Where to stay in Great Ocean Road
Going on a road-trip on the Great Ocean Road? Check out the best and most practical locations and towns for accommodation.
Where to stay on the Great Ocean Road
Choose a location for accommodation based on how long you plan to be on the Great Ocean Road.
View hotel prices and availability
Itinerary for 1 night
If you don't have time to spare, 2 days is the minimum possible time to travel to Great Ocean Road.
In this case, your main destination will probably be clear - the magical coastline of the Twelve Apostles, which is the number 1 attraction in the entire region.
Ideally, stay in or near the town of Port Campbell if you prefer accommodation in the countryside.
Our tips for hotels
Right in the centre of Port Campbell, you can stay at these two superbly rated hotels:
The closest accommodation to the coast is ) Twelve Apostles Motel & Country Retreat ***.
3 night itinerary
A trip of 3 nights and 4 full days is an ideal option if you want to see all the essentials, but don't have enough time in Australia to spend most of it in one region.
In 4 days you'll be able to visit all the interesting places, but you won't miss any full-day or multi-day walking tours.
Most travelers go to and from Melbourne.
We'd choose to go all the way down the coast there and come back through the interesting and considerably less touristy interior.
Ideal one night stops on the way there are the towns of Lorne or Apollo Bay.
- Lorne - a smaller town with a beautiful beach and hiking opportunities in the surrounding forests. We would recommend these hotels:
- Apollo Bay - the most popular and largest resort in the entire region with a beautiful beach, views and many restaurants and shops. The attractive Cape Otway Lighthouse is also close by. Our hotel tips:
The next night we would definitely choose to stay at the aforementioned Port Campbell, which is the main resort on the Twelve Apostles coast:
You won't encounter any major towns on the way back inland. We'd opt for accommodation in the villages of Lavers Hill or Beech Forest, where you'll find places like these superbly-rated private apartments:
It can easily happen that there is no accommodation available in the outback for your dates. If this is the case, it is ideal to stay again in Apollo Bay, from where you can continue further inland by taking the main road towards Forrest or the gravel Bins Road (passable for all types of cars) towards Beech Forest.
Itinerary for 6 nights
A week-long trip on the Great Ocean Road is ideal for when you want to combine a road-trip with day hikes.
You'll have plenty of time to explore more places.
We would recommend spreading out your accommodation to the following cities:
- Torquay - a surfing resort with beautiful beaches and quality hotels
- 1 night
- 10 best hotels in Torquay
- Lorne - a lovely town with beaches and nice walking trails nearby, perfect for 1 full day
- Apollo Bay - largest town on the Great Ocean Road, beautiful beach, Cape Otway lighthouse nearby
- 1 night
- Top rated motels in Apollo Bay
- Port Campbell - the main resort on the coast of the Twelve Apostles
- 2 nights
- Book a motel in Port Campbell
- Beech Forest - anywhere in the vicinity of this inland village is a great place to stay on your way back to Melbourne
Hotel prices and when to book
Accommodation prices along Great Ocean Road are dependent on the season.
During the peak season from December to February, a typical night in a motel with a full suite is around 200 aud when booked at least 2 months in advance.
During this period in particular, we recommend booking accommodation at least 2-4 months in advance, especially for weekend days.
It is ideal to choose a reservation with the possibility of cancellation free of charge and keep checking the accommodation prices. It is likely that prices will only increase in high season, but it may still happen that capacity becomes available or new accommodation opens up at a lower price.
Off-season prices range between 130 aud and 200 aud, and in this case it is often the case that last-minute bargains will appear.
If you are travelling to the Great Ocean Road between March and November, it is definitely worth booking 2-3 months in advance with free cancellation and checking intensively for price reductions about 2-4 weeks before your trip and possibly cancelling your original booking and booking new accommodation.
Book a hotel on Great Ocean Road
Where we stayed - our tips
Finally, we add our personal experiences of where we have stayed during our stays on Great Ocean Road.
Sandpiper Motel Apollo Bay ****
We have stayed at the Apollo Bay twice. The first stay we chose this hotel with free parking mainly for the good value for money.
The motel is located about a 5 minute walk from the main street and beach, but in a very quiet area. At night there is no road noise at all.
View rates and availability - Sandpiper Motel
The rooms are standard hotel type, spacious, clean and with fridge, kettle, coffee, tea and basic utensils.
The front desk may not be open 24/7, but if you arrive after hours, you'll have your room keys ready in an envelope at the front desk.
The Apollo ****
For our second stay on our return trip, we chose The Apollo, a motel with an underground parking garage.
The hotel is located right on the main road with the beach literally a 1 minute walk from the front desk. However, all the rooms have windows facing the side streets and the noise from the road does not penetrate.
The rooms are generally medium sized, clean and with a nice big bathroom.
Room amenities are limited to a fridge, kettle and basic crockery.
View rates and availability - The Apollo
Southern Motor Ocean Inn ****
The largest motel in Port Campbell, the closest town to the 12 Apostles coast, we chose this motel for its good rates, great access to downtown and nearby natural attractions, and spacious rooms.
We spent 2 nights here.
The motel has free parking right outside the hotel rooms. You can park practically right outside the door.
It is located in a quiet part of Port Campbell 2 minutes walk from the beach and downtown with shops and restaurants.
The rooms are quite large, clean and well maintained.
You will find a fridge, microwave, good crockery, kettle, coffee, tea and milk.
Any questions left?
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