Travel Writers

What the critics have said.......

Peter Switzer, The Australian – Entrepreneur

'Getting into the export driver’s seat… The success stories show how it’s done…..

Another unlikely yet successful exporter is Kims Beach Hideaway…. It has been accepted for two exclusive tourism publications – Small Luxury Hotels of the World and the Select Hotel guide.  The couple (Managers, Diana and Peter Kershaw) believes becoming known abroad requires being always innovative in your marketing efforts.  “We even do little things to reinforce the experience, such as noting where someone comes from, and we will fly their country’s flag when they arrive – we have about 150 flags.”  …. customer-focused practices are crucial…’

Darren Goodsir, Sydney Morning Herald

‘The resort has operated in various guises since 1886.  It has gone from a simple bush camp through to rustic cabins with slab-timbered kitchens, and on to its present incarnation – a brilliantly located series of tasteful bungalows dotted around a main dining room, bar and reception area, overlooking what is usually one of the Central Coast’s most tranquil ocean inlets.  Period photographs line the walls of the dining area.  They trace the resort’s interesting evolution and give meaning to a key theme of the place – that heritage, good food and old-fashioned values are integral to an escape, no matter what the passing trends or tastes.  And it works………. Particularly pleasing is the simple delight of gathering before dinner for a cocktail, and to choose from delectable starters.  Pluses – the location, the food, and the understated refinement – and the maintained traditions – continue to make this a great city escape.’

 

 

The Weekend Australian

Diana Plater, AAP

‘Kims is a resort full of romance as well as traditions.  There are luxurious bungalows right on the beach or set higher in the gardens where you can hear the birds come to roost at sunset.  The whole place is designed for people to relax in privacy, wander on the beach, catch up with movies or have a massage.’

Catherine Fox, Australian Financial Review

‘Laying on the luxury and three meals a day.  Extensive rebuilding and landscaping has changed Kims into a luxury but low-rise resort.’

Anthony Twibill, Hotel and Accommodation Management

‘There is just something about the place that immediately relaxes you.  This is Kims magic at work and in my view it comes from the following ingredients which, like a secret recipe, blend to create the total hospitality offering.  Number one has to be Kims’ food (yes, its food).  Second, it’s oh-so-personal family management and commitment to guest satisfaction and privacy.  And third, Kims’ sense of tradition and customs that have been laid down and remained in place over the decades.  The property is contemporary and has evolved over time to match the demands of the accommodation market but it has done so by valuing and carefully retaining the precious traditions and personal touches that have given Kims its sound and evocative appeal for some 120 years.’

Maggy Oehlbeck, The Weekend Australian

"My perennial favourite is a spa villa at Kims Beach Hideaway; it's a retreat universally famous for its hospitality and food plus an unrivalled position tucked amid an avenue of mighty Norfolk pines at the ocean's edge. There's nothing to beat it..."

Graeme Blundell, The Weekend Australian

"His thoughts on the best resorts at home and abroad... Kims Beach Hideaway at Toowoon Bay... more retreat than resort, a recuperative oasis where after dinner (sprawling buffet and great wine list) the waves dance and peacocks hoot..."

Rob Johnson, Business Express (American Express)

"The attraction here is the ability to cut yourself off from the world. Kims has been a bolthole for stressed Sydneysiders for more than a century.... What we particularly liked was having all meals included in the tariff. It's amazing how much nicer dinner tastes when you don't have to reach for your wallet at the end of it.... You can really appreciate the feeling of seclusion - birds chatter in the trees overhead and the real world could really be a hundred miles away."

Wendy Winkler, New Woman

"Sexy hideaway.... If you want the ultimate luxury beachside hideaway - Kims is the place! Snuggle up in a private beachside bungalow or a fully-equipped house nestled amongst tropical trees with a beach view from your balcony. The gastronomic buffet is a major drawcard. Romance factor.... the only time you need see other humans is at meal times in the dining room.... Kims' idea of water activities includes your own private swimming pool, a jacuzzi, sauna and spa.... When you've had enough romance - there's always eating or hanging at the cocktail bar. If you can muster the energy, there's a beach at your doorstep, or go for a massage at the Pampering Place."

