Outdoor pool, sun loungers

Reviews of Koala Shores Port Stephens Holiday Park

3.5 out of 5
Koala Shores Port Stephens Holiday Park
2 Oyster Farm Road, Lemon Tree Passage, NSW

Reviews

8.2

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 63 out of 154 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 57 out of 154 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 20 out of 154 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 10 out of 154 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 4 out of 154 reviews" "

8.2/10

Cleanliness

8.2/10

Staff & service

7.4/10

Amenities

8.0/10

Property conditions & facilities

7.4/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

6/10 Okay

Jennifer

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
The location was lovely and the pool was beautiful (unfortunately it was closed for maintenance on the day of our arrival). The lady who checked us in was friendly. The room itself was average at best. The fittings are in dire need of repair/replacement. Things like missing light globes, ants coming in through the wall, numerous small spiders on the ceiling and an exhaust fan in the bathroom which must have been at least thirty years old and didn’t appear to have been cleaned in that time were all disappointing. Hot water was limited, there were no regular channels on the TV and wifi was hit and miss. Our room was supposedly ‘superior’ but at $950 for two nights stay and in a room we really didn’t feel comfortable in at all, I don’t think represented good value at all. For people who are only in their room to shower and sleep, it might be OK but we were very glad to get home.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023
Response from koala Shores on Jan 1, 2024
Dear Jennifer Thank you for your valuable feedback, I take all feedback very seriously as it allows us to improve. I will be following up with the team to discuss your experience, I am extremely sorry that this happened to you during your stay. I will also arrange pest management to inspect the room.

2/10 Terrible

Diana

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
There were cockroaches in the bathrooms, spiders throughout the cabin. Dead insects falling from the light fittings onto the bedding. Considering the price per night I would have expected a much more cleaner cabin and facilities. Would not stay here again.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023
Response from koala Shores on Jan 1, 2024
Dear Diana, Thank you for your valuable feedback, I take all feedback very seriously as it allows us to improve. I will be following up with the team to discuss your experience, I am extremely sorry that this happened to you during your stay. I will also arrange pest management to inspect the room.

10/10 Excellent

Petah

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2023
Response from koala Shores on Jan 1, 2024
Petah, thank you for taking the time to leave your review and staying with us at Koala Shores Holiday Park. We're happy to read you loved your time with us! We look forward to having you stay with us again. Koala Shores Team

8/10 Good

Rebecca

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Everything we needed and very friendly hosts
Stayed 6 nights in Oct 2023
Response from lw on Dec 3, 2023
thank you for your review we hope your stay was amazing and we look forward to seeing you around the park again sometime soon!!The koala Team

10/10 Excellent

Kylie

Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2023
Response from koala Shores on Jan 1, 2024
Kylie, thank you for taking the time to leave your review and staying with us at Koala Shores Holiday Park. We're happy to read you loved your time with us! We look forward to having you stay with us again. Koala Shores Team

10/10 Excellent

Jeremy

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We had a wonderful stay. Beautiful view from our villa, which was clean and beds very comfortable. Great for kids. Thank you for a terrific stay.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Sothery

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
The view was serene and peaceful. The staff are so friendly and helpful. Rooms were clean and tidy. Definitely coming back here again.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023
Response from Robyn on Jul 16, 2023
Hi Sothery, thank you for staying with us at Koala Shores Holiday Park. We appreciate you taking the time to leave us your kind words. We’re glad you enjoyed your stay with us and look forward to welcoming you back. Koala Shores Team

6/10 Okay

Wei

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Alyce

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Nice neat little cabins. Beds were clean and comfy. Check in was easy even though we arrived alot later then planned due to traffic. Walking distance to lake and great little fishing spots. Needs an onsite cafe or restaurant, food options close by are very limited.
Response from Lee on Apr 25, 2023
Alyce, thank you for taking the time to leave your wonderful words! We always aim to provide an awesome holiday for all of our guests and are so pleased to know we got it right. We hope to have you over again, sooner rather than later! Koala Shores Team.

10/10 Excellent

Caroline

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Friendly staff Very clean Kid and family friendly
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023
Response from Lee on Apr 25, 2023
Caroline, thank you for staying with us at Koala Shores Holiday Park. We’re over the moon to know you had an awesome stay with us! We look forward to seeing you next time to enjoy it all over again. Thanks for taking the time to provide your review. Koala Shores Team

10/10 Excellent

Hineata

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Excellent service, location, fishing, camping and an overall beautiful quiet spot to stay. I loved the hospitality and friendly atmosphere the park had to offer. Our unit was a little worn and tired but other than that I had everything I needed. I rate it a 91/2 out of 10. Would most definitely recommend this park and I would stay there again.
Stayed 3 nights in Apr 2023
Response from Lee on Apr 25, 2023
Hineata, thank you for staying with us at Koala Shores Holiday Park. We’re over the moon to know you had an awesome stay with us! We look forward to seeing you next time to enjoy it all over again. Thanks for taking the time to provide your review. Koala Shores Team

