We had the most amazing time at Elaine and Tom's place at Avalon Beach. In fact, I can say that this is the best Airbnb experience I've had anywhere in the world. Tom and Elaine are down-to-earth, casual, warm hosts and they invited us over to join for dinner with their family twice during our week-long stay. Elaine also set up the water slide for the kids to play on during one muggy hot day. I normally do not have any interactions with Airbnb hosts but this experience made our holiday all the more special for myself and my two kids.

The one-bedroom cottage itself is self-contained and absolutely perfect for a short stay (loved the shower!). It has everything we needed for a special getaway. I slept on the sofa bed in the living room so that I went to sleep gazing up at the milky way, and enjoyed the glorious sunrise every morning over the Pacific Ocean. Oh, we even had friendly Grunge the family cat visit us and hang out with us a few times which my kids just loved.

Waking up to the Australian bush sounds in the morning is something you must experience. Avalon Beach is also special as it is one of the few small beach towns that has not been affected by ugly development over the last 30 years as other towns had been (eg. Newport, Collaroy). Because of this the locals seem very contented, happy and are very friendly. Sydneysiders are blessed that they can just pop up to Elaine and Tom's place for a genuine bush experience (about one hour drive north of Sydney), and also the cottage is close to the many beautiful northern beaches. I'm further away from Perth, but I won’t hesitate to return to Elaine and Tom's place when I visit Sydney in the future for both business and pleasure. I wouldn't miss it for the world!

This cottage is absolutely perfect for a quiet romantic get away for couples. Elaine and Tom's place is a very special experience you would not want to miss, but there are a few things you need to be aware of as the cottage is located in a hilly bush environment with birds, and where ever there are birds, there are plenty of insects. You need to be fit to walk up the steep incline up to the cottage. If you are uncomfortable at driving in reverse on a steep drive, park at the bottom of the drive and walk up. If you can't live without aircon or afraid of spiders, I'd look elsewhere, but remember that if you miss this opportunity, you'd be missing an opportunity of a lifetime!