Where to Stay in Coffs Harbour
Five places to sleep, which end of town suits which trip, and what each costs against the others
For one night on the coast drive, stay at the Jetty end. Park once, walk out to Muttonbird Island as the light goes, and walk back to dinner on the Jetty Strip. It has few hotels, so book early, and if it is full, stay at Park Beach, a walk away along the foreshore.
If you want something else from the stop:
- A surf beach patrolled every day of the year — Park Beach.
- A resort, a pool and a beach at the door — the northern beaches.
- A village with cafés, and a slower pace — Sawtell.
- The lowest price, and a car for everything — the city centre and highway strip.
Our Sydney to Brisbane road trip gives Coffs Harbour one night, as a staging post with a good walk attached. If you can add a second, the rainforest at Dorrigo is the reason.
We have driven through Coffs Harbour but have not stayed there, so this page is researched. Every place we name is one we would look at, not one we have stayed in, and each was checked on its own website on the date given.
Areas, prices and places to stay reviewed 25 September 2026.
How the areas compare
| Area | First visit | Nightlife | Families | Transport | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Jetty & foreshore | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | $ |
| Park Beach | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | $ |
| Northern beaches | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | $$ |
| Sawtell | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | $ |
| City centre & highway strip | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | $ |
The stars are a quick read across the qualities most travellers weigh up — more stars means a stronger fit for that quality, not “better” overall. Price is shown as a band rather than stars, since cheaper isn’t a virtue in itself.
Price positions are relative to the other areas in this table, not market rates. They come from 48 properties in and around Coffs Harbour, 42 of them in these five areas, with a live rate for one night, two adults, Tuesday 24 November 2026, read on 25 September 2026 and assigned to an area by the property’s own location. The Jetty end (2 properties) and Sawtell (2) rest on small samples. On the same night, measured the same way, the typical price in every one of these five areas was below Nelson Bay’s in Port Stephens, and well below Byron Bay’s town centre.
Where the areas are
The Jetty end sits beside the harbour, with the breakwall running out to Muttonbird Island. Park Beach is just to its north, past the mouth of Coffs Creek. The northern beaches run on up the coast from Diggers Beach to Moonee. Sawtell is to the south, past the airport. The city centre is inland, on the Pacific Highway.
A guide to each area
The Jetty & foreshore
$ · best for one nightWhy stay here?
For one night on the coast drive, this is the answer. The Jetty end puts you within walking distance of the breakwall to Muttonbird Island, the jetty itself and the restaurants on the Jetty Strip along Harbour Drive, so the evening needs no car. The catch is that it has very few hotels: our price sample found only two bookable places here. Most of the beds at this end are apartments and holiday rentals, so look at those too.
Good for
- One night, with the car parked
- Muttonbird Island at dusk
- Dinner on the Jetty Strip, on foot
Watch for
- Very few listed hotels: two in our sample
- Book early: the choice runs out first here
If you sleep at the Jetty end, walk out along the jetty early, before the town is up. It was built in 1892 for ships loading timber, and the boards under your feet run a long way out over the water. Stop near the end and look back at the town and the forested hills behind it, then east to Muttonbird Island at the end of the breakwall. Then stand for a while and let the town wait.
Park Beach
$ · the patrolled surf beachWhy stay here?
Park Beach is the town’s main surf beach, and the council patrols it every day of the year. Behind it is the biggest cluster of motels and apartments near the water: eleven places in our sample, at the same typical price as the Jetty end. It is close enough to walk to the Jetty Strip along the foreshore, which makes it the best second choice for a single night, and the better one if you want to swim.
Good for
- A swim on a beach patrolled all year
- The widest choice near the water: 11 places in our sample
- Walking to the Jetty for dinner
Watch for
- A walk of some length to the Jetty and the island
- Motels rather than anything grander
Northern beaches
$$ · the resorts and the top endWhy stay here?
North of Park Beach, from Diggers Beach and Charlesworth Bay up through Korora and Sapphire Beach to Moonee, the coast is a string of smaller beaches and resorts. This is the top end of the market: the dearest places in our sample were here, and the area’s typical price was the highest of the five. It suits two nights or more, a family that wants a pool and a beach at the door, or a special night. For anything else, you will drive.
Good for
- A resort with the beach at the door
- Families staying a few nights
- The Forest Sky Pier, in the hills behind
Watch for
- A drive into town for dinner and the island
- The highest prices in Coffs Harbour
Sawtell
$ · the village to the southWhy stay here?
