Travel back through the ages at these modern-retro motels along the NSW coast.

All the way up and down the NSW coastline, the humble surf motel is enjoying a stylishly savvy second act. Motel by motel, these roadside stays are being reimagined, revised and revived for a new generation of design-conscious travellers. Today you can drive from one hip motel to the next on a road tour that conjures the carefree spirit of the classic Australian beach holiday, circa 1960 to 1980. These motels retain all their retro roots and an endless-summer spirit, but with much cooler design and amenities, so you’re not missing out on the 2020s. Don’t dream it’s over, folks – take a retro motel road trip to seven of the best along the NSW coastline.

1. Isla, Batehaven

The vibe: Breezy boutique minimalism by the beach.

Revival never looked so smooth than at The Isla, a South Coast motel in Batehaven. Here the breezeblock and brick exterior beckons you off the beach with a well-polished nod to bygone days. Sit by the petite but perfectly adequate pool and watch the clouds pass overhead from a sun lounger. Or if those clouds are closing in, warm up by the fireplace and grab a snack from Cantina, a vending machine room that’s a bit revolutionary. Inside, it’s all textural woods, soothing tones and boucle sofas to pass your off-beach time in style. Cross the road and the reserve, and you’re at Corrigans Beach, but you’re also within cooee of some of the South Coast’s prettiest swim spots, such as South Broulee Beach and Guerilla Bay.

2. Blue Water Motel, Kingscliff

The vibe: A retro motel that feels like a ’70s commune.

Nowhere could encapsulate the sleepy surf hamlet vibes of Kingscliff quite like Blue Water Motel. Barely a five-minute walk from a beach called Dreamtime, the rooms even have sand-coloured concrete floors so it feels like you never left the waterside. With an old-school coffee/breakfast cart that’s a real neighbourhood hub, a social swimming pool and a shared kitchen area, Blue Water Motel is as much a community as a place to sleep (how ’70s is that?). Using local artworks, soft sea greens and baby blues, lauded designer Jason Grant has made every room unique and unforgettable.

3. Sea Sea Hotel, Crescent Head

The vibe: Mirror balls, turntables, ice baths and hand-shaped surfboards.

The fact that George Gorrow – the former Ksubi co-owner and creative director of The Slow hotel in Bali – is the one responsible for Sea Sea Hotel’s new/old look shouldn’t surprise anyone who knows his work. It reeks of ’70s surf culture and is set in the quintessential Aussie surf town of Crescent Head – except surf culture never looked quite this chic. The former Wombat Beach Resort now has a hi-fi audio lounge (which looks like a West Hollywood hotel from 1975), hand-shaped surfboards for hire, an outdoor pool with a private sauna and an ice bath. There’s also a restaurant run by some of the team formerly behind Bondi’s Icebergs Dining Room and Bar.

4. Halcyon House, Cabarita

The vibe: The epitome of ’60s styling: Palm Springs by the beach.

When this reimagined ’60s motel opened 10 years ago, it was almost immediately named by Condé Nast Traveller as one of that year’s best new hotel openings – anywhere on Earth. Sisters Elisha and Siobhan Bickle wanted Halycon House to remind them of the ‘halcyon’ days of their classic Aussie beach holidays, but what of the staff dressed in white by the pool? Or the day spa, with its hammam-style steam room? Or the restaurant and its chef-hatted rating? Some Aussie beach holidays they had! From the patterned textile wallpaper and sprinkled seashells to the dreamy beach beyond, this is 1960s Palm Springs epitomised – on the Tweed coastline in Cabarita Beach, 20 minutes from Gold Coast Airport.

5. Motel Molly, Mollymook

The vibe: Aussie beach spirit complete with sprinkles of Morocco.

Motel Molly has direct access to Mollymook’s stunning two-kilometre main beach, just past the cacti in its front yard. A bit over three hours south of Sydney/Warrane by car, it’s far enough away to feel like a surf hamlet from another era – but its refurbishment is 2020s big-city hip. Aussie surf nostalgia emanates here thanks to the pastel colour scheme including pink-toned balconies, but there’s also plenty of Morocco and the Med, with features including Moroccan-style sunken baths and ceramics. Guests can explore on the complimentary cruiser bikes, and there are surfboards for hire. Forget you own a car.

6. The Whale, Narooma

The vibe: Don’t the ’70s wish they were this cool?

The tiny surf village of Narooma may be a five-hour drive south of Sydney, but it sure has some high-powered part-time residents. One of them, Justin Hemmes, has turned an old inn into the best new surf motel in Australia. After a three-year, multimillion-dollar renovation, The Whale combines vintage Aussie surf culture with an ‘Ibiza in the ’70s’ spin, earning a name as one of the coolest motels in NSW. Merivale’s first foray into resort-style accommodation includes a penthouse with its own private garden overlooking a blue-water inlet, sunset-facing firepits, pickleball courts and a Cantonese restaurant overseen by acclaimed executive chef Dan Hong.

7. The Sails Motel & Pool Club, Brunswick Heads

The vibe: A pool club, wine bar and the sweetest surf town in the Northern Rivers.

Brunswick Heads has always been the Northern Rivers’ best surf village; it just took a while for everyone to realise. Barely 15 minutes’ drive north of Byron Bay, ‘Bruns’ – with its pretty blue river cutting the town in two – is the perfect setting for a perfect retro surf motel. The Sails Motel & Pool Club is just that. This mid-century modern reinterpretation of an existing highway motel is how the 1960s should’ve, could’ve looked. Guests drink margaritas in sun loungers shaded by blue-and-white umbrellas on its pool deck before moving to onsite restaurant and wine bar St Maries. Beaches and downtown are a mere five-minute walk away, while it’s just 30 minutes by car from Gold Coast Airport and Ballina Byron Gateway Airport.