Hotel

I originally booked us into a hotel closer to the beach, but thinking a B&B would be a nice change, I switched the reservation a few months back. Best decision of the trip.  Nelson’s Perch B&B was a nice respite in a town overrun with families and fried food joints. We didn’t love Apollo Bay, but at least we had a quiet place to lay our heads, and the location is a good starting point for daytrips. You can only make reservations via email and phone, but don’t let that deter you from staying here. As usual with B&Bs, we were the youngest people staying here; the other two couples were world-traveling Brits and we enjoyed hearing about their various adventures and experiences.

our B&B with off street parking for our ride

 
shared lounge and breakfast areas were large and open

Our space included a large bathroom, good amenities and a nice private patio but the room itself was a little tight with luggage. The owner was quite helpful with maps and suggestions and because of his prompting we got to see koalas in the wild!

Continental breakfast started at 8am and consisted of cereals, breads and yogurt. I especially appreciated the fresh pot of coffee since I’d been drinking instant up until then.

Food

As mentioned above, we were generally unimpressed with Apollo Bay and the food options didn’t help its cause. Our dinner at Apollo Bay Hotel Bistro was barely edible in a semi-cafeteria style setting with too many tables crammed together. You wait to be seated, then note your table number and wait in line to order your food. Drinks have to be ordered at the bar on the complete other side of the restaurant. Mercifully, we only split the fish & chips and had a small beer each. We browsed several other menus on the main street but found most places terribly over-priced or primarily featuring fried food. 

After scouring TripAdvisor, we decided on Thai takeout after a day of exploring the Great Ocean Road. Thaihouse was a good choice as the satay chicken and noodles had a flavorful medium spice. We also ordered a thai soup but it lacked coconut milk, so I’m not sure what happened there. The lime flavor was good however and all the food paired nicely with the Reserve Release EZ white we bought earlier in the trip.

We also tried to have lunch in Port Campbell but every place on my list was closed mid-day on a Thursday and the other options were slim at best.