![You can find a unique holiday experience in Port Macquarie-Hastings. You can find a unique holiday experience in Port Macquarie-Hastings.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/ppNWdZhTTkjhqMUVsrRSd4/1369878e-00cd-40e2-a428-e26cfe702a90.jpg/r0_77_577_486_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Ever wanted to have a staycation and sample the accommodation options in your own backyard?
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If so, there is no better time to seize the moment.
The area has all the accommodation styles covered from luxury glamping to camping, cottages, apartments, B&Bs, hotels, motels, resorts and more.
Greater Port Macquarie Tourism Association president Janette Hyde wants locals to have a staycation and support tourism-related businesses amid the pandemic.
![Smart choice: Ibis Styles Port Macquarie general manager Andrew Grinter encourages residents to support local businesses. Smart choice: Ibis Styles Port Macquarie general manager Andrew Grinter encourages residents to support local businesses.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/sapAXd8fteEmz8dCxaLv7J/7df25dd7-77db-4437-b033-6a74660c1b5f.jpg/r305_0_3862_2975_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Port Macquarie-Hastings Council lists a staycation as one of 10 ways to support local.
Ibis Styles Port Macquarie general manager Andrew Grinter has backed the staycation push.
"Support your local businesses if you can - your local restaurant, your local cafe and stay a night," he said.
"We employ local people and we really need that support from the Port Macquarie-Hastings region."
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Mr Grinter said it had been very quiet since the Delta variant outbreak as our main tourist market was normally drawn from locked down areas including Sydney and Newcastle.
Business at the 45-room Ibis Styles Port Macquarie is coming from essential workers, who are able to travel, as well as some increase in bookings since the lockdown lifted in parts of regional NSW.
The trend is towards last-minute travel due to ongoing uncertainty.
Forward bookings are coming in for Christmas and the new year.
Perfect time to support local
![Top spot: Experience sustainable living in comfort at Nature Domes. Photo: Iron and Clay Photography Top spot: Experience sustainable living in comfort at Nature Domes. Photo: Iron and Clay Photography](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/sapAXd8fteEmz8dCxaLv7J/686c7f3c-21dd-4c12-baec-5cc42e84ad11.jpg/r0_18_577_571_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Nature Domes spokesperson Cardia Forsyth encouraged residents to buy local and support local in times like these.
"We need to be more self-sufficient as a community," she said.
"There is a lot of boutique companies and businesses and they all need to be supported."
Nature Domes at Toms Creek, in the foothills of the Yarras mountains, provides a luxury glamping escape with a difference.
There are two geo-design domes with self-catering accommodation and a plan to add three more domes down the track.
The accommodation provider is accepting bookings after a closure due to the pandemic during which time the focus shifted to an artisan gift product line.
The unique nature of the accommodation experience has secured Nature Domes a spot on a bucket list or two.
"We like to create memories for people," Mrs Forsyth said.
"The slogan is let the adventures begin and I guarantee that most people leave with some kind of imprint."
Give yourself a little bit of freedom
![Country escape: Gypsy Falls Retreat offers boutique bungalow accommodation with a slice of tranquility. Country escape: Gypsy Falls Retreat offers boutique bungalow accommodation with a slice of tranquility.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/sapAXd8fteEmz8dCxaLv7J/e7f1d66d-6d7f-4f70-8e1e-e8aea17c5ce5.jpg/r0_0_5184_3888_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Australians are almost looking at their own country as a new tourist destination amid the pandemic.
That's the view of Jill Perry from Gypsy Falls Retreat.
"We need to look at closer destinations to get us through what has been a horrific time over the last 18 months and now rolling into two years," she said.
"It's nice to give yourself a little bit of freedom."
Mrs Perry encourages locals to treat themselves to a mini-break and see what the local area has to offer.
Jill and Con Perry were sold on Gypsy Falls Retreat as soon as they crossed the wooden bridge over the creek.
They had found their niche in the environmentally-friendly tourism industry.
The new owners of Gypsy Falls Retreat are giving the cottages a makeover as they prepare to welcome guests in November.
Explore the region without the crowds
![Ana Mandara Luxury Bed & Breakfast owners Leo and Jennell Markun. Photo: Shakaya Barry Ana Mandara Luxury Bed & Breakfast owners Leo and Jennell Markun. Photo: Shakaya Barry](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/sapAXd8fteEmz8dCxaLv7J/3b7477c2-3fac-46cf-b4d0-ce19a9732337.jpg/r0_304_1067_1422_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Ana Mandara Luxury Bed & Breakfast owners Leo and Jennell Markun remain upbeat about the future after lockdowns but times are tough in the tourism industry at the moment.
Now is the time to indulge in a staycation and support businesses too.
Mrs Markun said it was great to explore your local area.
"This is actually the perfect time because we don't have any tourists," she said.
Mr Markun said now was the time to support local businesses, not only accommodation but restaurants and activities.
Ana Mandara Luxury Bed & Breakfast is all about a luxury experience from the three-course gourmet chef-prepared breakfasts to the views over the Hastings River and the four guest rooms.
The purpose-built riverfront B&B on Settlement Point Road attracted guests from around the world before Australia closed its international borders.
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