My weekend: A review of Bannisters, by Rick Stein – Port Stephens NSW, Australia

We arrived at Bannisters, Port Stephens, the location of international chef and raconteur, Rick Stein’s, newest Australian venture after a rainy three-hour drive from Sydney.

Beautiful Soldier’s Point, where the hotel sits, is a stunning location just footsteps from the waters and beaches of Port Stephens: the venue bills itself as “Barefoot Luxury.”

The weather was bleak. My partner dropped me off at the entrance while he parked the car – my task was to find somewhere for a light lunch – it was already getting late.

I had done my research and, apart from Stein’s signature restaurant (in which we’d reserved to dine the following lunchtime), there was a Terrace Bar and Bistro that served simpler food.

As luck would have it, or so I thought., the Bistro was exactly where I’d been dropped (it was raining heavily) and yes, they could accommodate two for a late lunch.

However, the Bistro was not the Bistro at all, it was the Rick Stein signature restaurant – the only thing that alerted me to this was the menu (which I had perused before leaving home.) because the venue was not at all what I would have expected. It was far more akin to a café/bistro – not fine dining.

The restaurant with not a tablecloth in sight – just cheap café tables

The room was vast with cheap, faux wood-topped café tables, a few leather banquette booths along the walls – one’s you’d expect to find in a dark, smoky nightclub in the 1920s – very anachronistic and totally out of place in a high ceilinged, barn-like room dissected by a bar and with a complete wall of windows fronting it. To be fair, beyond the windows were spectacular views of the coast and the Australian bush.

I made my exit and found the Terrace bar on the next level up – just near reception where I caught up with my partner. The Terrace Bar has a similar vibe with floor to ceiling windows framing the view that on this level included the infinity swimming pool – nice.

The infinity pool outside the Terrace Bar

We ate Mexican-inspired food here and while it was fine, it was spoiled by the ambiance of the room which, once again, was cavernous and a tad unwelcoming with not a nod to luxury here either.

A nod to…

Having worked at what was ‘The Matthew Flinders Hotel’ in Melbourne at the beginning of the 1970s, I imagine The Salamander (as Bannisters was originally known in 1968) started off with the same concept in mind, that is, a ‘beer barn’ with a few rooms that was more orientated to liquor sales than accommodation.   

The beer garden of the on site ‘Cheeky Dog Tavern’ at dusk. A great spot for a warm evening

When Stein bought the property is was very outdated and he updated and added to the property to make it what it is today – but what, exactly is that?

Using “barefoot luxury” to describe the property and telling us it was renovated in the Hampton’s style is not at all accurate. The words far surpass the reality. Bannisters has lined a few walls with painted panelling and that’s it, as far as I can tell. That’s its nod to the Hampton’s Style.

I stayed at ‘Shutters on the beach” in Santa Monica, California, now THAT’S Hampton’s style – and yes, wooden shutters are very much part of this style along with painted built-in furniture and cosy fireplaces – none of which were evident at Bannisters. Bannisters did not exude luxury. It was disappointing.

Misleading marketing hype notwithstanding, the venue is comfortable and clean and the rooms were pleasantly furnished with the bathrooms – although not luxurious – sporting that painted wood panelling so beloved in the Hamptons.

The rooms, however, reflected their origins as motel rooms and although wardrobes had been removed to create a feeling of more space, you can’t make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear and ‘pleasantly adequate’ would be my best description – not luxurious

We stayed in an ocean deck room with a lovely view – the location is certainly lovely

Price/quality ratio.

The room in which we stayed, I would estimate at being worth around $180.00 per night, comparing it with other places I’ve stayed (all around the world). If that were that price, this review would not be so harsh – but it wasn’t.

The room cost almost $600 for the Saturday night and $375.00 for the Sunday night and for that price, the venue could not deliver a Pizza from their Tavern to our room – “Get it yourself”. What’s more, only a continental breakfast was provided in the tariff, a hot breakfast was extra – as was barista’s coffee.

I have also stayed at the nearby ‘Anchorage’ (albeit, quite some years ago). The Anchorage has similar rates as Bannisters but there, the comparison ends.  The Anchorage IS luxurious, it doesn’t just claim to be. It also describes itself as being in the Hampton’s Style and, if I remember rightly, it certainly was. What’s more the rooms did not resemble tarted up motel units.

With Bannisters, I guess, it is what it is, whereas The Anchorage was purpose-built as a luxury boutique hotel.

That’s the bad, now here’s the good.

The staff at Bannisters were great. No request was too difficult for them (except delivery of pizza from their tavern).

The food in the restaurant was fantastic – as I’d expect it to be at a ‘Rick Stein’ branded establishment. I love Stein’s dining and eating philosophy and have been a fan of his for such a long time. The menu prices were high but that reflected the quality of the food and the cuisine – no surprises there and no complaints, just accolades.

The views from the restaurant (and almost everywhere in the establishment) are spectacular yet the restaurant has not succumbed to that affliction of other such restaurants ‘Panorama-itis’ which is where the view compensates for bad food. No, not here. It’s just such a shame about the lack of ambiance of the dining room.

The highlight of the weekend was provided by the birdlife that had organised a welcoming committee for us (aided by the bribe of a sweet biscuit or two). The very bold rainbow lorikeets lined up on the balcony and would even sit on our shoulders or hands – no skittishness here. On the lawn beneath was a much shyer Kookaburra, having lunch.

My recommendation, should you feel like a weekend at Port Stephens (and who doesn’t – it’s beautiful), would be to eat at Stein’s restaurant but stay elsewhere. I believe the birds will make an appearance anywhere on the point for the price of a little sugar.