
Only have your weekends and tired of spending it in the miserable winter weather? Why not take a trip up to the Gold Coast! This is a guide on how to make the most of 48 hours in sunny paradise.
The Gold Coast is pretty accessible from most of the east coast, with it only being a one to two hour flight away from Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney.
As soon as the clock hit 5:00 on a Friday afternoon, I raced to the airport to meet my bestie and we boarded a plane to the Gold Coast. We got there reasonably early on Friday night but the drive from Coolangatta airport to Surfers Paradise is roughly about an hour, so we decided to get an early night so we could get up early the next morning to explore.
We stayed at the Novotel Surfers Paradise which is smack bang in the middle of all the action in Surfers Paradise so I highly recommend this place!
We got up super early on Saturday morning to make the most of our day and had breakfast at the hotel buffet. There were so many options to choose from and we really filled up so we didn’t have to buy lunch for the day!
Afterwards we went out to explore Surfers Paradise. There’s a big shopping precinct in the middle which was very accessible from the hotel. There are plenty of stores to choose from with a lot of them offering surf wear - very fitting for the location. There are also plenty of affordable dining options to choose from, there's Italian, burgers, Mexican and more! Also plenty of ice creameries to choose from for all your ice cream cravings (my personal favourite is Ben & Jerry’s).
Now you’re probably wondering about the beach… Well the beach is just across the road! The pristine, white sandy beaches are seriously calling your name! We spent some time chilling out on the beach, admiring the turquoise waters. If you’re going to go swimming, make sure you swim between the flags!
After a bit of time strolling along Surfers Paradise it was time to go to Sea World! I highly recommend visiting at least one theme park when visiting, our choice was Sea World for this quick visit.
Sea World is super accessible from Surfers Paradise, being only 10 minutes away by car. We took an Uber as it was cheap and readily available. We didn’t spend the entire day at
Sea World as it is one of the smaller theme parks and you can comfortably get around it within a few hours. We enjoyed looking at all the different displays, like the Jellyfish, Penguins, Polar Bears, Seals, Aquarium and Dolphins! There’s something for everyone at Sea World, whether you’re an adrenaline junkie or not, you’re bound to find entertainment. However, beware of the Seagulls! They are savage at Sea World and we almost got attacked multiple times while trying to have a snack. It did make for a funny story though!
After we spent a few hours at Sea World we headed back to the hotel for a short nap, and then it was time for some shopping! We spent the next two hours discovering, and consequently, blowing our cash on some new clothes we had found from a store we hadn’t heard of before. I always love shopping on holiday and bringing back clothes which can’t be found back home!
It was then time for dinner and drinks! We headed back to the hotel and put on our new clothes we bought to head out on the town. As mentioned, there are so many dining and nightlife options in Surfers Paradise, so we settled on a beachfront Mexican restaurant which had the best margaritas outside Mexico I reckon! I had some delectable nachos and Hayley had some delightful quesadillas. After a few drinks (like 10) we decided to call it a night and go home to our inviting hotel room. We quickly hit the cloud like pillows and were out like a light.
The following morning we got up early again and decided to have breakfast down at Starbucks in the Surfers Paradise mall as we weren’t really hungry after our huge meal last night. We then headed back to the hotel to make the most of the swimming pool. You wouldn’t expect to be able to go swimming in mid-August, however in the Gold Coast its swimming weather all year round! We spent the next few hours swimming some laps in the pool and soaking up the sun in the spa.
After a quick lunch at an Italian restaurant nearby, it was sadly time to head to the airport. But at least we got to relax in the luxe Virgin Australia lounge beforehand! As a Gold Velocity member I get myself and a guest access to the lounge every time! I highly recommend joining their loyalty program as its incredibly rewarding.
A few drinks later and it was time to board the plane and say goodbye to the lovely Gold Coast… but what a great way to spend a weekend I say! We’ll be back for sure in no time.
By Georgia Ristivojevic
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