David Ellis, Syndicated Columnist

"Good old fashioned indulgence.... If you've a penchant for good old fashioned food rather than painted plates and meals that are more artistry than appetising, head for Kims Beach Hideaway.... Here with breakfast they have home-made jams like cumquot, soups with lunch and dinner such as green pea and ham hock, main courses that include Kims' legendary Rawalpindi beef curry.... and enough cheeses to start a dairy and wines to open a bottle shop...."

Christine McCabe, The Australian's Travel and Tourism Awards

"Sybaritic types have been coming to this beachfront hideaway, for more than a century.... Accommodation is deluxe and includes a series of bungalows and spa villas (some with private pools).... Family-run for a half-century, Kims deems eating a priority while cocktail hour is sacrosanct."

Helen Hayes, Vacations

"Longevity is the intimate compliment for any type of accommodation, and it is no surprise that Kims is still going strong. Kims is a special place, combining the elements of a retreat with that of a gourmet restaurant. The focus is on rest and relaxation, contemplation and comfort."

Escape, The Sunday Telegraph

"Best Deals: Seafood treat, their tantalising buffet dinner with fresh local seafood, pre-dinner hors d'oeuvres in the cocktail lounge and buffet breakfast."

Susan Kurosawa, The Weekend Australian

"Departure Lounge, Travel editor's picks: The delightfully tucked-away Kims Beach Hideaway at Toowoon Bay on the NSW central coast."

Bill Rule, Sunday Telegraph

"Kims is like stepping into a private oasis. Lying in bed, looking through louvred glass windows at the ocean, you hear the constant lapping of the waves and a gentle breeze playing with the pine needles above. Inside the cottage there are all the luxuries of a five-star resort (Jacuzzi, DVD player, king-size bed, shower temple) mixed with the personal touches (mint tea, complimentary yukatas, evening bed turndown and a book library). As for a rating - that's pretty simple - Kims gets six stars out of five. It's a truly magical place where you can wind down in luxurious accommodation with nothing to do but relax and eat, at your own lazy pace."

Trudi Jenkins, Delicious

"Beach Treat: Kims Beach Hideaway is one place that doesn't disappoint. Help yourself to fresh fruit salad, sheep's milk yoghurt, delicious breads, newly churned butter and homemade jam - just some of the things laid out on the famous Kims (breakfast) buffet table. They also do a great lunch and dinner."

NRMA Open Road

"Coolstays: What sort of accommodation? Luxury beach houses with all meals provided. What's the attraction? Absolute beachfront accommodation. Luxuriously appointed bungalows and spa villas. Fabulous buffet meals three times a day."

Winsor Dobbin, Sun Herald

"Taking things easy is an art form at Kims......The great thing about Kims is that there is absolutely no pretence. We stayed in Seashells, a superbly appointed two-storey villa with magnificent ocean views and direct access to the beach. The best thing: The gracious hosts and their efficient team have thought of just about everything and the food is simply awesome."

Megan Gressor, Focus - Australian Doctor

"Kims Beach Hideaway - something of a local legend.....There are some nice touches - such as the complimentary yukatas for guests - and some unusual ones, such as the personal flagpole, complete with Aussie flag, adorning some cabins.....Set in Balinese-style gardens, it's a perfect place to veg out."

Susan Kurosawa, The Australian

"This small-scale, family-run resort is a long-time favourite of harried Sydneysiders. Lovebirds should consider a Terrace Spa Villa with indoor and outdoor spa tubs and tropical furnishings (emerge only for meals and walks on the beach) or splash out on the top-line South Beach - a perfect little surfside beach house with heated saltwater pool, sauna, spa and Balinese-style daybed under a stately Norfolk pine....."

