{"id":4071,"date":"2023-07-01T07:03:00","date_gmt":"2023-06-30T21:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/?p=4071"},"modified":"2023-08-28T16:00:39","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T06:00:39","slug":"kims-beach-hideaway-tropical-luxury-retreat-near-sydney-central-coast","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/kims-beach-hideaway-tropical-luxury-retreat-near-sydney-central-coast\/","title":{"rendered":"Kims Beach Hideaway: A Tropical Oasis 90mins from Sydney"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Words by Dorian Mode Photography by Lydia Thorpe<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m sitting here with a gourmet cheese platter and a bottle of bubbly in my cabin (Reef View) overlooking the sun\u2013dappled ocean at Kims Beach Hideaway. A favourite haunt of celebrities and pollies, Kims comprises a hive of luxury bungalows set on a three\u2013hectare hillside of sub\u2013tropical rainforest at Toowoon Bay. Kims is the oldest family\u2013run resort in Australia, with a colourful narrative stretching back to the late 1800s. Back then, \u2018Kims Camp\u2019 was a \u2018gentleman only\u2019 retreat until rules were relaxed to allow women to stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s apt I\u2019m staying in \u2018Reef View\u2019. It was the final cabin that erstwhile owner, Andrew Strachan (aka The Captain), renovated before he died last year. I knew Andrew for over twenty years. He commissioned me to write a history of Kims before he passed, recently. Guests can find this history booklet in their cabins. Moreover, Reef View underscores Andrew\u2019s connection with the sea. He was an intrepid sailor who explored the tropical islands of the South Pacific and once won the Sydney to Hobart in the smallest yacht (a record he still holds). But perhaps Andrew\u2019s last great voyage was steering Kims through the dangerous shallows and riptides of lockdown. While numerous businesses foundered, Kims remained afloat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Andrew Strachan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The ‘Thalassa’<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As a legacy of lockdown, the most notable change at Kims is the dropping of the legendary buffet. With Covid, resorts simply can\u2019t risk buffet anymore. And frankly, I\u2019m rather pleased about it. Why? Well, I don\u2019t know about you but I always overeat at a buffet. I\u2019m hopeless. (I still have a crab claw in my pocket from the last one). And regardless of Covid, I\u2019ve always been uncomfortable with the hygiene aspect of them. Over the years, I\u2019ve seen horrors at a bain\u2013marie that makes you wonder about your fellow man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCovid protocols mean we can\u2019t offer guests the buffet or even canap\u00e9s at the bar, anymore. But the main issue for Kims is that we just used to throw out sooo much food,\u201d says head chef, Craig Duck. \u201cSo we won\u2019t return to the buffet. There\u2019s also the concern about crowding around food areas.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the upside for guests is that without the seafood buffet as part of the package, Kims is now able to offer more competitive rates. Do the math: price up a five\u2013star luxury hotel in the CBD and compare it to Kims, factoring in the location and privacy, and you\u2019ll be rather surprised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the buffet is moot as you can still order towering seafood platters and other famous Kims dishes from the menu: a cornucopia of seafood, steaks, chicken, curries, vegetarian options, desserts and select cheeses are all still available.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what I find special about Kims is the Gilligan\u2019s Island aesthetic. You feel it as soon as you walk through the towering avenue of bamboo to reception. Indeed, you could be in Tahiti or Bali, yet you are 90mins from Sydney. So Kims doesn\u2019t feel like a hotel. Yet it\u2019s not like staying in cabins at a holiday park, either. And it certainly doesn\u2019t feel like \u2018glamping\u2019 (a euphemism I detest). However, you do have that sense of tropical wilderness but in a luxurious way that is rather unique to Kims. This was largely the vision of The Captain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was Andrew\u2019s vision to transform Kims\u2019 from a rustic holiday camp to a five\u2013star luxury resort in the early 80s. Up until then, Sydney people viewed a Central Coast holiday as a \u2018caravan park and a sausage sandwich\u2019. But Andrew had a vision for something more. Something classy and luxurious,\u201d says current joint\u2013owner Maryjane Strachan, Andrew\u2019s widow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This \u2018deserted island aesthetic\u2019 is underscored by the fact that Kims is an \u2018adults only\u2019 resort. So no screaming rug rats to spoil your pocket of tropical paradise. Hey, don\u2019t get me wrong. I like kids. I was one, once. But many a romantic evening has been punctured by whinging kids. Kims is all about the experience. It\u2019s why so many anniversaries and engagements are held at Kims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Five\u2013star luxury resort<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Dining with a view<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Adult’s only resort<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course, Kims would generate more income if we allowed children to stay. But it would be a completely different experience for our guests. And that wasn\u2019t Andrew\u2019s vision,\u201d says Diana Kershaw, another Kims joint\u2013owner (and Andrew\u2019s niece). \u201cAndrew wanted people to be transported to another place. Like sailing to a romantic tropical island.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speaking of romance, cocktails at the bar mean couples can get cosy while listening to elegant music. Indeed, you may feel you are in a bar in Fiji while from the end of your margarita, you watch gulls wheel over the reef. Such is the magic of Kims to transport guests to a tropical dream. In the bar, the Kims house pianist plays an elegant selection of standards from Cole Porter to Gershwin to Irving Berlin. But do listen to his final song of the evening. It\u2019s often a sea shanty: the pianist\u2019s nod to the enduring memory of The Captain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Fact Box 1<\/strong>
Kims Beachside Retreat offers luxury bungalows on the shores of Toowoon Bay. Most bungalows have a spa bath or hot tub, and a balcony with garden or sea views. Free Wi\u2013Fi and breakfast are included.
Each bungalow features a lounge area with a sofa and a flat\u2013screen TV with DVD player. Air conditioning, tea\/coffee\u2013making facilities and a refrigerator.
Kims Restaurant overlooks the ocean and is open for breakfast 7 days a week. And is open for dinner Monday to Saturday. The Cocktail Lounge features live entertainment on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
Tariffs from $440 per night
Book online at kims@kims.com.au or telephone 02 4332 1566<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Fact Box 2<\/strong>
Psst! Kims is now pooch friendly for small dogs in selected accommodation.
Choose from South Beach, Treetops, Twenty Beach or Bungalow Eight for a relaxing stay with your pet.
Direct Bookings are required to ensure you book the pet\u2013friendly room.
A charge of $25 per night applies
\u2013 a maximum one dog under 10kg per room<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Words by Dorian Mode Photography by Lydia Thorpe I\u2019m sitting here with a gourmet cheese platter and a bottle of bubbly in my cabin (Reef View) overlooking the sun\u2013dappled ocean…","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4072,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","episode_type":"audio","audio_file":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","filesize_raw":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[78],"tags":[75,45,70],"series":[115],"class_list":["post-4071","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel","tag-article","tag-dorian-mode","tag-lydia-thorpe","series-coffee-with-a-coastie"],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/06\/Kims-2023-1-of-13.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/wp-content\/plugins\/seriously-simple-podcasting\/assets\/images\/no-album-art.png","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"dark","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"stitcher":{"key":"stitcher","url":"","label":"Stitcher","class":"stitcher","icon":"stitcher.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/onthecoastpublications.com.au\/onthecoastover55\/feed\/podcast\/coffee-with-a-coastie","embedCode":"

Kims Beach Hideaway: A Tropical Oasis 90mins from Sydney<\/a><\/blockquote>