives you a choice between eating on site, cooking at home or getting back in the car. Not glamorous. Useful.

Four swimming pools, including one heated pool, give you several ways to spend a surface interval without planning an expedition. Sun loungers, beach chairs and umbrellas are available around the outdoor areas, while the gardens, terrace, picnic area and private beach area leave you with somewhere to sit when floating in a pool has done its job.

If you still have energy, the resort has four tennis courts and tennis equipment. Lake Macquarie is the more obvious playground: you can hire boats, fishing equipment and watersports equipment, with kayaking, paddleboarding, snorkelling, canoeing, fishing and boat excursions among the available options. Some water activities involve an additional charge, so check the arrangement before setting off.

Away from the resort, you can look at local wineries and national parks, with wildlife observation and cultural excursions also part of the wider offer. Live music, evening entertainment and broadcast sports give couples something to do when neither of you can face another restaurant decision. Families have a children's playground, outdoor play equipment and a children's pool, so the resort can handle mixed-age trips without pretending everyone wants the same holiday.

You can park on site, with free public parking available and no reservation required. WiFi is free throughout the resort, and an ATM, luggage storage and a business centre are available when useful rather than exciting. The accommodation itself includes an internal laundry, which is the sort of detail that earns its keep on a longer dive holiday.

Check-in runs from 14:00 to 17:00 and check-out from 08:30 to 10:00. You need to show photo identification and a credit card at check-in, and you should tell the resort your expected arrival time. The minimum check-in age is 21. Children of all ages are welcome, and a cot can be requested for children aged up to two; the number available depends on the accommodation selected.

Cash is not accepted. Accommodation-specific cancellation and prepayment rules apply, and payment before arrival by bank transfer may be required, with instructions sent after booking. Read the conditions attached to your chosen house or cottage before you commit, particularly if several people are travelling together.