Where to stay in Hawks Nest: the honest comparison
Updated: Oct 6
Written by the owners of Tilly and Annies Place and Seacrest 7, Hawks Nest. Last reviewed October 2026.
We rent out two houses here, so you can take this with whatever salt you like. But people ask us this constantly, and the honest answer is that Hawks Nest has four or five genuinely different ways to stay, and the right one depends entirely on who is coming and what you want the week to feel like.
At a glance
Holiday parks: campsites, caravans, cabins and glamping tents. Cheapest, most social, best for dogs
Cabins: park facilities with your own bathroom. Good middle ground
Holiday houses and apartments: a whole place to yourselves, a real kitchen, a laundry. Best for groups and for longer than three nights
Peak weeks: Christmas to Australia Day, and Easter. Book months ahead whatever you choose
Quiet weeks: almost everything else. Midweek out of season you can often decide late
Holiday parks and camping
The main one is the Hawks Nest Holiday and Caravan Park, which sits between Bennetts Beach and the village. It takes tents, caravans and camper trailers, and it has a heated pool kept at 28 degrees year round, a camp kitchen, laundry, barbecues, a playground and school holiday activities (Reflections Holidays). There is a second park at Jimmys Beach, on the bay side.
It is the right answer if: you have your own van or tent, you are travelling with a dog, the budget matters more than the privacy, or your kids are the age where other kids to run around with is the entire point of a holiday.
It is the wrong answer if: you want quiet, you are cooking properly for six, or you are the sort of person who will be irritated by a neighbour's generator at seven in the morning.
Camping in Hawks Nest means a holiday park. If you are planning anything outside one, check with MidCoast Council and NSW National Parks first rather than assuming.
Cabins and glamping
The same park runs cabins and what it calls luxury safari style glamping tents, including dog friendly cabins (Reflections Holidays). You get your own bathroom and a bed that is already made, with the park facilities around you.
It is the right answer if: you want the park atmosphere and the pool but not the setting up, or you are here for two or three nights and a whole house is more than you need.
Holiday houses and apartments
This is what we do, so read it accordingly. A whole house or apartment gets you a full kitchen, a laundry, somewhere to put wet towels, and the ability to put children to bed at seven while the adults keep talking. For a group of six that is usually the difference between a holiday and a logistics exercise.
It costs more per night than a campsite and less per head than several motel rooms. The maths turns in its favour as the group gets bigger and the stay gets longer.
It is the right answer if: you are four to six people, you are staying more than three nights, you want to cook, or you want the place to yourselves.
So which one?
Two people, two nights, on a budget: a cabin
A family with a van and a dog: a powered site at the park
Two couples, or a family of five or six, a week: a house
Grandparents plus grandchildren: a house, for the laundry and the second bathroom alone
Someone who wants to be able to walk to the surf in bare feet: anything on the Bennetts side
When we would tell you not to book with us
If you are coming for one night, do not book a house. The changeover makes it poor value for you and a nuisance for everyone. If you are travelling with a dog, we are not the right call. If your budget is tight and you own a tent, the park is a better holiday than squeezing into something you cannot afford.
We would rather you had a good week in Hawks Nest and came back than had an expensive one and did not.
What Hawks Nest does not have
No large resort, no strip of hotels, and not much in the way of late night anything. The eating out options are mostly over the Singing Bridge in Tea Gardens, which is five minutes away (where to eat here). If that sounds like a problem, this is probably not your town. If it sounds like the point, it is.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I stay in Hawks Nest?
If you have a van, a tent or a dog, the holiday park. If you are two people for a couple of nights, a cabin. If you are a group of four to six staying longer than three nights, a house or apartment, because of the kitchen, the laundry and the privacy.
Is there camping at Hawks Nest?
Yes, in the holiday parks. The Hawks Nest park takes tents, caravans and camper trailers and sits between Bennetts Beach and the village, and there is a second park at Jimmys Beach. For anything outside a park, check MidCoast Council and NSW National Parks first.
Can you camp on Hawks Nest beach?
Camping in Hawks Nest is done in the holiday parks rather than on the sand. Before planning anything else, check the current rules with MidCoast Council and NSW National Parks, because they change.
When do I need to book?
Christmas to Australia Day and Easter fill months ahead across every kind of accommodation in town. Outside those, and especially midweek out of season, you can often book late. More on the quiet months here.
Which Hawks Nest beach should I stay near?
Bennetts for surf and long walks, Jimmys for flat water and small children. They are two or three minutes apart, so nobody really has to choose. Full guide to Jimmys Beach.
Plan your stay
We own both of our places and we answer the enquiries ourselves, so if you are not sure which suits you, ask and we will tell you honestly, including when the answer is neither.
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