Winter Swimming Weeks
Three nights in the coldest, emptiest, best part of the year, when the beach belongs to the people who live here.
From $930 · 3 nightsDetail
Bondi Beach, New South Wales
Eighteen rooms above the north end of Bondi.
A 1936 building on the hill at Ramsgate Avenue, four minutes' walk from the sand. A dining room that seats thirty-eight. No conference facilities, no lobby music.
The house
Built in 1936 as flats. A hotel since 2021.
Bondi Casa is a Spanish Mission block halfway up Ramsgate Avenue, of the kind that went up all over the eastern beaches between the wars and mostly got knocked down after them. Thick walls, deep window reveals, a tiled courtyard in the middle, and arches on the ground floor that were bricked up in 1974 and reopened when the building became a hotel.
There are eighteen rooms across three floors, a dining room called Sal off the courtyard, and a plunge pool and sauna where the laundry block used to be. The beach is four minutes downhill and considerably longer coming back.
About the building- Rooms18
- Built1936, reopened 2021
- Walk to the beach4 minutes
- Bondi to Bronte walk9 minutes to the trailhead
- Bondi Junction10 minutes by car
- Sydney Airport30 minutes
Rooms
Four categories, from the courtyard to the roofline.
Courtyard Room
The smallest rooms in the building, facing the tiled courtyard rather than the water. Quiet, dark at night, and the best value we have.
From $310 AUD · sleeps 2 · 26 m²
Ocean Room
East-facing, with a partial view over the rooftops to the north end of the beach. Sunrise arrives early and without asking.
From $430 AUD · sleeps 2 · 32 m²
Terrace Suite
Corner suites on the top floor with a separate sitting room and an uninterrupted line down the beach to Icebergs.
From $690 AUD · sleeps 3 · 48 m²
Casa Loft
One loft, under the roof, with two bedrooms and a kitchen. Booked months ahead over summer.
From $980 AUD · sleeps 4 · 72 m²
Dining
Sal
Thirty-eight seats, one room, a menu that changes when the fish does. Open to non-residents for dinner Wednesday to Sunday.
The dining roomOffers
Three ways to stay longer than a weekend.
The Long Table
A night in the house and dinner downstairs at Sal, which is the reason a fair number of people book in the first place.
From $495 · 1 nightDetail
The Slow Week
A week is long enough to stop treating Bondi as a beach and start treating it as a street you live on. Priced accordingly.
From $1740 · 7 nightsDetail
Journal
Bondi, without the brochure.
When to visit Bondi, honestly
January is the worst month to come and the most expensive. Here is what each part of the year actually looks like.
Getting to Bondi from Sydney Airport
Three ways in, and the one everybody gets wrong. What each actually costs in time and money.
Walking Bondi to Bronte
Six kilometres, two hours if you stop, and the single best thing to do here that costs nothing.
Where to swim at Bondi
Between the flags, in the pools, or not at all. Bondi's rip is famous for a reason.
Common questions
Where exactly is Bondi Casa?
27 Ramsgate Avenue, North Bondi, up the hill at the northern end of the beach. It is four minutes on foot to the sand at the north end, and nine to the start of the Bondi to Bronte coastal walk at the other end of the promenade.
What is the best time of year to visit Bondi?
February and March: the water is at its warmest and the summer crowds have gone back to school. April to May and September to November are the quiet shoulders, with rates about a third below peak. January is the busiest and most expensive month of the year.
Does Bondi Casa have a restaurant?
Yes. Sal is the ground-floor dining room, thirty-eight seats, open for dinner Wednesday to Sunday and to house guests for breakfast every day from 7am. Non-resident bookings open thirty days ahead.
How far is Bondi Casa from Sydney Airport?
About 30 minutes by taxi or rideshare without traffic, and up to 50 with it. Expect $55 to $75. By public transport it is a train to Central, a change to Bondi Junction and then a bus — roughly an hour, and fine only with hand luggage.
Where is it safe to swim at Bondi?
Between the flags, which the lifeguards move each morning depending on conditions. The permanent rip at the southern end is the most rescued-from stretch of water in Australia. If the surf is up, use the ocean pools instead — North Bondi's is free, Icebergs charges entry.