Staying at the Best Western Kalbarri Edge Resort, Western Australia

Kalbarri Bay in Western Australia. Photo / Stephanie Holmes

Location: The beachside town of Kalbarri, Western Australia — about 600km north of Perth. The hotel is on Porter St, about two blocks from the beach.

Getting there: A long drive but in total comfort. I was travelling with AAT Kings and this was one of our overnight stops on the way back to Perth.

Check-in experience: Incredibly easy, thanks to pre-arranged check-in. All we needed to do was get off the coach, pick up our key from the waiting Kalbarri Edge staff member and find our rooms. No forms to fill in, no credit card or passport details to hand over.

Room: A ground-floor room with a double bed and single bed, kitchenette with microwave, decent-sized bathroom and wall-mounted TV with Foxtel channels. Ideal for an overnight stay.

Complimentary Wi-Fi: Yes. Unlimited, fast and reliable.

Bed: Incredibly comfortable, with quality pillows. I slept very well, even though this was the fourth bed in which I'd slept in five nights.

View: Nothing to write home about — just across the courtyard to the other units across the way.

Bathroom: Basic but functional. A large shower cubicle, sink, and toilet. Good water pressure in the shower, even though the fixtures seemed relatively old.

Toiletries: Romy lemongrass and mint aromatherapy range.

Food and beverage: Tea and coffee making facilities provided in-room, and a restaurant on site. I didn't have high expectations as Kalbarri is a small town in the middle of a large, remote state. But our group dinner was excellent. We had a set menu, with three options to choose from for entree, main and dinner. I had vegetable spring rolls with soy and chilli dipping sauce, crispy skin salmon with cauliflower puree, toasted almonds and grilled asparagus, and a panna cotta with wild berry sauce. Everything was delicious, and the kitchen coped remarkably well with our group of 30, with everyone served at the same time.

The breakfast buffet was average, but plenty of options to choose from, including an interesting automatic pancake-making machine — just press a button, wait a few minutes and out pops a fluffy pancake, the size of your palm.

Entertainment: There's a swimming pool and giant chess set on site, a bar and restaurant, and TVs with Foxtel in every room. The resort is very close to the beach, and not far from some great hiking in Kalbarri National Park.

Perfect for: Breaking up a long journey along Western Australia's epic coastline.

In a nutshell: Comfortable and capable.