About top7stays

top7stays is an independent travel guide to the best places to stay along the New South Wales coast. The idea is simple. Instead of endless lists and sponsored noise, we pick the stays worth your weekend in each town, and tell you who each one suits.

We cover the Mid North Coast first: ten towns so far, from Port Macquarie up to Bellingen and Sawtell. From there we'll keep working along the coast, town by town.

Who writes this

top7stays is written by Jaco Olwagen. The guides come from our own trips up and down this coast, and every photo on the site is one we took ourselves. Each town page shows when we were last there.

Our promise

• Real places, real photos. Every photo you see was taken in the place itself, with no stock imagery.
• Honest and local. We write about the beaches, the walks, the creek and the catch the way a local would describe them to a friend.
• Useful first. Where to stay, how to get there, when to go, and what not to miss, all in one place.

How we keep the lights on

top7stays is free to read. In time, some of our "where to stay" links will be affiliate links. If you book through one, we may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. You can read our full affiliate disclosure any time.

Spotted something out of date, or know a stay we should feature? We'd love to hear from you. Get in touch.