Victoria

Lakes Entrance accommodations for family-friendly fun

With miles of open beaches and abundant wildlife and natural parks, it comes as no surprise that Lakes Entrance is a favourite holiday destination for many families.

Spend your days fishing in mountain streams, baiting up on a lakeside jetty, searching for dolphins in the Gippsland Lakes or venturing off on horseback into the High Country. That is if you can resist just stretching out by the pool at your hotel and soaking up the sunshine, the sea breeze and the calls of seafaring birds.

With tropical gardens, water-facing views, outdoor barbecues and on-site spas for mum and dad to escape to, short- and long stay accommodation options are designed with families in mind. Imagine waking the kids to a complimentary breakfast spread or enjoying a family game of cricket in your cottage garden. From air conditioning to cosy fireplaces, hotels and apartments alike offer the freedom of a waterfront retreat year-round.

One of the state's best-kept secrets

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Enjoy the peace and tranquillity of the Gippsland Lakes, one of the state’s best-kept secrets, at the unique Lakes Entrance hideaway that is The Moorings at Metung. Just three hours from Melbourne via the south coast, this network of waterways and long beaches are home to a quiet seaside community with some of the best fishing and water sports facilities in the country.

Classic white timber buildings on the waterfront present your choice of bright serviced apartments, bay rooms and king townhouses facing the lake. All apartment-style options come with modern kitchens and spacious living areas that open onto wide, breezy balconies overlooking the lake or gardens. Pad in slippers through airy rooms adorned with fresh-cut flowers drenched in coastal sunlight, or sink into plush, luxury linens for a lazy lie-in.

Afternoons here call for relaxed hours at the spa area’s indoor and outdoor pools and hot tub, or you can pick up a complimentary beach towel and sprint barefoot to the beach via the hotel’s direct access route. For higher heart rates and healthy competition, visit the top-of-the-line tennis courts on-site.

The Moorings At Metung

Metung
9.4 Excellent (871 reviews)

A great family accommodation in Lakes Entrance

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If space is what the family needs, the Best Western Coastal Waters Motor Inn is your ideal choice offering cosy, exposed-brick ground-floor rooms, spa suites and landscaped tropical gardens. Family suites include kitchenettes and a private lounge area for chilling out with a steaming plate of home-cooked supper.

For luxury close to home, bring a book and a bevvie to the solar-heated garden pool or grill up some prawns on the provided barbecue. For a bit of rejuvenation, visit the on-site spa to de-stress in the Jacuzzi, pool, sauna or steam room. Peruse the decadent menu of facials, foot treatments, body therapies and massages and treat yourself to a muscle-soothing hot stone massage or an exfoliating body wrap.

Conveniently located opposite the foreshore and Ocean Beach, the town centre of Lakes Entrance and its choice of shops and restaurants are only a short stroll away. Take a scenic lake walk or dip your toes in the sand at Ninety Mile Beach, the 90-mile long stretch of golden sand that separates the Gippsland Lakes from the Bass Strait.

Coastal Waters Motor Inn Lakes Entrance

Lakes Entrance
9.5 Excellent (383 reviews)

Self-contained apartments in Lakes Entrance close to Eastern Beach

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Just a 10-minute walk from Eastern beach, the self-contained two-bedroom apartments at Emmanuel Holiday Apartments offer stylish, modern family accommodation in Lakes Entrance. Make yourself at home in one of the light, airy guestrooms with a fully equipped kitchen and private balcony or patio. At the adjacent Comfort Inn, cheerful staff will help you settle in and cater to all your needs, whether it’s a tasty room service delivery or a comfy turn-down.

Get ready for the day with aromatic coffee and flaky butter croissants at the continental breakfast room overlooking the lake. Spend a day floating in the outdoor pool while the little ones splash about in their own kiddy pond, then get the charcoal going for an alfresco dinner on the decking.

If exploration is more your cup of tea, spend the day at the Nyerimilang Park, home to an attractive selection of flora and fauna. A quick 10-minute drive away, you can pack a picnic or go for a stroll down one of the bush or farm tracks, all the while enjoying spectacular views of the Reeve Channel.

