Oaks Plaza Pier Adelaide review | SA’s Great Holiday Planner

The prospect of doing very little, in comfort, is always hard to resist. Throw in some salty air and the sounds of the ocean – a crashing wave here, a seagull cry there – and it’s irresistible.

The prospect of doing very little, in comfort, is always hard to resist. Throw in some salty air and the sounds of the ocean – a crashing wave here, a seagull cry there – and it’s irresistible.

That means, for me at least, there’s never a bad time to stay at a sea view apartment. That view might be a winter storm with whitecaps, a millpond under a summer sky, or – as it was during the recent autumn weekend we spent in Glenelg – a broad beach and a restful sea that flopped every so often in gentle waves on to the sand. That very much suited our mood, as we flopped with books in hand into the cane chairs on the deck of our apartment at the Oaks Pier, overlooking the beach just north of the jetty.

The deck of the apartment overlooks the jetty. Picture: supplied

Mind you, it’s hard to stay focused. There always seems to be a holiday feel to Glenelg, always some activity somewhere to distract you. Runners checking their Fitbits on the bike path outside, drinkers clinking their wineglasses on the terrace of the bar below, kids fooling around on the sand. You can feel your heartbeat slowing with every passing minute.

Even better, the deal with the Oaks Plaza Pier gave us an early noon check-in and late check-out, plus a bottle of fizz, for this sea-view one bedroom apartment.

Of course the best thing about the room was the view, but the rest of the apartment had plenty going for it. You enter down a long hallway with a bathroom and bedroom off to the side, before the room opens out into a kitchen, dining and sitting area which leads through big glass doors onto the tiled deck.

The bathroom is large and well-lit, but utilitarian and fairly plain with a beige colour scheme that could do with an update. The shower is in the bath.

The brightly-decorated bedroom has a more luxe feel, with opaque glass walls, a big comfortable bed, two wardrobes and side-tables.

The bedroom has a luxe feeling about it. Picture: supplied

The kitchen is well-equipped and would suit a longer stay, with full sized fridge, a stove, and microwave.

And if you get tired of the view you can always watch the big flat screen TV with some Foxtel and also a DVD player, although the fairly small two-seater couch could have been a bit more inviting.

Still, there’s no point spending the entire time in the room. If all the lazing around is making you feel a bit guilty, there is a splendid blue-tiled pool and spa, as well as a gym featuring running and rowing machines, and some weights, to get that heartbeat up again.

Admittedly that sounds a little too much like hard work, so the better option is probably a walk … to the pubs and restaurants that surround you. There’s a bar and two restaurants on the ground floor of the hotel, Jetty Road just a couple of hundred metres away, and a short stroll north leads to the marina and its dozen or so restaurants overlooking all the rich people’s boats.

Order a cold drink, watch the sun set, and daydream for a moment that one of them is yours.

Reviews are unannounced and paid for by SAWeekend.

This was review was first published in June 2018 and details updated in March 2021.

• 16 Holdfast Promenade, Glenelg
• [phone]
• oakshotels.com/en/oaks-plaza-pier
• Reservations 1300 551 111
• [e-mail]
• LOCATION 11km west of Adelaide CBD.
• ACCOMMODATION One, two and three bedroom apartments with full kitchen and laundry; studios with tea and coffee making facilities; room service; writing desk; individually controlled reverse-cycle airconditioning; in-room safe; TV/cable TV; free Wi-Fi.
• FACILITIES Indoor heated lap pool; gym; spa and sauna (all open 8am-8pm daily with restricted access); secure undercover carparking ($22 per night).
• PRICE Nightly rates vary with occupancy. Recent examples range from $149 for studio, $199 for one bedroom sea view, and $479 for three bedroom.