12 dreamy accommodations to stay at in Robe

Dilvin Yasa Dilvin Yasa
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Elegant boutique hotels, self-contained private properties and fun holiday parks; for the ultimate seaside stay, we’ve got the perfect Robe accommodation for you.

Let’s just put this out there: when it comes to finding the ultimate Robe accommodation – whether that be something built for romance, family or a solo getaway – you’re not going to struggle. Dotted across the spectacular South Australian seaside town, you’ll find all manner of accommodation, each one more beautiful than the last.

1. Church on the Hill

the exterior of Church on the Hill in Robe
Church on the Hill combines the charm and old-world character of the original 1869 sandstone church.

Getting swept up in the history of Robe is as simple as booking in for a stay at Church on the Hill, a property which combines the charm and old-world character of the original 1869 sandstone church, and all the modern amenities one would expect in a luxury home, the result of a significant 2022 renovation and extension.

Sleeping up to 12 guests in five bedrooms in a range of configurations, standout features include a four-sided Cheminees Phillipe fireplace in the centre of the chapel living room, a sprawling deck with sweeping ocean views, an outdoor spa, a parent retreat with a kitchenette, as well as a stunning open-plan kitchen teeming with European appliances.

The perfect space for entertaining, for travelling with groups, multi-gen holidays, or just when you each really need your own space.

Address: 1 Davenport Street, Robe

2. Robe House

an aerial view of the Robe House
The charming Robe House sits in a pretty garden.

Looking for a charming stay? Robe House has got it in spades – largely thanks to its 1847 vintage and its early years serving as the home of the Government Resident. Built out of locally quarried sandstone and featuring high vaulted ceilings, the property is now very much rooted in the future, offering five fully self-contained apartments classified as bed and breakfast (they’ll provide provisions).

Located a short stroll from the town centre (and right by a scenic coastal walk), Robe House – set in a pretty garden – offers wi-fi, laundry facilities, barbeques, and log fires in two of the apartments, making them the perfect spot for that romantic winter getaway.

Address: 1 Hagen Street, Robe

3. Dunes at Robe

the holiday cottages at Dunes at Robe
The holiday cottages are spacious enough for group travellers. (Image: South Australian Tourism Commission/Adam Bruzzone)

For those who prefer a more contemporary holiday option, look no further than Dunes at Robe, a hotel located on a quiet street, albeit with spectacular views of West Beach.

Choose from one of two holiday cottages, each one featuring two bedrooms, an open-plan living area, a fully furnished kitchen, barbeque facilities and – mercifully – air conditioning, and make good use of the property’s proximity to the town centre and the local golf club.

Address: 20-22 Backler Street, Robe

4. Lakeview Motel & Apartments

Sometimes, all you need is the perfect motel holiday overlooking a large body of water to unwind and make the most of your destination. The appropriately titled Lakeview Motel & Apartments, located on the shores of Lake Fellmongery, comes to the party to provide a little something for every kind of traveller.

From luxury two-bedroom apartments and deluxe spa suites to standard rooms and self-contained apartments – each one offering a view of the lake – configurations vary, but all have wi-fi, access to barbeque facilities, plus a free guest laundry (perfect when you’re so close to the natural bushland and pristine beaches of the region).

Address: 2 Lakeside Terrace, Robe

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5. Robe Hotel

the beachfront setting of Robe Hotel
Robe Hotel is just a stone’s throw away from the beach.

An iconic fixture of the local beachside community since 1947, there’s no doubt you’ll be dropping into the Robe Hotel for a meal or two, but why not book a stay and linger a little longer?

Offering the best of country and sea, the classically built hotel and pub – conveniently located within walking distance to the town centre – boasts 16 rooms across two floors, all with balconies making the most of those views and eight of which have ensuites.

A stone’s throw from the beach and just upstairs from some of the best pub grub you’re likely to experience anywhere, this is the ultimate beachside stay at an affordable price point.

Address: 6 Munday Terrace, Robe

6. Robe Holiday Park

a powered caravan site at Robe Holiday Park
You’ll find powered sites for camping and caravanning at Robe Holiday Park.

Welcome to a dazzling and oh-so-quiet bushland oasis located just five minutes either way from Robe’s town centre, as well as from Robe’s popular Long Beach.

Boasting just eight self-contained cabins, plus a host of powered sites for camping and caravanning, it would be easy to dismiss Robe Holiday Park as the perfect place for other families, until you consider how hard it punches for its size.

We’re talking firepits, jumping pillows, barbeque areas, an area reserved for mountain bike riding, birdwatching, a camp kitchen, and if that’s not enough, the holiday park is also home to a gin distillery. What more could anyone ask for?

