Bay Hotel Motel

The Bay Hotel Motel at Shop 1/330 Fishery Point Road in Bonnells Bay is a three-star motel attached to a working Lake Macquarie pub, and it is one of the few pet-friendly stays on the lake's western shore. The policy is published in full, which is rare enough at this end of the market to make planning simple.

Dogs at the Bay Hotel Motel

Designated pet-friendly rooms only, and they are limited, so ring reception before you arrive and book one specifically. The published terms are a $25 cleaning fee per pet plus a refundable $200 damage deposit returned at checkout if the room is left in order. Inside, dogs stay off the beds and furniture, and the pool area is off-limits. Outside the room, leads are the rule, and the grounds give your dog somewhere real to go: a large grassed area plus a barbecue and picnic spot right outside the rooms, with waste bags and bins provided.

The setup

Comfortable, unpretentious rooms with a sports bar, bistro restaurant and beer garden downstairs at the pub. Reviews call out comfy beds and family-sized servings, with the usual trade-off of pub-town noise and occasional waits at busy times. The pub's outdoor seating takes supervised dogs, so dinner does not mean leaving anyone in the room. It is a practical base for the Watagan Mountains and the lake's southern rather than a destination in itself.

Close by with the dogs

For off-lead time, the Morisset Dog Exercise Area and Dora Creek Dog Exercise Area are both short drives around the shore, and Bodyfuel cafe in Morisset is a dog-friendly coffee stop. Further down the peninsula, the Ingenia Holidays Lake Macquarie and Monterey Tourist Park are pet-friendly park alternatives in the directory.

Max: The pet rooms are few, so call ahead rather than booking online and hoping. Twenty-five dollars per pet, two hundred deposit back at checkout, no dramas.

A no-fuss lake-side motel where the dog rules are written down, the fees are modest, and the pub dinner is a short walk from the room.