You may have seen the incomparable ocean views from the restaurant in dreamy Instagram posts, or pictured yourself sitting on the deck, sipping Champagne and whale spotting. If that’s the case, this new experience from iconic Northern Beaches hotel and restaurant Jonah’s may just be for you. 

I headed to Jonah’s to try out the newly launched Stay & Play package and see for myself if I could find true relaxation without getting on a flight. The experience begins with a 10.30am arrival to the hotel for a baggage drop and, had the weather been playing ball, a short trip to Palm Beach Wharf for an afternoon cruise across Pittwater with local company Taylor Made Escapes. Unfortunately the weather was gale-force winds of a dangerous scale, so we had to enjoy our Jonah’s picnic of cured meats, cheeses, olives, smoked salmon wraps and leafy salads on the hotel deck rather than on the Beneteau Oceanis Yacht. The Bollinger we would have sipped while gliding across the glassy water is also there for us to enjoy on dry land, so all is certainly not lost. 

Once we’ve indulged, the good news is our cruise has been replaced by in-room massages (which you can also add to your package if you do get to embark on the cruise – and I say, why not?). Listening to the waves crash in the background and drifting off to sleep certainly more than once, I am already starting to get the hang of this relaxation thing. 

We’re staying in an ocean retreat room and we have all afternoon to now enjoy it. I clock the Jacuzzi bath in the spacious bathroom immediately – that’s one for the afternoon’s to-do list. The light-filled room with well-stocked mini bar and luxurious beds is inviting, but it’s the balcony that grabs my attention and I spend a good hour here reading my book, enjoying the warmth of the sun, the light breeze and the endless ocean views. 

Following a blissful afternoon, it’s time for dinner at Jonah’s renowned restaurant. A succinct but cater-for-all menu makes it difficult to decide, but I opt for a spanner crab and prawn oil casarecce pasta to begin – al dente pasta with beautifully succulent crab. Moving on, I can’t go past the veal, crumbed Milanese style and served simply with cherry tomatoes and grilled lemon. It doesn’t disappoint, and nor do the chips we’ve ordered on the side. A bottle of 2015 Marcel Deiss Alsace helps everything go down smoothly, so smoothly in fact that when we finish by squeezing in dessert of lemon tart, I just about roll to my room.

A deep, comfortable sleep is followed by breakfast once again in the Jonah’s dining room. This morning the blue of the sky and the ocean almost blend into one – the view from here is truly dazzling, and I could stare out of these windows all day. I tear my gaze away and to the menu, and order the ocean trout with potato hash and poached eggs along with fresh fruit, yoghurt and a croissant for good measure. This. Is. The. Life.

As we pull out of the driveway to take on the much-needed Barrenjoey lighthouse walk after all this indulgence, I’m struck by how easy it was to feel so completely relaxed so soon after leaving the city. I make a mental note to return as soon as possible.

The Stay & Play package is from $898 per person twin share. Visit jonahs.com.au for more information and to book.