10/10 Excellent

Lucy

Travelled with family
Liked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great value for money
A very comfortable and clean villa! Perfect for the kids and we had everything we needed.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023
Response from Lee on Apr 25, 2023
Lucy, thank you for taking the time to leave your wonderful words! We always aim to provide an awesome holiday for all of our guests and are so pleased to know we got it right. We hope to have you over again, sooner rather than later! Koala Shores Team.

10/10 Excellent

Cheryl

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location and amenities
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2023
Response from The Manager on Feb 22, 2023
thank you for taking the time to leave your review and staying with us at Koala Shores Holiday Park. We're happy to read you loved your time with us! We look forward to having you stay with us again. Koala Shores Team

10/10 Excellent

Lisa

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Absolutely beautiful place to stay,cabins were updated and very clean and perfect for big families, and the activities and amenities kept the kids entertained all day,my grandchildren had a blast Would highly recommend staying here, All the staff were very friendly and helpful,thanks Koala Shores
Response from The Manager on Feb 22, 2023
thank you for taking the time to leave your review and staying with us at Koala Shores Holiday Park. We're happy to read you loved your time with us! We look forward to having you stay with us again. Koala Shores Team

8/10 Good

Celia

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2023

6/10 Okay

Karen

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Overnight comfortable stay
Comfortable, quiet & clean cabin with parking beside. Well enough equipped for 2 couples. Check in was easy and the grounds are very nice.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022

8/10 Good

Deborah

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very good; a few maintenance issues.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

4/10 Poor

Wlodzimierz

Disliked: Cleanliness
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022

6/10 Okay

Karley

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Staff & service
Convenience, jumping pillow for kids. Disappointed in the up keep. Bathroom door wouldn’t shut, floor greasy, playground unkept, rabbit looked as though hadn’t been thought of for a long time. No water etc. stayed here 25yrs ago and looks the same
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2022
Response from The Manager on Mar 17, 2022
Hi under a new manager we are going through a program of works to update the park starting with the jumping pillow and Putt Putt area. The Rabbit was lost, turned up at Koala Shores and decided to call us home so we are updating that area and turning it into a petting zoo taking in a guinea pig that wasnt wanted already

10/10 Excellent

Bryan

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location, friendly staff, good facilities
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022
Response from The Manager on Feb 28, 2022
thank you for taking the time to review Koala Shores, Hopefully we will see you again

8/10 Good

gary

Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2022

4/10 Poor

Rose

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Booked a cabin for the night for 6 people, the room smelt like bleach the floors were slippery and damp and we found grubs/maggots in the bed. Ended up packing up and decided not to stay - never heard a response from the caravan park.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022

8/10 Good

Karin

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
the location was great but the decor is very dated and old
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2022

6/10 Okay

Dionne

Travelled with family
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Cabins are well sized however are dated and in need of a refresh. The blind did not cover the whole window in our master room, therefore allowing anyone to see into the room. Most disappointing was the family friendly facilities like the pool, kids jumping pillow, etc. had such limited operating times despite being school holidays and daylight savings time. For the cost, we would have probably stayed closer to Nelson Bay.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2022
Response from The Manager on Mar 17, 2022
Hi Dionne, hopefully now we have covid behind us all, Koala Shores is entering into a stage of refurbishment. I appreciate that this is a very quiet park and as such we have made the decision to close the pool and the jumping pillow at a time that children are settling down for the night. I appreciate that Nelson Bay has much more of a buzz than Lemon Tree Passage however Koala Shores provides that space that the majority of our guests love for their Children

8/10 Good

Victoria

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Loved the location. Pool was great. Cabin clean and functional. Would come again.
Stayed 7 nights in Jan 2022

4/10 Poor

Donnalisa, Acacia Gardens

Travelled with family and small children
Disliked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Cabin was run down, broken lights that weren't working, broken doors, door latches that didn't close, curtains and window shades didn't cover windows so there was a lack of privacy and lots of light coming through all night in each of the rooms.
Stayed 6 nights in Jan 2022

2/10 Terrible

Peter

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Old ,run down lodge and dirty.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2021

10/10 Excellent

wai

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Happy stay
The holiday park is comfortable. Staff are friendly and helpful.
Camel ride
Sunset from the holiday park
Tomaree mountain
Panoramic view from tomaree mountain
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2021

4/10 Poor

Liz

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
It was disappointing overnight stay. My girls found dead ants on their pillows , the bath tub had dead ants .
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2021

