Mini Mystery Getaway

To celebrate my sister’s recent engagement (yay!), my mum decided to take myself and my sister away for two nights. Mum kept the holiday destination a mystery right up until we arrived at the hotel at around 3:00 on Sunday afternoon. Our two nights away were spent in the Coogee Sands Hotel, right on Coogee Beach. 

We settled into our studio hotel room before heading off for a walk on the beach. The water was freezing, however the sun was pleasantly warm. We explored the rocks, rock pools and sea baths, and I paused periodically to take photos of the sea life. We enjoyed fish and chips from a local store on the beach that night. Our hotel was next door to The Pavilion (they have delicious breakfast!), and the partying did not stop until around 11:30… which meant we had a rough start to our sleep for the first night, but slept well after the party-goers had left.

For day 2, mum had planned for us to embark on the Coastal Walk between Coogee Beach and Bondi Beach. We walked a total of 13km to Bondi and back, stopping on the way to admire beautiful scenery. The highlight of the walk for my mum was a visit to poet Dorothea Mackellar’s (“I love a sunburnt country…”) burial site. Lovely photo opportunities and friendly tourists were certainly a highlight for me. And the sore legs in the morning were definitely worth the effort! And there was no partying to keep us awake on the Monday night, so we each got the sleep we needed after engaging in way too much exercise…

I began day 3 with an early start to see the sunrise. I am not an eager morning person, but Coogee Beach provides a lovely vantage point for watching the sun rise above the waves.

Overall, our short stay in Coogee was fantastic. If you don’t mind the hustle and bustle of tourists, a main street and weekend party-goers, then the Coogee Sands Hotel is a comfortable, friendly place to stay. And the Coastal Walk – pop on a hat, wear sunscreen, and do as little or as much of it as you can! And perhaps make the effort to appreciate the sunrise at least once during your stay.

- Susannah 

(Photographs: Susannah Douglass, Coogee, 2017)