The up-cycling of motels continues to appeal, and The Isla in Batehaven is a particularly good exemplar. They’ve taken a daggy 1980s two-storey roadside motel and made it contemporary with a splash of soft mustard and quality fittings like a super-comfy king-sized bed. Even the art is good.
Contactless check-in means they’ve done away with the need for staff and an office, instead getting fifteen decently sized rooms and three suites onto a reasonably small footprint. There’s a clever vending machine canteen dispensing everything from sunblock to St Ali coffees. The machines used to do booze—like Poor Toms canned negroni spritzes—but I suspect Liquor & Gaming NSW might have stepped in to ruin our poolside fun.
At the rear of the property the old garage has been converted to a pool house where you can relax and socialise. It looks out onto a cute little pool. Although the weather was unexpectedly cool for a late December day straight after a heatwave, no matter, as its salty waters were perfectly heated to a really comfy temperature all year round. Music surrounds you in it too, from a series of speakers well hidden in the garden beds. We were mystified as to its source at first, which prompted more detailed investigations.
The design-forward aspects of this relatively affordable accommodation included unexpectedly mustard-coloured robes and towels, which made us look like part of some weird cult. If they could improve anything, it would getting the correct license to get the promised booze back, adding air-freshener to the bathrooms as the space-saving sliding doors don’t seal, and dealing with the noise that comes from the air conditioners even when off.
