4 new luxe reasons to visit The Anchorage Hotel & Spa in Port Stephens

The new luxury experiences on offer at The Anchorage Hotel & Spa are reason enough to visit this sophisticated coastal village in the Hunter region.

People come to The Anchorage Hotel & Spa to take their foot off the pedal and slow down. And now, thanks to a raft of reimagined offerings, you’ll have everything at your fingertips during your seaside stay.

Spread out in the beautiful lounge in the Master Suite.

The coastal resort has brought a bit of the Hamptons to Port Stephens at its unrivalled location near the Anchorage Marina, a great spot from which to launch an ocean adventure in the sapphire seas.

But the resort itself is a singular escape: with accommodation that includes garden rooms, mezzanine-style loft suites, absolute waterfront suites and a self-contained waterfront luxe villa, as well as being a world-class destination for dining and unwinding, The Anchorage Hotel & Spa is ideal for clocking off and kicking back.

Expects rooms with a view, and so much more.

Now with four new luxe experiences, from a poolside bar with table service to the special seaside high tea, it’s the only absolute waterfront luxury hotel in Port Stephens.

Here’s our guide to making the most of your stay at The Anchorage Hotel & Spa.

Enjoy the new poolside bar

You don’t even need to leave your private cabana by the pool to grab a cocktail at The Anchorage Hotel & Spa; you can now stay glued to your day bed by the shimmering pool as you order signature cocktails and icy poles designed for a long day in the sun.

While the new poolside bar has full table service and each cabana features privacy curtains, there are also spots where you can gather to be in the heart of the action.

Relax in a private cabana or in the action, and let the drinks come to you.

One of the best things about The Anchorage? You can be poolside in just two and a half hours from Sydney, or 30 minutes from Newcastle Airport.

Relax and read a book. Count cormorants. Or enjoy as many refreshing dips as you please at this bright and breezy seaside sanctuary. Pull the curtain on your cabana for an afternoon nap, then press reset and order another round of negronis.

Try a cocktail masterclass

Start the day with a walk along Corlette Beach to enjoy the balmy bay breeze, and finish it sipping cocktails you’ve learnt to craft during an hour-long masterclass.

Cocktails have shaken up the drinks scene in Australia in recent years, and this masterclass, curated by bar manager Ellis Bence, invites you to jump on the bandwagon.

Ask Ellis what his favourite cocktail is and he’ll tell you it’s the elderflower gimlet; tell him what flavours you like and he’ll tailor the intimate class to suit.

Create your own cocktail under an expert eye.

Delightfully, that’s not all – as well as two cocktails, the masterclass also includes a grazing board.

The class is held in the dark and moody Moby’s Bar, which has a private room with a large window that frames the yachts moored at the marina. The bar’s nautical theme extends to the flotsam and jetsam fit-out, which includes sea glass, shells and a sea-green colour scheme.

Indulge in whisky tastings

Whisky tourism is booming. It’s part of a new wave of niche reasons to travel, and it’s being led by the number of distilleries popping up around the country.

The Anchorage Hotel & Spa is also reimagining the way it engages its guests, with interactive tastings that go beyond ordering a drink and hoping for the best.

Head to the Seaview Dining Room for a carefully curated whiskey tasting.

This carefully curated whisky tasting takes place in the exclusive Seaview Dining Room, where guests can take their whisky appreciation to the next level.

The classes are designed to help guests identify the difference between various whiskies and their smoky, peaty and malty flavours and aromas.

The tasting includes four whiskies and a pairing board, and is tailored to everyone from connoisseurs to wannabe whisky lovers. After your tutored tasting, head back into the main bar so you can wax lyrical about the experience, whisky in hand.

Be pampered with a seaside high tea

While the location of The Anchorage Hotel & Spa is as far from a chintzy lobby lounge in London as can be, High Tea by the Sea is as traditional as it gets.

Executive chef Michael Jenkins says he wants guests to feel pampered and relaxed as they enjoy a proper high tea service with views overlooking Corlette Beach and bay beyond.

Work your way through the new, elegant, high tea.

Though much of the fare is, he says, what we’d expect from high tea – buttermilk scones with lashings of berries, jam and cream, and traditional finger sandwiches, such as egg, mayo and lettuce – there are also savoury offerings, including zucchini, parsley and tomato quiche and spinach and ricotta sausage rolls.

You can also indulge in sweet treats such as red velvet cupcakes, custard fruit tartlets and orange and almond syrup cake.

Work off the bonus calories with a post-prandial stroll to the headland in Tomaree National Park to watch for whales (during their annual migration) and dolphins, two of the most popular things to do in Port Stephens.

Escape to magical Port Stephens to experience the new luxe offerings at The Anchorage Hotel & Spa.