Sawtell is a small village fifteen minutes south, with cafés and restaurants along First Avenue under old fig trees, a patrolled beach and Boambee Creek for kayaks and paddleboards. It is a place to stay rather than a place to pass through, and it puts you on the right side of town for Bellingen and Dorrigo. Our sample found only two bookable places here, so look at holiday rentals as well.
Good for
- A slower stay of two nights or more
- Walking to dinner in a village
- An early start for Bellingen and Dorrigo
Watch for
- A drive of fifteen minutes to the Jetty and the island
- Few bookable places: two in our sample
City centre & highway strip
$ · the cheapest motelsWhy stay here?
The largest group of places to book in Coffs Harbour is the motels on the Pacific Highway through the city centre: seventeen of the forty-eight in our sample, and among the cheapest. They are convenient for the airport and for leaving early. But the water is a drive away, and our road trip tells you to avoid them for exactly that reason. Take one if price matters most, or if everything else is full.
Good for
- The lowest prices
- The widest choice: 17 places in our sample
- An early start or an early flight
Watch for
- A drive to the beaches, the Jetty and the island
- Highway traffic outside the door
Before you book
Our guide to accommodation in Australia covers what applies everywhere: how prices are shown, deposits and card holds, check-in times and accessible rooms. What follows applies to Coffs Harbour only.
What kind of place you will find
Coffs Harbour is a holiday coast with a working city behind it, and most of what you can book is motels, self-contained apartments and holiday parks, with a handful of resorts on the northern beaches. In our sample, the motels were concentrated in two places: along the highway through the city centre, and behind Park Beach. The Jetty end and Sawtell had very few bookable places, and there, holiday rentals are worth a look alongside the listings. Unlike Byron Bay, Coffs Harbour has no state cap on the number of nights a holiday house can be let.
When it fills up
The pressure comes in the school holidays and around major events. The region’s own visitor guide advises booking months ahead for those periods, and says holiday parks set minimum stays over the peak. Check the New South Wales school calendar for your dates. If you want a single night in the holidays, check the terms before you look at the price.
Late arrivals and the highway works
Several of the places we name do not give reception hours on their sites. If you are arriving after dark, check how you collect your key before you set off. The Coffs Harbour bypass is still being finished, with traffic restrictions expected until the end of 2026, so allow extra time on the highway through town and check Live Traffic NSW on the day.
Parking
On the coast drive you arrive with a car, and at the Jetty end the whole point is to park it once and walk. So before you book, check that the place has its own parking and whether it charges for it, rather than assuming a space on the street. Ask in particular at apartments and holiday rentals, where the arrangements vary most.
Getting between the areas
The Jetty end and Park Beach are close enough to walk between along the foreshore. For Sawtell, the northern beaches and the city centre you will want a car, and on the coast drive you already have one. If you arrive by air or train without one, stay at the Jetty end or Park Beach, the two areas where the water and the restaurants are on foot.
If Coffs Harbour is full
Our price sample picked up six places outside the five areas: holiday parks and bed-and-breakfasts at Emerald Beach and Lake Russell to the north, and at Bonville inland to the south. As a group they were no cheaper than the town, but they can rescue a late booking. The region’s visitor guide also suggests Woolgoolga, twenty-five minutes north, for a quieter, longer stay.
If you want only one thing from the night
If it is the island and the jetty, stay at the Jetty end. If it is a swim, stay at Park Beach. If it is a resort, stay on the northern beaches. If it is a village, stay in Sawtell. Everything else in Coffs Harbour is a short drive from all four.
A final word on staying in Coffs Harbour
For one night, sleep at the Jetty end and leave the car, or at Park Beach if the Jetty is full. For two, Sawtell gives you a village and a slower pace, and the northern beaches give a family a resort and a beach of its own. If price matters most, the highway motels are the cheapest beds in town, but you will drive to everything.
Andrew + Margaret
- Coffs Harbour Overview
- Where to eat in Coffs Harbour Practical
- Sydney to Brisbane road trip Journeys
- Accommodation in Australia Practical
- Where to stay in Byron Bay Practical
- Coffs Coast — accommodation guide Practical
- City of Coffs Harbour — patrolled beaches Safety
- NSW Education — school holiday dates Official
- Live Traffic NSW Practical