Byron Bay

We woke up to multiple message across all medias from family and friends querying our safety. The bad weather on the far north NSW coast and south east Queeensland was the top story on the news. The winds overnight were horrendous and the rains heavy but the resort did not suffer any structural damage. We pushed on as best we can...

First up was sunrise yoga. Had good weather prevailed, it would have been on the beach. Instead we stretched and held poses in one of the conference rooms. Beggars can't be choosers. We were there just as it was about to start so were "invited" to take the remaining mats right in front of the instructor, center stage. It was like practising remedial yoga...well at least it was for Malcolm! The poor man pulled an adductor muscle from trying too hard which earned him zero sympathy and lots of giggles from the kids.

As part of the wellness package we have $30 credit each for breakfast. This is a sure recipe to bring out the FOMO in all of us. Various combinations of smoothies, ricotta pancakes, tumeric lattes, organic granolas and eggs from free-range, Steiner educated, woke Byron Bay chickens were tossed up to ensure that we had a perfectly balanced breakfast with minimal credit left over. The Ongs were up to the task as well...go us!

Bircher muesli

The classic eggs benedict

A very nice banana bread

The bad news was that the rain continued for most of the day. On the bright side, the pools are heated and there was zero competition for a cabana! We followed Michael Bahari's advice to try the waffle fries by the pool.  Excellent advice, Michael! They were the best waffles fries that any of us had ever tasted.. crispy, but soft, salty and hot. The servings were large and came with little tubs of awesome aioli and tomato sauce. Winner. Michael's first suggestion was to get the coffee made by the Japanese barista... so far he is two from two.

We drove into town in the late afternoon to wander around the shops and check out the main beach before dinner. The shorefront has certainly seen plenty of carnage of late. There were enough fallen trees and debris to attract the attention of at least three news crews. Hopefully, things can be shored up and restored in due course.

Luckily for us our waterfront restaurant had not been washed away yet and Fi had the foresight to change the booking to indoors. Beach was a bit of a splurge, but was very nice. The seafood dishes seemed to win the most praise particularly the snapper and Steve's seafood fregole (we were edumacated by the waiter as to what fregole was). The Ong boys were treated to a 500g dry aged rump and some sides of vegies and fries which they split - it was a creative way to make a pretty fancy addition to the kids menu.

The adults enjoyed tea and chocolate back at the villa before retiring for the evening. The challenge of making the best of our Byron stay in poor weather continues

We were going to get wet in the pool anyway, may as well walk in the rain to get to the pool

The lovely big pool that would have been lovelier in nice weather

Why let a little rain stop us!

A nice but wet outdoor eating area

Waffle fries highly recommend! Only available by the main pool

The ladies had a massage 

Then explored the adult only pool

The children had made themselves very comfortable in the villa

Main Beach, what is left of it anyway

Storm damage

Climbing back up to the footpath

The wild surf

Beach. Fancy restaurant with the family

We made it through! I'm sure there was a good reason why they seated us in the corner...

Newrybar, Bangalow & Byron Bay

Harvest Deli

We departed Coffs Harbour earlier than planned, eager to get to our final destination. More importantly we were hopeful that an earlier arrival at Newrybar would give us a better chance of eating at the much hyped Harvest restaurant. It was not meant to be. We were there too early! We would have got a seat for all 10 of us had we been prepared to wait until the opening time of noon but we settled with coffee and munchies from the Harvest deli instead. The rain had given us a reprieve and we wanted to push on. 

With good coffee in hand, we can do anything!

Harvest had its own local garden for produce

Christmas time means mince pies! Yum!

Our lunch selection from the Harvest deli. Delicious freshly made and toasted sandwiches and Spanish omelette

A very nice banana bread

A special treat to take away

The tiny quaint town had 2 very upmarket shops!

Rustic playground

Next up was Bangalow,a small pretty town known for its historical federation architecture. We wandered around and stocked up on snacks (on account of the predicted 5 days of rain...boo) before making tracks. We had an important appointment to keep...gin tasting at Cape Byron Distillery! By the time we arrived, the skies had opened up again. We were fortunate to be under the management of Fiona's organisation, who had the foresight to make the appointment. The distillery was only open on the weekends and this was going to be our only change to visit! We left the children in the car with food and water...and strolled in, prepared for some gin goodness. We walked out with a few bottles of gin goodies including a Cumquat gin aptly called Shirl the Pearl! That she is!

Pretty & historic shopfronts of Bangalow

Of course we all know of the CWA (Country Women's Association) but I had never actually seen a building!

Matching handbags!

Yeah we didn't see no superman coming out of that phonebooth...

A very fancy schmancy "old-fashioned" pharmacy!

It is gin time!

The distillery with a backdrop of the family macadamia farm

The G&T made with their dry gin and garnished with aniseed myrtle and finger lime. Yum!

We had to share this so one of us could still legally drive...

Cheers! We walked away with some cumquat gin called Shirl the Pearl!

We timed our arrival at Elements of Byron to perfection. Because of Covid-19, guests are not allowed to check in earlier than 3pm and not allowed to use facilities prior to check in. We rolled up to reception right on 3pm. Unfortunately our villas were not remotely close to each other, but the mild disappointment soon dissipated when we saw the interiors of the 2 bedroom deluxe villas. We definitely hit the jackpot! If we were going to have be stuck indoors anywhere this would be the perfect place for it.  This trip was booked on the back of a deal on the wellness package on offer earlier in the year which saw the price of the villa slashed dramatically. We were so glad we booked it! The villas were luxurious and well appointed with a complete kitchen, laundry, outdoor fully netted sitting area as well as an outdoor bath. I will add more photos of the resort facilities over the next few days. 

Ming and Jean (uni friends) were also here! It was last evening at the resort and we took the opportunity to dine together. The children fortunately were able to look after themselve and the adults could enjoy their meal with no distractions. The food was tasty and the serving size EXTREMELY generous. A bonus saving from the Accor membership added to the joy of the day! All in all, despite the gloomy and rainy weather, we still had an incredibly enjoyable day! We shall see how the predicted cyclone like conditions thanks to La Nina will affect our time here...

Sprawling resort with standalone villas. Simple on the outside

Awesome on the inside! The living room. You can see the outline of the outdoor sitting area beyond it.

Kitchen

Laundry

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 2

Bathroom 1

The "outdoor" bath

Bathbombs included

Outdoor sitting area

A rare opportunity to dine with adults only

Gnocchi, one of the blackboards specials. Looks simple but packs a punch in flavour! It is also massive...

The yummy waffles with pecan praline

The oldest, entertaining the youngest. They seemed to be conversing endlessly

The children, minus a shy Ari