We’re regular visitors to the Port Macquarie region and we’ve stayed in a variety of apartments and houses in the area over the last 20 odd years. I’ve always been keen to stay in Northpoint Apartments because of its ideal location and incredible views but it’s usually been booked out well in advance. Finally we had the opportunity to stay there earlier this year and what a great spot it is. Located right in the heart of town and an easy level walk or wheel to the waterfront and shopping, makes it our new favourite place to stay. We booked last minute and only secured accommodation by being flexible in dates and increasing our budget to stay in the three bedroom non-accessible penthouse apartment (BJ prefers a bath) but we took the opportunity to check out the accessible apartment while we were there.
ACCESSIBLE THREE BEDROOM APARTMENT AT NORTHPOINT APARTMENTS
We thoroughly enjoyed our stay at Northpoint Apartments, not only is it in a fabulous location, but the units are equipped with all we needed for a week’s stay. We even had friendly neighbours. Early on in our stay we discovered one of our Have Wheelchair Will Travel readers, and her husband, live in the apartment block which resulted in wine, nibbles and great laughs on our balcony one evening. It was such a great stay we tried to book again for the next holidays but sadly, ‘our’ apartment was already taken. I’m sharing a glimpse of the penthouse apartment in the video below but writing the review on the accessible apartment.
Northpoint Apartment 806 has been fitted out to be accessible within the existing structure of the building, which means the front door has not changed in width. By the marks on the door I’d say many a power wheelchair has just scraped in the 745mm wide doorway.
Once inside the apartment there’s good circulation space in the lounge area and plenty of seating for a family or someone travelling with friends.
A large main bedroom has a king-size bed and good circulation space. Bed height is 61cm and an under bed clearance of 13cm. 
A large walk-in/roll-in wardrobe and ensuite is attached to the main bedroom. The ensuite is not wheelchair accessible with a narrow doorway and a glass enclosed small shower. A wheelchair user would need to use the main bathroom.
A second bedroom is close to the accessible bathroom and is furnished with two single beds. Bed height and clearance is the same as the main bedroom.
Lever taps, lightweight grab rails, a shower chair and commode is provided in the main bathroom.
The bathroom sink is a little high at 93cm but does have room underneath for access.
The toilet height is 44cm and 43cm to the pan.
A full size fridge, oven and microwave makes self-catering easy in the well equipped kitchen.
It’s rare to find an accessible apartment with an accessible balcony, let alone one with a view. Northpoint Apartment 806 has both. There’s no lip to the balcony and the verandah door has a 1.2 metre clearance.
An internal laundry in the apartment allows guests to keep on top of washing while away.
VIDEO TOUR OF NORTHPOINT APARTMENTS’ ACCESSIBLE APARTMENT & PENTHOUSE
A video usually provides a better idea of the layout of an apartment so I’ve provided a walk through tour of both the accessible apartment described above and the penthouse three bedroom apartment we stayed in. Excuse breathless me narrating the video, I’m always in a hurry with either the family or hotel staff waiting at the door. In this case it was both! I also get the room number wrong in the video walk through. Please note there is only one accessible apartment and it’s 806.
FACILITIES
BJ wasn’t keen on having a dip in the pool but AJ and our friends had a great afternoon swimming. There was room around the pool for BJ and I to sit comfortably to watch on.
Ramp access is available to the fenced pool area. Access to the water is via steps.
A large outdoor entertaining area with barbecues is available for guest use.
PARKING
Northpoint Apartments provide secure parking for guests with a car park height restriction of 2 metres. There is an accessible parking space in the secure parking area. Street parking, including an accessible parking space, is available out front depending on local demand.
LOCATION
As I’ve mentioned earlier in this review, while we love the accommodation at Northpoint Apartments, the location was the initial selling point. We love nothing more than wheeling out the door for a morning or evening walk and being so close to the break wall and waterfront allowed us to do that easily every day.
The location of the apartments is ideal for accessing many of the local attractions.
You can read more about Northpoint Apartments on their website.
You can read about the accessible beaches near Northpoint Apartments here.
If you’re visiting Port Macquarie, don’t forget to pop in to the Koala Hospital.
A trip to Port Macquarie wouldn’t be complete for our kids without a visit to Pancake Place. It’s a Port Macquarie institution and a place I’ve visited since I was a child – so that’s a long time! BJ highly recommends the banana and caramel pancakes with a strawberry milkshake (on occasion two milkshakes have been necessary as they are sooooo good). AJ and I enjoy the berry pancake and Hubby is decadent chocolate all the way.
We paid in full for our stay at Northpoint Apartments but enjoy sharing any good finds with our Have Wheelchair Will Travel community.
