The hotel, which has a history spanning from the 1930s, and its cafe was bought by publican Andrew Lazarus from The Eastern Group in 2016. On Tuesday, February 27 the new look Shoal Bay Country Club was unveiled with a launch party.

“We are really honoured to have taken over the iconic Shoal Bay Country Club,” Mr Lazarus said.

“With history dating back to 1930s, locals and tourists alike have loved the venue and made memories here for many years.”

“We wanted to reignite this passion with the refurb and bring something fresh and exciting to the Port Stephens area whilst ensuring the hotel’s history has been preserved.”

Shoal Bay Country Club, part of the 158-apartment Ramada Hotel, was owned by the McPhee family for 30 years.

The family listed the hotel for sale in August 2016. It was not on the market for long, with Mr Lazarus snapping it up in November that year. 

Shortly after, work on a major refurbishment project to breath new life into the outdated establishment began.

The idea behind the renovations was to restore the club back to its former glory. Much of the hotel’s original 1950s features were reinstated, but with modern improvements.

The former Sandy Foot Cafe, now Mermaids Cafe, was relocated to inside the hotel which also features a public bar, sports bar, outdoor courtyard, cocktail bar, live music auditorium, ladies cane lounge, gaming room, children’s play area with interactive games, cafe serving breakfast, a late-night dessert bar and juice bar.

Executive chef Atick Elahi, with help from Port Stephens and Hunter suppliers, has created an extensive menu that supports local agriculture and caters for a wide customer demographic.

“We have created a menu with a wide variety of culinary styles to enable us to cater from breakfast through to those late-night dessert cravings,” Mr Elahi said.

“With 732 seats in the venue and a capacity of over 2000 standing, we want to create an atmosphere that adheres to a wide variety of tastebuds and socialising preferences.”

More than 400 people turned out to the official launch on Tuesday. In a further nod to the club’s past, ladies dressed in 1950’s style bathing costumes took photos with guests to the launch.

Speaking at the launch, Mr Lazarus announced the club would offer sponsorship to Port Stephens sports team in addition to supporting the Sporting Hope Association and Yacaaba Centre.

Money raised from the club’s new membership scheme, $10 to receive 10 per cent off food and beverages, will go to the two Port Stephens organisations.

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