Travel guide Marion Bay

TakeABreak Awards 2009
Winner, Family-friendly Accommodation: Blue Breeze 

There was once a time when families were expected to share a hotel room when they went on vacation. Together, they would squeeze into the small room, with the children sleeping on a foldout couch, floor or sharing a bed. Mum and Dad would need to decide whether to go to sleep early themselves, or stay up and quietly watch television or read while worrying whether they were keeping the children awake. Sure – parents could have chosen to pay for two adjoining rooms or a suite, but the expense was often prohibitive.

Today, the options for economical family-friendly accommodation are endless and parents can happily take their children on holidays knowing that they can have the privacy of separate rooms, the convenience of laundry and kitchen amenities, and in some cases – even the luxury of separate leisure areas. Today, TakeABreak has literally thousands of family-friendly accommodation options. For this reason, it wasn’t easy to choose just one place to name Australia’s best family-friendly place, but one home breezed into the finish. The winner: Blue Breeze in Marion Bay, along the Yorke Peninsula in South Australia.

Blue Breeze offers the best of everything a family could want on vacation – loads of space, privacy, amenities, comfort, and proximity to both a beach and a national park.

With three children of their own, the operators of Blue Breeze know what can make or break a family holiday. After days of sightseeing together, it’s sometimes nice to have a little space. The parent’s retreat upstairs and the children’s retreat downstairs offers room for everyone to unwind. Adults can relax peacefully on the comfortable L-shaped lounge upstairs while chatting and enjoying the sweeping views of Innes National Park and the southern Yorke Peninsula countryside. Meanwhile, children can settle back on two recliners and a large sofa downstairs and watch age-appropriate movies, read some of the available children’s books, play a board game or two, or amuse themselves with the Nintendo system. If the kids still have energy to burn, the home is on a large lot with plenty of room outside for running and playing games.

Four bedrooms, two bathrooms, and four bunk beds in one of the rooms, mean that even a large family can enjoy the facilities. Up to six adults and four children can comfortably stay, and facilities like a kitchen, washer, dryer, and even a 4-burner Cordon Bleu BBQ enable families to stay for a long time without accumulating huge bills for meals and laundry. The operators took extra care to ensure the beds were comfortable; they invested in new Sealy and King Coil mattresses to provide guests with the best sleeping experience. A portacot is also available for tiny tots, as is a high chair. Guests should note that linens are included in the rental fee, however pillows, quilts, blankets, towels and washcloths are not. If it’s too much hassle to bring them – fear not, you can rent them for a nominal fee.

Location location location! You often hear those three words used to describe the rules of real estate, and in the case of Blue Breeze, you can’t say ‘location’ enough. Few places boast the ability to walk only 100 metres to a gorgeous beach and only 150 metres to a national park! Blue Breeze is only a short stroll to both, with Willyama Beach and Innes National Park nearby to explore. Beautiful views from both the beach and the park make them ideal for picnics and relaxing strolls. If you’re after some adventure, pick up a map and check out some of the rocky headlands of Innes National Park, and maybe even bring a board for some surfing. Keep an eye out for some of the native fauna, as there are plenty of Western Grey kangaroos, emus, and you may even encounter a Southwestern Pigmy possum. Due to the proximity of the national park, Blue Breeze is a pet-free property.

Travel just one kilometre and you’ll come to Marion Bay Jetty. Marion Bay and the south Yorke Peninsula are well known for great fishing, so fetch a fishing rod, and cast a line for garfish, Tommy Ruffs and squid. Nearby is a safe, sheltered beach for swimming, as well as boat ramp facilities if you tow or rent one to explore the nearby islands. Keep a look out for dolphins, often seen playing near the beaches!

The only downside to Blue Breeze is the reality that there is only one, and more and more families are starting to book it for annual holidays – so if you want to visit, you’ll need to book early!

For more information or to make an enquiry, please go to the Blue Breeze listing on TakeABreak to contact the operator direct.

About the Author
Kylie-Jane Degeling is a freelance writer who has lived in Adelaide, Yulara (Uluru), Alice Springs and Canberra, as well as five different countries throughout the world. After backpacking around Australia, she worked as a tour guide in Central Australia, before training for her Commercial Pilot License and working as a flight instructor, scenic flight and charter pilot. She later worked as a travelling IT trainer for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which involved spending time in each of their 16 District Offices around the country on a rotating basis.

Having experienced Australia as a backpacker, tour guide, pilot and business traveller, Kylie now enjoys family holidays with her husband Alex, and children Jezzy and Jordan. She says, “I have been lucky to see Australia from a variety of perspectives, and as a travel writer can use this experience to inspire others to find holidays they would enjoy.”  Kylie currently works as a travel writer in addition to being a government writer and columnist for two parenting magazines.