Sydney 2011: Ocean Beach Holiday Park

We usually base ourselves at my in-laws' place when we head over to Sydney. However, we also like to try to make a holiday of it by going for a road-trip together with the grandparents too.

Last year we drove up to Port Stephens for 2 nights and Noey enjoyed all the beach time that he got, while we had a whale of a time, well, whale watching. (Yes, I'm corny like that. Sorry.)

This time we drove out to Ocean Beach Holiday Park, a holiday resort in Umina in the Central Coast. When it was suggested, I thought that a holiday spot by the beach sounded exactly like what we needed. To me, Ocean Beach seemed like one of those places where the locals would holiday. It is essentially a caravan park/camping spot, but there is also a wide range of accommodation in the form of cabins and even a villa or two. But what I was most interested in - aside from it's beach-front location - was the range of activities available for kids. The playgrounds, pools, kids club activity programme, in addition to all the sand play that Noey could want sounded like a good holiday to me. And me being, me, I'm always game to try somewhere new.

Naomi sporting the latest in head accessories, on-route to Umina. She wasn't as reliable as Noey was at falling asleep in the car, but she knocked out for this ride.

I had my eye on the Seabreeze Spa Villa which was newly renovated and had 3 bedrooms and an oceanfront view. Alas, these are booked way in advance and with our last-minute plans meant that there was no way we were going to secure one of those. In the end, the 4 of us, together with the grandparents, checked into a little Playground Cabin.

It was a small space, but they impressively managed to squeeze in a living/dining area, a narrow little kitchen, two bedrooms and a bathroom. It was well-located too on the main thoroughfare. Despite this, there was still plenty of wildlife - like ducks - around. We also appreciated the fact that the playground was literally across the road.

Noey was immediately attracted to the bunk beds and spent all his time climbing up to the top bunks and fiddling with the blinds.

We got Nomi a cot, which we squeezed into the living area, but she clearly had other ideas about the sleeping arrangements.

It felt a wee bit crowded when we were all inside, but the kids still managed to make the most of it, playing all over the floor, both indoors and on the deck outside.

And while despite the squeeze, having the grandparents around was really a godsend. Aside from willing babysitting help, it also meant that we were well taken care of, with yummy bacon and egg breakfasts, and also a good ol' Aussie BBQ one of the days when we pigged out on lamb chops and chicken and corn and potato salad. All without having to cook. Mmmm.

It would have been a really lovely break if the weather had held out. Sadly, we only had one truly glorious day before the wet weather descended upon us. Still, we made the most of it. And there was plenty on offer. More on that in the next post.