A retro surf motel reborn beside one of Australia's legendary point breaks
A retro surf motel reborn beside one of Australia's legendary point breaks
Four and a half hours north of Sydney, the drive follows the Pacific Highway before turning onto scenic country roads where the landscape opens toward the ocean. Crescent Head is a small town, home to one of Australia’s best longboard waves and a coastline declared a National Surfing Reserve.
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Four and a half hours north of Sydney, the drive follows the Pacific Highway before turning onto scenic country roads where the landscape opens toward the ocean. Crescent Head is a small town, home to one of Australia’s best longboard waves and a coastline declared a National Surfing Reserve.
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Sea Sea Hotel opened in 2024 a few hundred metres from that break, transforming a 1980s brick motel on Pacific Street. Gorrow Studio, the husband-and-wife practice of George Gorrow and Cisco Tschurtschenthaler, spent over two and a half years converting it. They kept the original bones: high-pitched roofs, exposed brick, long rafters, skylights. The street boundary was removed so the hotel feels part of the town. They added a 20-metre pool, communal areas and more than 3,000 native plants. The aesthetic celebrates decades of Australian coastal road trips and surf cabins, with art and objects collected over the years, including photography by some of surfing greats including Peter Crawford, and Alby Falzon.
The result is a 25-room boutique with its own 24-hour radio channel curated by Reverberation Radio, a revolving programme of music events and art exhibitions, surfboards selected by Wild Things Gallery, and a dining room grounded in Macleay Valley produce. In 2026, TIME named it one of the World’s Greatest Places.
Sea Sea Hotel opened in 2024 a few hundred metres from that break, transforming a 1980s brick motel on Pacific Street. Gorrow Studio, the husband-and-wife practice of George Gorrow and Cisco Tschurtschenthaler, spent over two and a half years converting it. They kept the original bones: high-pitched roofs, exposed brick, long rafters, skylights. The street boundary was removed so the hotel feels part of the town. They added a 20-metre pool, communal areas and more than 3,000 native plants. The aesthetic celebrates decades of Australian coastal road trips and surf cabins, with art and objects collected over the years, including photography by some of surfing greats including Peter Crawford, and Alby Falzon.
The result is a 25-room boutique with its own 24-hour radio channel curated by Reverberation Radio, a revolving programme of music events and art exhibitions, surfboards selected by Wild Things Gallery, and a dining room grounded in Macleay Valley produce. In 2026, TIME named it one of the World’s Greatest Places.
Rooms
Each room opens fully to a patio and garden through stacking windows, dissolving the line between inside and out. Skylights fill the spaces with that particular New South Wales light. The fit-out is a deliberate take on the retro motel aesthetic: leather lounge chairs, vintage speakers that double as bedside tables, and polygon-shaped light sconces hand-carved by American artist Aleph Geddis.
Five categories are available: Studios (35sqm), Suites (44sqm), Two-Bedroom Suites (65sqm), a Family Suite (two connected rooms totalling 79sqm), and the Villa (88sqm with a private pool, and three bathrooms). All rooms have air conditioning, king or queen beds, and progressive mini-bars.
Each room opens fully to a patio and garden through stacking windows, dissolving the line between inside and out. Skylights fill the spaces with that particular New South Wales light. The fit-out is a deliberate take on the retro motel aesthetic: leather lounge chairs, vintage speakers that double as bedside tables, and polygon-shaped light sconces hand-carved by American artist Aleph Geddis.
Five categories are available: Studios (35sqm), Suites (44sqm), Two-Bedroom Suites (65sqm), a Family Suite (two connected rooms totalling 79sqm), and the Villa (88sqm with a private pool, and three bathrooms). All rooms have air conditioning, king or queen beds, and progressive mini-bars.
Food & Drinks
The kitchen follows a “Sane Kitchen" approach: ingredient-led cooking shaped by the seasons, the Macleay Valley's produce, and seafood from nearby waters. It is in the hands of Chef Sarah Bregaglio who previously worked at Alain Ducasse in London, and Restaurant Hubert in Sydney.
The restaurant takes a casual fine-dining approach to international classics for lunch and dinner. Expect fresh, bold flavours: spaghettini alle vongole with bottarga, pink snapper in lobster broth, tiger prawns with curry butter. For something simpler, there is wood-fired pizza. Breakfast runs until 11am and is just as considered, from chargrilled sourdough to truffle scrambled eggs.
The drinks programme is held to the same standard, with a wine list curated by Mike Bennie, co-founder of P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants, their own Sea Sea Lager brewed locally in Macleay at Bucket Brewery, and a bar with a specialist selection of batch spirits, extractions and house tonics.
The kitchen follows a “Sane Kitchen" approach: ingredient-led cooking shaped by the seasons, the Macleay Valley's produce, and seafood from nearby waters. It is in the hands of Chef Sarah Bregaglio who previously worked at Alain Ducasse in London, and Restaurant Hubert in Sydney.
The restaurant takes a casual fine-dining approach to international classics for lunch and dinner. Expect fresh, bold flavours: spaghettini alle vongole with bottarga, pink snapper in lobster broth, tiger prawns with curry butter. For something simpler, there is wood-fired pizza. Breakfast runs until 11am and is just as considered, from chargrilled sourdough to truffle scrambled eggs.
