Hillcrest Merimbula

Hillcrest Merimbula perches on Merimbula Drive with a view over the town and the water, and the view is not a marketing line: guests book the balcony rooms specifically for sunrise over Merimbula Lake and the bar.

The motel has been renovated in recent years, and the facilities list goes beyond the usual: a pool, a tennis court, a fire pit for the evening, and rooms that are comfortable and clean. It serves the Sapphire Coast traveller who wants a view stay with proper motel service.

Dogs at the motel

Per the motel's own rooms page, there are two dedicated pet friendly rooms in the Deluxe Room with Balcony and Sea View category, with a one-off $65 cleaning fee per stay. Two rooms means availability is tight, especially in summer and school holidays, so book early and name the room type.

The fee covers the stay rather than per night, which matters on longer trips. Guests consistently mention the sunrise view and the fire pit, and the two pet rooms share the same balcony category, so a dog-friendly stay does not mean the worst room in the house.

The pet setup is friendlier than the fee suggests: up to two pets of any size are welcome in the eligible rooms, and the motel supplies food and water bowls, which is one less thing in the boot. Pets are excluded from the other room categories, so the room name in the booking is what counts.

The squeeze is seasonal: two pet rooms sell out well before the standard rooms in summer, so the direct call is what lands one. There is no fenced run on the hillside property either, so the lead goes on at the door and the exercise happens out in town.

The local walk is the Merimbula Boardwalk off Market Street, strictly on-lead but best near the end of the afternoon when the foot traffic thins, with the resident seal sometimes working the oyster leases for an audience.

Black Beach and Duck Pond Beach are where locals take dogs for a proper off-leash run, and Killarney Lake adds quieter bushland trails a short drive out.

The vibe

Sunrise is the event here. The sea view balconies, the fire pit after dark and the pool in the middle of the day give the place a resort-lite rhythm, and the renovated rooms have clearly lifted the standard.

Make a day of it

The Sapphire Coast runs south from here to Eden and north to Tathra, with beaches and lake walks in every direction. NSW dog friendly stays lists dog friendly stays across NSW if you are chaining coastal towns, and Tide at Blueys Beach shows the north coast's answer to a view stay.