'Everyone's calling this destination the new Byron Bay. Here's my honest review.'

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I'll set out my bias up front: Byron Bay is one of my favourite places to holiday. That was the case before I had kids, and it's even more strongly the case now. What can I say? I'm a sucker for turquoise water, a guaranteed dolphin spotting and a glass of wine in a sunny beer garden.

So when my family was invited to attend a wedding in Bellingen on New South Wales' north coast over the October long weekend, I listened to the rumours that Bellingen is "the new Byron" with great interest. My initial thoughts? Biiiiiig shoes to fill. Byron Bay is one of Australia's most iconic locations for a reason, and it's the same reason I keep heading back, despite having so much more of Australia left to explore. To put it simply: it's bloody beautiful.

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Now that we've returned home, here are my brutally honest thoughts on how the two destinations stack up.

The town.

When I've heard people compare Bellingen and Byron, they usually focus on the 'vibe' of the town.

To be specific, "Bellingen is like Byron before the tourists took over" is the most common observation. I see the basis for the comparison — Bellingen and Byron Bay have the same laid-back vibe.

Bellingen's leafy main street is chock-full of gorgeous cafés and restaurants, vintage stores, homewares shops and charming, old-world offerings. To be honest, it reminds me less of Byron and more of other up-market country towns on the NSW South Coast, like Berry and Kangaroo Valley.

Byron's town is bigger and far more commercialised than Bellingen's, which is a win for convenience, but if you're looking for something you've never seen before, Bellingen's hyper-focus on local and creative offerings might be right up your alley.

The food.

Unlike some country towns I've visited — where finding a coffee that hasn't been made inside a fish and chip shop is a tall order (go on, call me a city-slicking elitist, I deserve it) — Bellingen's comparatively small township has the opposite problem: there are too many great coffee shops to choose from.

Over the course of our visit, we tried to spread our custom around, hitting up 5 Church St, Black Bear and Hyde. Inside the latter, you can find homewares, clothes and gorgeous kids' toys, on top of good coffee. It was a hit with my toddlers, and an unfortunate hostage situation for me that resulted in an impromptu souvenir purchase and two very happy boys.

Everywhere we ate was a significant cut above your usual country fare –— even the babycinos were upmarket.

For lunch or dinner, one fine-dining drawcard is the Three Blue Ducks restaurant located on the grounds of The Lodge, which is where we stayed. For a more casual meal, Federal Hotel has a great outdoor seating area.

And of course, my kids would never forgive me if I failed to mention Sweet Bellingen, the lolly shop on the main street that was by far their favourite part of the whole trip.

At Sweet Bellingen. Image: Supplied.

The verdict? In the food stakes, Bellingen holds its own against Byron any day of the week.

The accommodation.

We stayed at The Lodge Bellingen. The hotel is beautiful, and I'll say it — arguably better than anywhere I've stayed in Byron.

I'm a tragic when it comes to sipping a spicy margarita by the pool, and The Lodge's beautiful pool, spa and pool bar were exactly what I needed after a long drive. Luckily, the kids were happy to jump straight into the pool too. In fact, they probably would have stayed in there for the entire long weekend if they'd had their way.

At The Lodge Bellingen. Image: Supplied.

We booked a Family Room, with a queen bed, a set of bunk beds and an optional travel cot. It was spacious, well-appointed and had a set of sliding doors that opened straight out onto a grassy slope with a view. Not only was it a win for two boys who love chasing a soccer ball around, it was an even bigger win for their parents, who love staying put and reading a book.

The beach.

Okay, this might be a little unfair, because Bellingen is not a beach town, but a quick half-hour drive will bring you to a number of lovely beaches. We took a day trip to Urunga, where the kids spent hours splashing in the lagoon where it meets the ocean.

But when compared to Byron? It's a lovely spot, and we even saw a whale breaching off the shore, but it's no Wategos. Call me a broken record, but the beaches in Byron are unbeatable.

Getting there.

We drove from Sydney to Bellingen, which is a five-and-a-half hour trip (allow 19 hours if you've got little kids in the car). It's the longest road trip we've attempted with our kids, and while they were remarkably well-behaved, it felt loooong. 

It feels unfair to compare it to Byron, where we would normally fly up. The travel time is probably similar when you take everything into account — the time it takes to get to the airport, the waiting around, the flight time, and the drive from the airport into Byron — but the variety makes it feel less monotonous.

There is an option to fly into Coffs Harbour and drive to Bellingen, which is about 30 minutes away. However, I'm very glad we had our car with us for our visit to Bellingen — even staying at The Lodge, only a few kilometres out of town, we needed it.

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Feature image: Supplied.