You know how there’s this whole thing happening in beach villages where hipsters convert daggy old motels into something swanky and cool?

Well, that’s exactly what’s happened at The Beach Rooms in Nambucca but for some reason, the rooms don’t come with the expected price tag.

We stopped at this gem of a motel on the way home from the Gold Coast. Hubs wanted to grit his teeth and drive on through but as luck would have it, a dear old friend of mine was visiting Nambucca Heads from San Francisco, giving us the perfect excuse to stop.

And oh, what a stop it was! The rooms were huge and clean and comfy. Everything was pale timber, white and woven rattan, and there was a toaster, a kettle and a microwave hidden in the cupboard. We booked a double room which had two Queen beds and enough floor space to tango around the port-a-cot.

But the main things that I loved (apart from seeing my beloved friend, meeting her gorgeous mates and snagging an extra day of hols with the Castle lads), in order were:

• The pool was right outside our room.
• There was a stunning view over the village, across the river and out to the sea.
• We were directly across the road from a Woollies. Very convenient for wine necessity purchases.
• We were a two minute walk to Matildas, a fun little local restaurant that sells spicy Margaritas, pizzas and small plates. This is where we shared a rose-fuelled evening of laughter under festoon lighting and stars, with a hint of mozzie coil and sea brine in the air.

We weren’t in town for long but it was long enough to fall head over heels in love with the place. Before we departed, we went to the bakery and bought pies (excellent), drove the to lookout (mostly to see what we would be missing out on) and stood around lamenting the end of our holidays.

Nambucca Heads, thanks for a great night. BRB (and please don’t ghost us in the meantime).

Got any good Nambucca Heads tips? Where’s your favourite Pacific Highway detour en route to the GC?