Emmanuel Holiday Apartments

Lakes Entrance
8.2 Very good (257 reviews)

A rainforest retreat in Lakes Entrance

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For a taste of something different, take the family break into a lush rainforest oasis. Tucked away in the jungle, Kalimna Woods is a surprising two-minute walk to the Lakes Entrance Kalimna Jetty and rubs shoulders with the Lakes View Golf Club. Rooms are air-conditioned for the summer and made cosy in winter with working wood stoves.

Fry up some eggs and tomatoes in your fully-equipped kitchen, then enjoy your family breakfast in terracotta seating areas that look out onto dappled forest grounds. Watch for the whipbirds and technicolour parrots that congregate each morning for their daily feed. Later in the day, soak up the tranquillity in your private whirlpool spa bath while your other half barbeques Bream caught fresh from the nearby Gippsland Lakes. Cuddle up quietly on your porch as dusk falls to delight the kids with visits from brushtail possums and striped sugar gliders.

Not to be missed are the magnificent sunsets from nearby Kalimna Jetty. Spot playful dolphins and majestic sea eagles as the sun sinks over the water, then head back to the comfort of your rainforest rooms, where freshly turned down beds are waiting to welcome you home.

Kalimna Woods

Lakes Entrance
9.4 Excellent (777 reviews)

A Lakes Entrance accommodation for those wanting a taste of nature

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A top-rated location in Sarsfield, this secluded luxury accommodation is off the highway near Lakes Entrance and Bairnsdale. Built right into the earth, these back-to-nature apartments feature garden roofs and rustic, natural-edge furniture. Glass facades bring the verdant landscape of rolling green hills into your living space, letting you take in the breathtaking rural setting come rain or shine.

All units at the Down to Earth Farm Retreat have private bathrooms and seating areas, and select units offer separate dining areas, terraces and kitchens. Towels and bed linens are refreshed daily, so you can still bed down in catered comfort while feeling at one with the Earth. The large Lakeview Apartment tempts guests with a queen-size bed, sunlit living area and sweeping deck – ideal for a romantic weekend. Families can opt for home amenities in the Burrow Apartment, which sleeps four and has a stocked kitchen for cooking and eating in.

Explore the bush on foot or by bike, swim or fish in the river or just stay home and barbecue in the garden. For farther explorations, the towns of Metung and Paynesville are only a short drive away.

Down To Earth Farm Retreat

Bairnsdale
9.9 Excellent (79 reviews)

A luxury getaway to Lakes Entrance

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The Riversleigh was built as two fanciful, terraced family homes in 1884 over the peaceful Mitchell River. Now a luxury getaway, each air-conditioned room is elegantly decorated with soaring five-metre high ceilings, delicate moulding and sparkling ensuites. Stately Executive Suites let visitors breathe in countryside freshness from ornate cast-iron balconies, while guests of the one-bedroom apartment can throw open their kitchen door to enjoy direct access to manicured gardens. In deluxe spa suites, corner spa tubs trimmed in gleaming silver and clean subway tiles call for shared soaks under a mountain of warm bubbles.

From any room, greet the morning through gauzy curtains with a cup of specialty tea or Nespresso coffee, then wander downstairs to the airy bistro room for a generous continental breakfast buffet. Should you feel peckish throughout the day, cakes and coffees can be found in the sun-kissed conservatory. As the sun sets over a day of relaxed romance, dress up for cocktails with a side of charm in the lounge bar or dine at the acclaimed Loft Restaurant next door.

The Riversleigh is conveniently located in the centre of Bairnsdale, a quick 30-minute drive from Lakes Entrance and Ninety Mile Beach. A 20-minute stroll from Bairnsdale Railway Station, early-arriving guests of the Riversleigh can store their luggage and request valuable tips from the on-site tour desk service.

The Riversleigh

Top rated
Bairnsdale
8.9 Excellent (589 reviews)