Address: Corner Main Road and Nora Creina Road, Robe

7. Discovery Parks Robe

Behold the ultimate family getaway location, a lush (and rather gargantuan) world where kids can swim in the heated indoor swimming pool, play table tennis in the games room, hire a pedal bike to ride around onsite, jump on the all-important bouncing pillows and come the summertime, enjoy the kids’ club facilities.

If you’re thinking Discovery Parks Robe (formerly BIG4 Discovery Parks) has it all, you’d be right, with all cabins featuring a flat-screen TV, some offering an ensuite bathroom and most equipped with a kitchen. Camping or caravanning? All options, both powered and unpowered, are on the table.

Coin-operated laundry facilities, shared kitchen facilities and a kiosk are all available onsite, with the property located a five-minute drive from Robe’s town centre.

Address: 70 – 80 Esplanade, Robe

8. Robe Marina Apartments

Whether you’re after a three-bedroom marina-view apartment, a two-bedroom Waters Edge Apartment or a ground-floor one-bedroom deluxe suite, Robe Marina Apartments, a range of architecturally designed properties, has an offering for you.

All located within the town centre, the properties are a showcase of contemporary design, boasting modern furniture and appliances so you can truly unwind and take in the ocean views (with some only located just 50 metres from the water’s edge) without having to worry about a thing.

Address:  Corner Beach Court & Lipson Terrace, Robe

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9. Sea Vu Caravan Park

a beach shack with ocean view at the Sea Vu Caravan Park
Each accommodation opens up to sweeping ocean views.

Prefer your holiday parks to be a little more… boutique in flavour? Sea Vu Caravan Park might be considered compact when compared with the other parks in and around Robe, but this is the only one with direct access to the sandy beaches of Guichen Bay.

Accommodation options range from over 100 grassed sites and beach shacks to ocean view cabins (with four different layouts to suit everyone from groups of six to couples). Cosy Beach Shacks and Seaside Cabins sleep up to six, also.

There’s a fully fenced playground for the kids, paddleboards for hire, a large indoor communal dining and living area, a kiosk, a fully equipped camp kitchen, and of course, several barbeques to enjoy that meaty fare. Best of all, the park is pet-friendly.

Address: 1 Squires Drive, Robe

10. Harbour View Motel

Classic motel stays are having a resurgence and one look at Harbour View Motel explains the popularity behind the trend. Having enjoyed multiple upgrades and renovations in recent years, the property – delightfully decorated in soothing pastel hues – is set just 50 metres from the start of a cliff-top walking track and a five-minute walk from the town centre.

All rooms (air-conditioned) feature an open-plan living space, and ensuite bathroom, with some available with kitchenette, others offering a spa bath and a percentage with a balcony overlooking Robe Harbour or Guichen Bay.

All guests enjoy direct access to Robe Golf Course, with a barbeque area, guest laundry and children’s playground available onsite.

Address: 2 Sturt Street, Robe

11. BASK

sun loungers under a yellow umbrella at BASK, Robe
Bask in the sunshine on sun loungers outside your beautifully styled cottage.

A beautifully styled cottage which wouldn’t be out of place in the pages of an interiors glossy sounds good enough, but said beautifully styled cottage with the perfect location within 100 metres of Robe’s finest restaurants, boutiques and Town Beach? It’s fair to say, BASK is covering all bases beautifully.

The two-bedroom, adults-only home has everything you could need for that perfect beachside stay, including a relaxing spa bath, a private outdoor courtyard complete with Weber Q and sun lounges, and yes, a split system air conditioner, which means you’ll be comfortable in winter as well as in summer. Will it be a romantic getaway or a trip away with friends? Your choice; the property is suitable for both. Will it be a romantic getaway or a trip away with friends? Your choice; the property is suitable for both.

Address: Elizabeth Street, Robe

12. The Caledonian Inn

There’s little doubt you’ll be tempted to pop into The Caledonian Inn, a historic English-style pub built in 1858, for a bite to eat, but those on a budget (as well as those keen to make use of the property’s central location) should look no further than the accommodation options available upstairs.

The six rooms upstairs – both single and double rooms available – may share a bathroom, but they’re cosy and have quick access to the fireside pub downstairs as well as the beer garden, with prices starting from just $77 per night.

Address: 1 Victoria Street, Robe

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Dilvin Yasa
Dilvin Yasa is a freelance journalist, author and TV presenter whose travels have taken her from the iceberg graveyards of Antarctica to the roaring rapids of Uganda. Always on the lookout for that next unforgettable meal, wildlife moment or 80s-themed nightclub, she is inexplicably drawn to polar destinations despite detesting the cold.
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Discovering East Arnhem: Australia’s most unique and rewarding corner

    Joanne Millares Joanne Millares
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    Hard to reach and harder to forget, East Arnhem offers something rare in modern travel: the chance to slow down and experience Country on its own terms.