The drinks programme is held to the same standard, with a wine list curated by Mike Bennie, co-founder of P&V Wine + Liquor Merchants, their own Sea Sea Lager brewed locally in Macleay at Bucket Brewery, and a bar with a specialist selection of batch spirits, extractions and house tonics.
Surfing
Crescent Head Point is the reason surfers come. A long, mellow right-hander that peels up to 400 metres on the right day. It works on all tides and, depending on conditions, suits all levels: fast and powerful on bigger swells, forgiving when it's small.
The National Surfing Reserve covers 3.5 kilometres of coastline either side of the Head. Goolawah Beach (also known as Back Beach) and Racecourse offer punchier, sandier options. Further along the coast, Delicate Nobby has beach breaks around its low reef, while Big Hill is a quieter sand-bottom point with open coastal views.
Sea Sea's rental fleet is curated by Andy Findlay of Wild Things Gallery in Byron Bay and stocks shapers like Gato Heroi, Dead Kooks, Neal Purchase Jr and Alex Knost's BMT. For beginners, the hotel refers guests to local surf schools.
The waves break year-round, with autumn and winter the most consistent, particularly May to August; summer tends to be smaller and more forgiving.
Crescent Head Point is the reason surfers come. A long, mellow right-hander that peels up to 400 metres on the right day. It works on all tides and, depending on conditions, suits all levels: fast and powerful on bigger swells, forgiving when it's small.
The National Surfing Reserve covers 3.5 kilometres of coastline either side of the Head. Goolawah Beach (also known as Back Beach) and Racecourse offer punchier, sandier options. Further along the coast, Delicate Nobby has beach breaks around its low reef, while Big Hill is a quieter sand-bottom point with open coastal views.
Sea Sea's rental fleet is curated by Andy Findlay of Wild Things Gallery in Byron Bay and stocks shapers like Gato Heroi, Dead Kooks, Neal Purchase Jr and Alex Knost's BMT. For beginners, the hotel refers guests to local surf schools.
The waves break year-round, with autumn and winter the most consistent, particularly May to August; summer tends to be smaller and more forgiving.
Activities
For wellness and recovery, Sea Sea has its own Scandinavian-style sauna and ice bath. On weekend mornings, guests can join poolside yoga classes. Those wanting a more extensive programme can use the hotel's partnership with Wattle Studios for yoga, barre, pilates and massage.
For on-site relaxation, there is a 20-metre pool, an audio lounge, a surf and souvenir shop, and a fireplace for slower moments. Beyond the amenities, Sea Sea is a creative hub in its own right. The hotel hosts an impressive year-round calendar of immersive art exhibits, music showcases and kitchen takeovers.
E-bikes with surf racks are available for checking the conditions and getting around town. The Big Nobby Walk takes in sweeping views over Crescent Head; Delicate Nobby, a rock-pool and snorkelling site in Goolawah Regional Park, is a short drive; and the Big Hill Rainforest Track opens onto the coastline, a good whale-watching point in winter and spring. Around 40 minutes away, Fish Rock Cave is one of Australia's best dive sites.
For wellness and recovery, Sea Sea has its own Scandinavian-style sauna and ice bath. On weekend mornings, guests can join poolside yoga classes. Those wanting a more extensive programme can use the hotel's partnership with Wattle Studios for yoga, barre, pilates and massage.
For on-site relaxation, there is a 20-metre pool, an audio lounge, a surf and souvenir shop, and a fireplace for slower moments. Beyond the amenities, Sea Sea is a creative hub in its own right. The hotel hosts an impressive year-round calendar of immersive art exhibits, music showcases and kitchen takeovers.
E-bikes with surf racks are available for checking the conditions and getting around town. The Big Nobby Walk takes in sweeping views over Crescent Head; Delicate Nobby, a rock-pool and snorkelling site in Goolawah Regional Park, is a short drive; and the Big Hill Rainforest Track opens onto the coastline, a good whale-watching point in winter and spring. Around 40 minutes away, Fish Rock Cave is one of Australia's best dive sites.
The People Behind
Australian designer George Gorrow co-founded the label Ksubi in Sydney in 2000 before moving into hospitality. Together with his wife, Cisco Tschurtschenthaler, an artist and ceramicist, he created The Slow in Bali. When it opened in 2016, it became a reference point for design-led, culture-first hospitality, back when Canggu was still a low-key surfer hideout. Sea Sea is their return to Australia, beside a wave Gorrow has called one of the best in the country, in a town with deep surf-culture roots. The retro surf-club-meets-hotel continues their approach: interior, exterior, brand, art, sound, food, surf and retail treated as one connected experience.
Australian designer George Gorrow co-founded the label Ksubi in Sydney in 2000 before moving into hospitality. Together with his wife, Cisco Tschurtschenthaler, an artist and ceramicist, he created The Slow in Bali. When it opened in 2016, it became a reference point for design-led, culture-first hospitality, back when Canggu was still a low-key surfer hideout. Sea Sea is their return to Australia, beside a wave Gorrow has called one of the best in the country, in a town with deep surf-culture roots. The retro surf-club-meets-hotel continues their approach: interior, exterior, brand, art, sound, food, surf and retail treated as one connected experience.
Booking
FROM
€195
(AUD$ 320)
per night
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
Save 10% this winter as a Surf Hideaways guest with the code HIDEAWAYS
FROM
€195
(AUD$ 320)
per night
THE SURF HIDEAWAYS ADVANTAGE
Save 10% this winter as a Surf Hideaways guest with the code HIDEAWAYS