Operation girls getaway is on!
Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids but there’s nothing quite like slipping out of town for a long-overdue catch-up with your bestie, is there? Cue George Michael’s ‘Freedom’ blaring on the stereo with the windows down. Woo hoo!
As I pull into the pebblestone driveway at Bangalay Luxury Villas in Shoalhaven Heads after a cruisy two-hour drive from Sydney, I can’t wait to soak up the coastal-chill vibe. Bangalay is on the doorstep of the spectacular Seven Mile Beach and I’m looking forward to sandy strolls and lots of great chats in our plush private villa, over wine!
Girls just wanna have fun
Jessica Napier and I have been great friends for a couple of decades. We both practically grew up on TV sets with parents working in the industry, which is probably why we clicked when we met on a short film in the noughties. We were flatmates, briefly, before Jess was cast in a little show called McLeod’s Daughters and took off for Adelaide – and we had to find another flatmate for our inner west sharehouse before the rent was due!
Our lives have changed a lot since then. We both have kids and careers that have pulled us in different directions, but our friendship has somehow endured, like great friendships do. We squeeze in brunches and calls between busy lives, so a getaway at a beachside villa feels like a genuine coup!
Livin’ la villa loca
I grab a trolley and load it up with all the stupid baggage I’ve packed because I’m overexcited and indecisive and barrel down the boardwalk past sleek, matt-black tardises – villas that whisper luxe and private in enticing tones. Each pair has its own tropical oasis courtyard of lush palm trees and native grasses. Bliss! I punch in the pin code – don’t you love self check-in? – and bags one of the twin beds, it’s like school camp for grown-ups!
Our immaculate one-bedroom villa faces onto an expanse of green, the Shoalhaven Heads Golf Club is just over the hedge. Shame we don’t play, it would be easy to duck over for a few holes, but the outlook is giving me cool country-club vibes just the same. Cute little fairy wrens bounce up and down in the grass like they’re on pogo sticks, and is that the waves I can hear crashing? My shoulders are instantly relaxing.
I sink into one of the comfy modernist chairs on our private deck. Every detail is so stylish! There’s a welcome gift of cute Beach Babies, lollies from the local Treat Factory in Berry, a small kitchen with induction stovetop, if we fancy cooking – we don’t! – a dishwasher drawer, full-size fridge stocked with wine, beer, bubbles and snacks, cosy couches and a very inviting gas log fireplace. There’s even an internal laundry if we can’t resist the urge to whack on a load of washing – some mum habits die hard. Yep, there are all makings of a fun girls weekend here. Heck we could hide out here for a week!
My phone pings – she’s here, and she’s brought one tiny bag, typical! Jess is a much smarter traveller. I try to hide my mountain of just-in-case essentials before we plop down on the deck for a pinot and a gossip while we watch the golfers tee off from our front lawn. It’s great to have something to watch that’s not a screen.
Beachside paradise
At 3pm we pry ourselves from the comfort of our villa to check out the main event: Seven Mile Beach. It’s a two-minute stroll straight onto the sand. The afternoon light is a moody grey as the waves roll in and crash on this 12km piece of paradise that stretches as far as the eye can see.
There are a couple of fisherman casting rods right off the beach as we amble along the powder-soft sand. In the distance we see two figures galloping along the shoreline on horseback. Coastal Beach Rides offer 90-minute sunrise experiences and we contemplate booking one, but then I remember I can’t tell the front of a horse from the back, while Jess used to ride them in primetime as Becky in McLeod’s. There’s absolutely no way I’m going to let her upstage me like that!
We wander back along the beach as the sun sets and nature puts on a stunning show, seemingly just for us as there’s no one here aside from the women on horseback and a random dog walker.