Ocean Drive Australia

"It is the antithesis of most international resorts, with the emphasis being on comfort and life's simple pleasures...... beautifully appointed bungalows - directly on the beach, nestled in the rainforest or perched on the hillside - every bungalow has style of its own with luxurious appointments like spa baths, shower temples, Jacuzzi and salt water heated pools. The stylish and relaxed decor blends with the environment of the rainforest greenery, views out to sea and the sounds of the ocean and birds. Its consistently high standards have meant it has always been a hot destination with Australian and international guests."

Billy Rule, Sunday Telegraph

"We checked in late afternoon and fell back on our bed listening to the sound of gentle waves lapping 20m from where we lay and......nothing else. Silence, privacy, tranquility 90 minutes north of Sydney. Hard to believe, but it's true. Kims is special. Whether it be the beach or the bungalows or the food or the staff. The gardens, the pines the massage salon, the private spa, the silk Japanese robes, the lazy ceiling fan, the hospitality - it just goes on and on."

Christine Hayes, Bride to Be

"Beach Paradise: Imagine a day that starts with a dip in your own private pool followed by a hearty breakfast overlooking the sea. Later you go swimming in the ocean or just kick back with a good read on your sun-drenched deck. After lunch, enjoy a relaxing all-over massage, take a stroll along the beach right outside your door, and enjoy the sundowners in the cocktail lounge before a sumptuous dinner under the stars. This is reality at Kims, an idyllic hideaway only an hour's drive from Sydney....."

Eva Jaku, The World of Antiques and Art

"Kims - an oasis of tranquility. Where do clever people go when they need to escape the stresses of city life? Kims of course. Nestled against the shoreline in the peaceful village of Toowoon Bay this is a most favoured destination for busy people needing to recharge those overworked batteries. Kims was our chosen getaway for an essential, repairing rest.....It is a wonderful experience any time of the day to sit in the elevated dining area, gazing out to the beach watching the waves lapping against the shore......the perfect setting for a stupendous meal.
With such wonderful food and the personal and caring service it is no wonder that Kims' patrons faithfully return year after year......Whenever we choose to return I know that like so many before us, we will join the exclusive coterie who mark out a time in the year to return to the luxurious experience that is Kims."

Miles Clarke, The Bulletin

"One of the few retreats along the NSW coast to offer an absolute beachfront setting, Kims has been welcoming holidaymakers for more than a century.....Kims built its reputation on the quality of its buffet-style dining."

Mike Buter, Men's Health

"Devoted to comfort, this is the place to wrap yourself and the missus up in a doona with the papers. The buffets are absurdly good (especially the banana-sized king prawns and pavlova) and the bungalows are the sort you dream of owning....A class act that's not afraid to be Australian."

Claudia DeBono, New Woman

"Hit the snooze button…. My boyfriend and I were in desperate need of a relaxing break…. We trekked down a bamboo path and stumbled, hungry and tired, into reception. We must have looked ravenous because they took one look at us and led us into the dining area where we were greeted with a huge lunch buffet of gourmet food. The oysters and prawns were SO big and the desserts were to die for…… It was our very own private oasis. Even the torrential rain didn’t dampen our spirits as we figured it was another great excuse to be lazy. After picking a few vids from reception, we snuggled up on the couch. Then a few chardys and Cascades later, we were skinny dipping in our private pool in the bucketing rain. We had the time of our lives jumping from the pool to the sauna……."

The Sun-Herald Magazine

"You’ll find this favourite weekend haven one hour’s drive north from Sydney along the shores of the central coast. Every villa has a style of its own with luxurious appointments like spa baths, shower temples, Jacuzzis and saltwater heated pools. To completely indulge, the retreat offers all the pampering treatments required to soothe any lingering tensions."

Andrew Conway, Luxury Travel

"It’s the heady aroma of forest-fresh pine which hits you first, quickly followed by a waft of salty sea air. Then you hear the faint crashing of waves on a beach, see the first twinkling lights of timber cabins ……. The arrival at Kims is indeed a feast for the senses as the mind, body and soul begin to slough off the stresses and strains of city life…….. and now you’re here, entering a special place where you can throw off the worries and woes of the world and settle in for some well-deserved peace and quiet."

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