Pearl Beach holiday house with style and substance
There’s more than meets the eye at this quaint NSW beach house.
At first glance, 11 Diamond Road looks like the Pearl Beach holiday houses of my childhood. Timber-framed windows sit squat in the home’s simple white fibro walls and a driveway runs down the side of the block to an old garage with a wooden door. It’s a modest scene that reminds me of annual Christmas breaks with my brothers in this peaceful hamlet on the NSW Central Coast; days spent sprawled on fringed beach towels, eating chocolate-heart ice-creams under the baking 1970s sun, and evenings passed playing board games to the sound of thumping waves.
But appearances can deceive. While the Diamond Road house looks untouched from the street, wander down its drive and you’ll discover a backyard swimming pool framed by an en pointe white Besser Block wall, and a holiday getaway that weaves 21st-century style with a relaxed, retro setting.
Launched as The Greenhouse Retreat Pearl Beach in 2018, the four-bedroom, two-bathroom property is one of the more upmarket rental options in this sleepy village, a charming mishmash of midcentury fibro cottages and contemporary beach homes nestled by Brisbane Water National Park. When I send friends a link to the home’s website, one of a few suggestions for a girls’ weekend away, the response is unanimous. “Pearl Beach chic”, as we quickly dub it, is the winner.
Turning the key in the property’s patio door four weeks later, there are no regrets. A calming mist of essential oils and the sounds of a curated Spotify playlist greet us as we step into the cottage’s cosy white timber-floored living area, where a comfortable montage of linen sofas is gathered beside a fireplace. An eye-catching quartet of antique glass chandeliers glitters in one corner of the room, while tucked away to the side is a small kitchen with recycled steel benchtops, a SMEG fridge and a generous supply of organic teas and coffee pods. A palette of whites, black and soft greys runs through the cottage, bringing together a blend of old and new furnishings, large artworks, eclectic ornaments and vases of foliage.
Weekends away with friends can often start with an awkward discussion about who gets the largest bedroom, but there are no such decisions to be made at the Greenhouse. The four spacious chambers all boast queen beds dressed in crisp white linen as well as Netflix-equipped TVs.
The difference here is that two of the bedrooms are located at the front of the cottage, while two are in the former garage/bunkhouse, which has been cleverly converted to a poolside cabin. Both exterior bedrooms offer large wooden doors opening on to a timber boardwalk that connects to a second outside bathroom as well as the main house.
It’s a layout that could be tricky in wet weather, but, with blue skies above and the sun shining, there are no losers in the bedroom stakes during our stay and the backyard soon takes on a festive atmosphere as we don swimmers, fling open the doors and take to the pool.
In the evening we rustle up a grazing board of cheeses and a round of Aperol Spritzes and sit listening to the waves and the laughter of kookaburras from what quickly becomes our favourite spot, the home’s generous outdoor deck. Candles flicker around us as we sit chatting on soft grey armchairs under a pitched roof, cocooned in the warmth of our friendship.
It turns out we are precisely the guests that Carla King-Turner had in mind when she added the Diamond Road property to her Greenhouse Retreats holiday rental portfolio in late 2017.
The former television home-shopping presenter says she was smitten the moment she saw the house, renovated by its then-owner, an interior designer, who created the outside bedrooms and rear deck and added features such as the cottage’s striking light fittings and bathrooms with exposed pipes.
“I just thought this is absolutely perfect, because I could picture girlfriends or families staying and being together and then everyone being able to separate,” King-Turner recalls. “It already had that palette to make it a rustic beach cottage with a real personality rather than a cookie-cutter Hamptons-type look, which is what you tend to see a lot in holiday homes now.”
King-Turner says she initially considered adding more bedrooms, but decided to focus on quality over quantity by installing the heated pool and sundeck, an area that mirrors the house in height and width to create a pleasing symmetry. Although the beach is only a block away, King-Turner says the pool is popular as it gives the option of an incidental swim during the day or a dip after dinner in summer as well as another spot to lounge.
An attentive owner, King-Turner is keen to make sure everything is right for her guests, so when we make contact on some housekeeping matters, including an empty gas cylinder and a damp smell in one room (that dissipates), she’s quick to respond.
King-Turner says she believes it’s important to offer luxe touches such as cotton bathrobes, quality bed linen and lovely toiletries. To that end, she also works with local providers to give guests the option of indulgent add-ons such as yoga classes, massages and private catering.
While the extra offerings are tempting, we have no need for them during our stay. The opportunity for four friends to spend uninterrupted time together in such comfortable surroundings is luxury enough.
To-do List
Dine
At the popular local restaurant Pearls On the Beach or take a short drive to The Boathouse Hotel Patonga for less formal fare.
theboathousehotelpatonga.com.au
Walk
The stunning 3km Pearl Beach to Patonga bush track.
Visit
The Pearl Beach Arboretum, which showcases the area’s flora and fauna.
Swim
At the south end of Pearl Beach, which is child-friendly and home to an ocean pool.
Essentials
Pearl Beach is a 90-minute drive north of Sydney. The Greenhouse Retreat Pearl Beach costs from $850 a night for the property plus linen and cleaning; two-night minimum.
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