Fine dining on our doorstep
Back at the villa we freshen up before heading out to dinner, which is conveniently located onsite at the award-winning Bangalay Dining. Dimly lit by candles, it’s intimate and classy without being stuffy. The warm atmosphere is helped along by the mother of all fireplaces occupying the corner. Head Sommelier Jack Walsh sets us at ease instantly with the most magic of margaritas – tequila, triple sec, agave syrup and zesty lime with a rim of locally foraged saltbush salt. So good… Now you’re talking!
There’s a plate of spectacularly sweet South Coast “Appellation” oysters served with a moreish fingerlime mignonette that I could eat all night – and I will, unless somebody stops me!
Chef’s five-course showstoppers
Native shrubs and seeds feature prominently on Head Chef Simon Furley’s menu, alongside prime local produce. He’s made his way to this sleepy South Coast hamlet via cheffing on superyachts and working in some of the finest Michelin-starred kitchens in Europe – and it shows. There’s a pop of peppery wattleseed in the gorgeous garlic butter while the showstopping blood red compote-filled plum parfait is topped with blades of Geralton wax that release an oil in your mouth that reminds me of lemon myrtle. Simon serves up sophisticated fine-dining fare with surprising flavours and textures prepared with the utmost care and suitable flair. Don’t skip ordering a side of hasselback Robertson potatoes, they are delicious.
You can dine a la carte or be led down the meandering five-course path by the Chef’s Selection, featuring crispy carrot, kingfish with smoked mackerel chowder and venison with smoked almonds and pickled turnips with the must-have Illawarra plum parfait for dessert ($110pp). Jack’s wine list champions homegrown heroes, too, a Block 1 Cabernet Franc from Matthew Atallah in Orange and a 2018 Coolangatta Estate Semillon that’s won a swag of trophies – but by god, the margs really have us! It is a girls weekend, after all.
Games & goop
We retreat to the private comfort of our luxe villa and its friendly fireside where I demand a game of rummy tiles. It’s a passion I’ve inherited from my mum whose own girls weekends during my childhood used to consist of passionately arguing over rummy “supermoves” for hours with her best friend.
Jess and I debate the rules and laugh non-stop as our boards spill over with tiles before either of us can even go down, because I insist you need a run and she says it has to equal 30 points. I win anyway, so that’s the main thing.
We briefly consider the pool – it’s heated and open until 9pm – but it’s a bit chilly for a dip, so it’s peppermint tea and pyjama time instead. It wouldn’t be a girls weekend without some kind of pampering. Bangalay offers in-villa massages and private yoga and meditation sessions by day, but in true slumber-party style we opt for smearing our faces in some kind of goop – a collagen wrap mask that I pray won’t rip off my eyebrows when we peel it off. I throw a full teenage tantrum about it but then bow to peer pressure and comply and… I love the results – wrap masks really do make your skin soft, who knew?
Rise & shine
In the morning, we’re up with the birds and back at Bangalay dining, which has magically transformed overnight into a bright and cheery cafe venue.
Jess tucks into a mountain of avo on toast with confit tomatoes, chilli jam pepitas and poached eggs while I go for the golden corn fritters with avocado salsa and the crispiest of crisp bacon – yummo! The Will & Co coffee from the famed Bondi roasters in Sydney reminds us of home, and all too soon it’s time to pack our bags and head back there.
I wish we could stay, book a massage, go for that horse ride or pack a picnic and explore the nearby national park, visit some wineries or go to Arthur Boyd’s Bundanon studio. Honestly, there’s so much to do down the South Coast you are spoiled for choice. But we got exactly what we needed. We relaxed, reconnected and had restorative belly laughs while we enjoyed the luxury of just taking some time for ourselves. I mean why the hell don’t we do this more often?!
Bangalay Villas at Shoalhaven Heads offers boutique villa accommodation and an award-winning restaurant in a coastal bushland setting right on Seven Mile beach. Stay before September 25, 2026 to save 10 per cent, from $418 a night (including discount) for a luxury villa accommodating up to four people. Quote “Escape10” when booking bangalayvillas.com.au
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