    The sky feels bigger in East Arnhem. It stretches wide and uninterrupted above rouged earth, stringybark woodland and beaches so empty they seem to belong to another era. The coastline curves for kilometres without a footprint and the horizon runs on forever.

    For comedian Lou Wall, the scale of the place was the first thing that hit them.

    “The sheer openness,” they say. “The sky feels infinite and the land stretches out endlessly. It’s pretty breathtaking visually.”

    But the physical landscape is only part of the story. The real reward isn’t only the scenery but the shift in perspective the journey brings. Visitors stop trying to tick off the destination and a real engagement takes over.

    “It made me never want to travel again,” Wall jokes. “In that I never wanted to leave East Arnhem.”

    Getting there

    Aerial shot of East Arnhem’s coastline as cars trace the curve of the shore.
    Sail along the remote coastline on an expedition cruise.

    Reaching East Arnhem is part of the adventure. Travellers typically fly into Gove Airport near Nhulunbuy via Darwin or Cairns, or arrive by expedition cruise along the remote coastline. Others make the journey overland along rutted dirt roads that cut through East Arnhem’s small pockets of monsoon forest.

    However you arrive, there’s a distinct feeling of crossing into somewhere different. Permits are required to visit the region, reflecting the fact that this is Yolŋu land where communities and traditional owners maintain deep cultural connections to Country.

    The extra planning becomes part of the experience. By the time visitors arrive, they understand they’re entering a place not just of respect, but also patience and curiosity.

    At one with nature

    East Arnhem’s  landscapes leave a strong imprint. For Wall, one place in particular still lingers in their memory: Ngalarrkpuy, also known as Lonely Beach, near Bawaka Homeland.

    “I genuinely felt like I was living inside an Instagram filter,” they say. “One of the most stunning feats of nature I’ve ever seen. The water was so clear I swear I could see even the fish smiling.”

    Across the region, natural experiences unfold at a slower pace. Fishing, beachcombing and island hopping reveal the rhythm of the coastline. The tides shape daily life and the vastness of the landscape makes even simple moments feel downright cinematic.

    For visitors with limited time, Wall says the Bawaka Homeland experience is unmissable.

    “I just left and I’m already planning when I can get back there.”

    The sense of remoteness is part of the appeal. In a country where many beaches are crowded and well-trodden, East Arnhem’s coastline still feels wonderfully wild.

    Immersing in local culture

    A visitor spends a meaningful moment alongside Yolŋu guides, gaining insight into their deep cultural knowledge and connection to the land.
    Experience authentic moments with the locals.

    Culture is woven through every experience in East Arnhem. Visitors have the opportunity to spend time on Country with Yolŋu guides and knowledge holders who share stories and traditions that have been passed down for generations.

    For Wall, one of the most powerful moments came during a conversation with a Yolŋu elder.

    “I got to meet a traditional elder, Mayalil, in Nhulunbuy,” they say. “Listening to her talk about her home made the land feel alive in ways I couldn’t have imagined.”

    The region is also home to internationally recognised Aboriginal art centres where artists shape works deeply connected to land and family knowledge.

    Music carries the same cultural energy. East Arnhem has produced globally recognised artists such as King Stingray and Baker Boy, blending Yolŋu language, storytelling and contemporary sound.

    Wall experienced this musical spirit first-hand.

    “A jam session around the fire was it for me,” they say. “Letting the deep joy and history of their music wash over me…  and meeting a few of the King Stingray musicians was unreal.”

    These moments of human connection often become the most memorable part of a visit.

    Spotting local wildlife

    An aerial view of the beach shows tiny figures lined up across the white sand, moving as if in a rhythmic dance.
    Step into a world where nature reigns.

    The wildlife of East Arnhem adds another layer to the experience. The region is home to an extraordinary range of animals, from waterbirds and turtles to dugongs, dolphins and the formidable saltwater crocodile.

    Wall admits they didn’t actually spot a croc during their visit.

    “Devastatingly, I didn’t see one,” they laugh. “But with all the stories from the locals I definitely gained a healthy respect for caution.”

    Some of the most memorable wildlife encounters can be surprisingly small., At Banubanu Beach Retreat on Bremer Island, Wall remembers walking along the beach one morning and watching it come alive.

    “As you walk through the sand you see hundreds of crabs scurrying into their holes as you pass by,” they say. “Such a small thing, but it was completely magical.”

    Moments like this reveal the quieter rhythms of East Arnhem, where even the smallest creatures seem to play a part in the landscape.

    Visitors who make the journey soon learn the most important travel tip of all.

    “Go in open-minded with a sense of curiosity,” Wall says. “Be prepared to ditch your plans. The land and the locals will guide you on an adventure no spreadsheets could ever compete with.”

    And most importantly, they add, don’t rush.

    “The land and people deserve your time and attention. You’ll be all the better for slowing down.”

    For more information on visiting East Arnhem, head to eastarnhem.com.au.