8/10 Good

Melanie

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Checking out for Xmas booking
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2021

10/10 Excellent

David

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
We will definitely be going back to Koala Shores.
We at a wonderful stay at Koala shores. We stayed for two nights and spent our time by the pool and going into town. It is in a great location right next to the river and Inlet. The pool is wonderful and the bouncy cushion and billy carts are a great way to entertain the kids. The cabin was clean and comfy, babeque area is funcional tidy and accessible. The local town is lovely and the vibes are great!
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2021

10/10 Excellent

Karen

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Lovely cabin with a lovely view
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2021

6/10 Okay

Elizabeth

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
The location was fantastic. The local area has lots of activities, attractions and amazing beaches. The Koala shores caravan park is looking quite dated and tired. Our cabin was extremely basic and in need of updating. We paid almost $700 for 3 night and the bathroom and floors were dirty. Linen was very clean.
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2021

10/10 Excellent

Kirsten

Stayed 1 night in Oct 2021

8/10 Good

Kevin

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I stayed at this location for nearby work and it was during Covid lockdown so what with being busy for work, and there not being much to do outside due to lockdown, I can't really comment fully on what it is like to stay here for vacation.
Stayed 6 nights in Aug 2021

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Had potential but not well kept. Had deluxe bush land spa villa and we left 2 nights early as the place was infested with little cockroaches. Was gross.There was a dryer in our villa that worked Off and on (mostly not) which was a pain as we chose that villa to have laundry facilities. Not sure they wash the kids doonas as my sons had dried snot on it when we arrived (they replaced) but we met someone else who said on their arrival their sons stunk of urine. Park is run down. It does have potential but we will not be returning.
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2021
Response from Manager on Apr 19, 2021
Thank you for your feedback, and we of course will haev a serviceman look at the dryer. AS you noticed our park is in a bushland setting and has been inundated with groundwater due to excessive rains. That has caused some wetter areas of the park to need more pest treatment than usual and please be assured that this is not our normal standard and due to unusual conditions we have implemented more extreme measures until the current circumstances change.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
We didn’t even stay 24hrs due to risk of not being able to get home for flooding. The weather was unforeseeable so I couldn’t change booking. (it would be nice to get some money back). This place is suitable for a young family, not really teenagers. Barely any internet.
Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2021
Response from Manager on Apr 19, 2021
Thank you for your feedback. Good News we have just had a new WiFi system installed and will continue to expand as needed

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities
Stayed 2 nights in Mar 2021
Response from Manager on Apr 19, 2021
Thank You

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness
The furniture in the cabin was dirty, couches had massive stains and arms were black with dirt. Lots of cockroaches and wifi did not reach the woodlands cabins, so even if you tried connecting, it would drop in 5 seconds - signal not strong enough.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2021
Response from Manager on Apr 19, 2021
Our cabins are scheduled for a soft refurb and we have had a new a new WiFi system as of April. Our bushland setting does mean we have to be very pro-active on keeping any sort of wildlife out of Cabins.

10/10 Excellent

Hakim

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Enjoyable and relaxing holiday
The location is amazing, the lake, the bush board walk, kids activities all are wonderull, we ended up extendin our stay for a day
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2020

6/10 Okay

Jo, Newcastle

Travelled with family
Liked: Amenities
Disliked: Cleanliness
Surrounding area was lovely. Cabin needs a good scrub. The air conditioner is full of mould. The whole cabin looked like it had a 5 minute clean. Wet plates, dirty cutlery, toothpaste dripping down the cabinet, thick dust on the wall, fingerprints all over the windows.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2020

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2020

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2020

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities
Pool was good Friendly people but there wasn’t really any kids activity expect for the disco for the kids Which I was told by other people that u’s do a lot of different activities for the kids
Stayed 6 nights in Dec 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family and small children
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A great park for families. Very safe and beautiful place to visit.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2019

4/10 Poor

Lina

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
We have stayed in the big 4 holiday parks for over 10 years now. Other locations we’re so much more cleaner and modern. Found specs of dirt all over the bed. Dishes and appliances still dirty from the previous guest. However I would say communication with reception was easy they were very understanding. Will continue to stay at other big 4s this one we will give a miss.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019

6/10 Okay

Ber

Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
A little upsetting
After booking in February at first we’re told we had not booked, but they found it and said they were upgrading us, we had booked as spa room and that’s what we got no upgrade, after leaving I phoned then as I had left an electric throw blanket, am due to pick it up next week on my way home so until then I will have to wait. The people in no 32 were very noisy on the first night
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Quiet and on the water, we had a short stay. Cabin was neat and clean with everything we needed. Short drive to shops
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2019

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2019