Growing up, road trips were one of my favourite things to do with my family. I loved watching the trees go by and thinking about our destination and all the things we would do when we got there.
Now, living many miles away from home I still love a good road trip and one thing Australia offers is countless opportunities for road trips. Western Australia (the State where I live) is the largest state in Australia which means there is so much to explore without leaving the State. My favourite place to go on road trips is the Margaret River region (or Down South as the locals call it) which is a 3-hour drive from Perth and in the south west region of Australia.
When you go on a road trip, you have a few travel options to choose from ranging from camping, glamping, to staying at hotels, resorts or Airbnbs. While I haven't tried camping (yet!), I have tried most of the other accommodation options and stayed in a few places in the Margaret River region. As it is quite a regional area, hotels aren't really an option.. Rather you have short-stay, self-contained accommodation options ranging from budget bed and breakfasts to high-end luxury resorts.
Today, I'm going to be talking about the Smiths Beach Resort, which is one of the luxury resorts in the Margaret River region as it has now become one of my favourite places to stay. As usual, I did not receive any compensation for staying at the resort so you can be sure this is my honest, unbiased review.
The Smiths Beach Resort is located in Yallingup in the Margaret River region that offers the amenities of a hotel in the form of self-contained accommodation options. The Smiths Beach Resort is part of the Small Luxury Hotels of the World however, it is important to note that not all the accommodation options on the property form part of this Small Luxury Hotels collection. For example, the beach shacks are not part of the collection. We usually stay in the ocean view or garden villas so my review will be based on those.
First Impressions
While it's a bit of a drive from Perth, this resort is so worth the drive. I start feeling relaxed as soon as we hit the road that leads to the resort. You can see the Smiths Beach (the beach the resort is named after) from the top of the road and it is simply beautiful.
Depending on your arrival time, you will typically go to the reception to collect your keys. On one occasion, we arrived in the evening and we collected our keys from a safe. The villas have a gate that separates them from the rest of the property and you need to swipe your villa key to open the gate.
Customer Service
As Smiths Beach Resort offers self-contained accommodation options, I didn't have a lot of one-to-one interaction with the staff at the property. However, the few times I interacted with the front desk staff, I was very happy with the service I received. Pre-arrival, I received emails about my upcoming stay and also a link to check-in online. This was helpful in planning our stay if we needed to contact the resort to organise hampers for us or experiences or if we had any questions about our stay.
Room Review
Depending on which villa option you choose, you might get a view of the ocean or garden or another part of the property. This time around, we stayed in the two-bedroom garden villa as the ocean villas were not available. The bedrooms are split across the floors with one ensuite upstairs and another downstairs. The upstairs bedroom was modern with a minimalist design and floor to ceiling curtains. Upstairs, you also have the living and dining areas, a kitchen and a study nook. The space is nice and well designed and you feel right at home.
The downstairs bedroom is equally spacious and has a bathroom just next to it. The second bathroom though was a letdown for me. It just did not fit the overall aesthetic of the accommodation. While the upstairs bathroom had a bath tub and a separate shower, the downstairs bathroom only had a shower which felt a bit dated. This, for me was a drawback and took away from the luxurious look and feel of the property.
Dining Experience
While the property is self-contained, there is a wonderful restaurant on-site called Lamont's. The restaurant is open daily for breakfast and dinner (on weekdays) and pretty much all day from 7:00am on weekends giving you the option to grab a bite before starting your day or enjoy a beautiful gourmet dinner. The times I have stayed at the property, we have mostly cooked our own breakfast however, we have ordered food from Lamont's for dinner mostly to pair with food we are cooking and the food has always been really good albeit pricey. I will try to make a reservation at the restaurant next time we visit so I can give a more detailed review of the dining experience. It is useful to know though, that the restaurant operates independently from the resort so your experience of one might not be correlated to the other.
Amenities and Facilities
The on-site facilities at the Smiths Beach Resort includes a swimming pool and a tennis court. It appears that you can book private yoga classes but I didn't use the service so can't comment on it. The pool also includes a wading pool which is perfect if you have young children.
The villas also have amenities typical to self-contained accommodation options including dishwasher, washing machine, dryer, ironing board, vacuum cleaner etc.
Value for Money
The Smiths Beach Resort is a luxury accommodation that comes with a premium price tag but it delivers value for money. If you are visiting the Margaret River region for the first time, or if you are a regular visitor, I encourage you to consider including this resort at the top of your list of accommodation options, you won't be disappointed. If you really want to stay here but can't justify the price, consider staying during the off-peak season as the resort sometimes offer some nice getaway packages in off-peak period. Also, consider booking well in advance if you are looking to stay during peak-periods to avoid disappointment as they get fully-booked during school holidays.
Rating
Based on my overall experience, I would rate the Smiths Beach Resort as a 4/5 stars. The reason I held back on 5 stars was because of the presentation of the second bathroom in the 2-bedroom garden villa. It just did not hit the mark of what I would have expected from a luxury resort unfortunately. Nevertheless, this is a beautiful resort to be experienced. Its location in Yallingup also places it nicely between neighbouring towns and tourist attractions in the region although you might love it so much, you just want to relax by the beach all day and not go anywhere!
Recommendations:
If you're heading down south to Yallingyup from Perth, stop at Bunbury Farmers' Market to purchase some groceries and pre-made meals (their curries are simply delicious!). Self-catering will help offset some of the cost of staying in an expensive resort. Alternatively, you can request a breakfast hamper to be included in your booking, that way, you can cook your own breakfast and then have other meals at nearby cafes, wineries or restaurants.
If you are staying at the Smiths Beach Resort for the first time, I recommend staying in one of the ocean view villas. You will love waking up to the stunning ocean views during your stay.
If you are new to the Margaret River region, ask the resort about one of their guests experiences which include tours of the region and family friendly activities. As I am quite familiar with the area, I didn't use the service but definitely recommend for new visitors.
When you arrive, before unpacking, go for a stroll on the beautiful Smiths Beach and, depending on the time of day you arrive, watch the sunset. I can guarantee it will be one of the most beautiful sunsets you have ever seen.
Hope you found this review helpful. If you would like to book, I would recommend booking directly on the resort's website here as there is detailed information about each accommodation type.
You can see a recap of my stay that includes a detailed tour of the property on the Wanderlust By Design Instagram page here.
Have you stayed at the Smiths Beach Resort? If yes, I'd love to hear about your experience.
Be well,
JJ
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