Jonah's
Style Conservative coastal meets loved-up luxe
Setting Breathtaking Northern Beach cliff-top
Perched high on the clifftop above Whale Beach, facing straight out to sea, Jonah’s is the closest thing to old-fashioned Hollywood glamour in Australia. A classically sophisticated and private ocean retreat, this boutique hotel on the Northern Beaches peninsula has hosted real and rock-star royalty for decades. Put the roof down, get your sunglasses on and drive up from Sydney in less than a hour. Or just hail a seaplane...
Need to know
- Rooms 11, including the plush Executive Ocean Retreat.
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Rates
Double rooms from $511.76 (AU$526), excluding tax at 10 per cent.
Prices have been converted from the hotel's local currency (AU$526), via XE.com, using today's exchange rate.
- More details Rates include breakfast. Friday and Saturday night rates also include dinner.
- Facilities Free WiFi throughout, DVD library, gardens. In rooms: DVD/CD player, iPod dock, flatscreen TV, Foxtel, minibar, free bottled water, Jacuzzi spa bath, Bulgari toiletries, private balcony.
- Poolside Jonah's has a heated outdoor swimming pool overlooking the ocean; you can also try one of the classic ocean-side saltwater pools dotted along the Northern Beaches.
- Check-out 10.30am. Earliest check-in, 2pm.
- Children Children are welcome and catered for with a kid's menu in the restaurant. Babysitting by staff is also available with a couple of days notice (AU$20 an hour), as are infant cots (AU$25). More...
- Also Make an entrance and arrive by seaplane. The 12-minute flight starts at Sydney's Rose Bay, takes in iconic Harbour views and circles around Barrenjoey Lighthouse before landing on Pittwater. Jonah's will be at the jetty to take your bags.
Food and drink at Jonah's
- Hotel restaurant Southern European-influenced, seasonal cuisine best describes Spanish-born chef Alfonso Ales' food at this award-winning fine-dining destination, which reflects Jonah's sensational seaside location. Happily, it's seafood all the way – try the fresh-caught oysters or grilled scallops with Jerusalem artichoke and braised leeks for an entrée, then indulge in a main dish of ocean trout with squid ink ravioli. Decor is smart and simple – why compete with the Pacific?
- Dress code For bustling Sunday lunch stay smart-casual and show off the tan. At night, offset with pearls for the girls and maybe even a cravat for the chaps.
- Top table With over 100 covers, you could argue Jonah's was the original 'restaurant with rooms'. To keep it intimate, get a table on the terrace, or nab one of the six window tables. Three booths at the back of the restaurant afford a bit more privacy.
- Last orders An earlyish 9pm for dinner. But the bracing sea air will have made you sleepy anyway.
- Room service From 9am to 9pm a selection of light meals are available in your room.
- Hotel bar Jonah's bar is one of the few places in the hotel not facing the ocean, so there's a cosier, clubbier feel. Walls are lined with pictures from the hotel's earlier years (it opened for business is 1929) and the sofas are soft and deep. The bar stays open till 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays, and 10pm on Sundays.
Also worth knowing
- Weddings This property is suitable for weddings. More...
Jonah's Jonah's, Whale Beach 69 Bynya Road Whale Beach NSW 2108, Northern Beaches, 2108
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Smith extra at Jonah's
A Jonah's antipasto plate to be enjoyed at your leisure
In the know
Our favourite rooms
It's pretty hard to go past the Executive Ocean Retreat, for that little extra bit of elevation and space – not to mention the naughty but nice double shower – but all the rooms at Jonah's look straight out to the ocean, feature king-size beds, private balconies, heated limestone bathroom floors and a 'Jacuzzi with views'. Styling is restrained, if not conservative, but you're not here to pick up designer furniture or feature-wallpaper tips. You're here to eat like royalty, be looked after like TomKat and wonder what kind of God creates sand, surf and scenery so beautiful. All rooms have block-out blinds for lazy sleep-ins if the indulgence or existentialism gets too much.
Packing tips
Grace Kelly sunglasses for Mrs Smith, Cary Grant hair product for Mr Smith.
Also
It's not called Whale Beach for nothing. Come during winter and be pretty sure of spotting any number of Humpback whales as they migrate north to warmer waters; they head back south from September-November. Southern Right Whales, dolphins, albatrosses and other winter birds also knock about during all these times. Play Moby Dick with a martini and watch them from your private balcony.
