Cottesloe Beach Hotel

The Cottesloe Beach Hotel stands on the corner of Marine Parade and John Street, facing Cottesloe Beach. The first hotel on the site was built in 1904 and 1905, and from 1913 it was owned by Tom Molloy, a prominent landowner and politician, who had it remodelled in 1936. That remodel, by architect C. L. E. Harrison, gave the building the Inter-War Art Deco street facade, in a streamlined Moderne style, that still defines it today.

The heritage value is formally recognised. The hotel was classified by the National Trust in 1993 and entered on the State Register of Heritage Places in 2004, and its facade is regarded as one of the last remaining pre-war structures on the Cottesloe foreshore and a local landmark. The 1936 works added new lounges and rebuilt bars, and later refurbishments, including one in 1994, updated the interior. In the mid-2000s the rear beer garden was redeveloped.

For most visitors the draw is simple: a cold drink across the road from one of Perth's favourite beaches. The Beach Club, an open-air section of the hotel, is listed by Tourism Australia among Perth's best value places to eat, and the beer garden is a natural place to settle in after a swim. Pubs along this stretch of coast host live music and DJs, and Cottesloe's Sunday sessions are a long-standing local tradition, so weekend afternoons are the liveliest time to visit.

The hotel suits groups of friends, couples and anyone wanting a classic Australian beach pub experience. It is also convenient for a drink before or after dinner at the restaurants on Marine Parade, and it makes a good place to watch the sun set over the Indian Ocean, which Tourism Western Australia rates among the finest sunsets anywhere.

Cottesloe is about 15 minutes' drive from the city centre. By public transport, take the Fremantle Line train to Cottesloe station and walk down to the beach, or use the Cott Cat shuttle bus, which runs between the station and the coast on summer weekends. Combine a visit with a swim at Cottesloe Beach, a look at the Indiana pavilion on the sand, or dinner at Il Lido or Gibney, both also on Marine Parade.