Oceanside Village – Premium accommodation in a World Heritage Area

The World Heritage site of Shark Bay is a truly unique region, full of interesting locations and sublime natural beauty. To properly enjoy the area, adequate accommodation is an absolute must. One of the most highly recommended resorts in the region is Oceanside Village. The 3.5-star AAA holiday accommodation consists of 22 self-contained waterfront villas with one or two bedrooms right in the heart of Shark Bay.

The resort was originally established back in 2011. However, it was taken over by Willie and Tara Hanniball in 2012 who have been managing it ever since. Tara describes themselves as owner-operators are the couple are deeply involved in the day-to-day running of the resort. A lot of the work, form marketing to customer service and accounts to stocking is done directly by them. This level of involvement has also allowed them to make personal contacts with a lot of the guests and to establish a returning base of customers. In fact, Tara is very familiar with a lot of the customers as they have been coming back for years.

Catering to every kind of person

The vacancy rates have been fairly consistent over the years with an average of 75-80 percent occupancy. The resort caters to all kinds of visitors, from families to business professionals. In fact, Oceanside Village has a large corporate market and they have also gained a lot of return guests who prefer to stay in a personalized space where they can also conduct their work instead of staying at a hotel. On the other hand, families, singles, and couples take advantage of the scenic location and take part in many of the activities in the region.

After all, there are numerous activities to be had in Shark Bay, especially for the more adventurous of visitors. First and foremost, the World Heritage Area is home to some of the world’s most beautiful locales. Shell Beach, for example, is one of the two beaches in the entirely world made entirely out of shells. Moreover, the Hamelin Pool Marine Nature Reserve is home to the world’s most diverse samples of living stromatolites, true living fossils which are of immense value to our understanding of the growing world. Finally, visitors can always take a trip down to Monkey Mia and take a close look at the fantastic bottlenose dolphins.

Fun and recreation

For those and more activities, Oceanside Village is housed at a prime location with easy access to every interesting area of the region. Even better, the self-contained units are perfect for those looking to relax. Each unit has a range of amenities including a fully equipped kitchen with a microwave, a full size fridge, air-conditioning units, free Wi-Fi, a DVD player, and free Foxtel TV. Furthermore, the resort has a well-equipped guest BBQ area, a games room, laundry facilities, a swimming pool, and everything else necessary for an enjoyable holiday.

“When people check in, we give them a map of the local area, explain where things are, the opening hours, what there is to do. If they have young kids with them we’ve got some awesome little coloring books for them, we’ve got crayons in the office to give to the kids, we’ve got DVDs. Any information that they need, we’ll book tours for them, advice on what kind of tours they can go on, tell them about local restaurants. We try to go the extra mile for them”, says Tara.

A constant drive to improve

Tara and Willie are very hands-on managers, always looking to improve upon every possible area. They carefully listen to customer feedback, whether it is positive or constructive criticism. In addition to that, they work carefully with their staff to gather feedback and assess improvements. The resort employs four casual personnel, three cleaners, and a dedicated maintenance manager who takes care of Oceanside’s every need. The couple have a close-knit relationship with the staff and they operate in a friendly atmosphere.

“We have fully self-contained villas. We are very hands-on so we always know what’s actually happening within the property. We are always seeking to improve so we are always asking our guests for feedback. Both positive and negative, we take it personally and look into it. We do work with a mentor as well who advises us on what to improve”, explains Tara.

The self-contained villas of Oceanside Village were recently refurbished with new furniture, new paints, new curtains, and completely refurbished bathrooms with additional amenities. The rooms are clean and the resort’s beachfront location marks it as truly unique. Though its remote location poses some challenges for the managers, the resort is always up to par due to a strong relationship with local suppliers and technicians as well as Tara and Willie’s experience in dealing with such matters.

Promoting Shark Bay

In addition to the management of Oceanside Village, both Tara and Willie are very much involved in the promotion of the entire area. Tara is the chairman of the local tourism association while her husband is an elected member of Australia’s Coral Coast executive board. Both of them are very passionate about Shark Bay and they truly believe that its unique properties should be promoted and protected. The area is full of historically and environmentally important sites so the couple does its part in ensuring its long-term prosperity. And anyone who wishes to experience the area’s wonders will have a fantastic time at the Oceanside Village.