Our Short Weekend in Brisbane - Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast

We had a great time at the Gold Coast. Even though it wasn't the best of times to be on a holiday what with the rain and flooding in some areas of Brisbane plus the fact that we were both not well, we still had a wonderful time. This blog post will have quite a significant amount of photos so you have been warned :)

We rented a car to get us to the Gold Coast from the airport. We got an Audi and Alex was over the moon for it. We had an Audi A6 for our wedding car so this car brought back symbolic memories.

Ours for the day Audi A3

The ecstatic driver

I hate round vents! How is this an accepted aesthetic? It looks like a growth sticking out in the middle of the dashboard!

Dash controls of the car

We stayed at the Holiday Inn at Surfers Paradise. It was a nice hotel with a modern touch to its decor, located just down the street from the beach. It’s also a very short stroll to a shopping center and the Surfers Paradise Promenade. Plenty of cafes, restaurants, bars and even a Starbucks within walking distance! I mention Starbucks in particular because all but 23 Starbucks outlets are closed in Australia and I love my Starbucks. Can you imagine having only 23 outlets in the entire country! And none in Canberra too! Horrendous! Anyway, I digress. Right across the hotel is a mini theme park offering bungee jumps, sky shots, 360 degree rides and a mini golf course. The hotel has all the usual facilities, swimming pools including a heated spa, a gym, tennis court and a relaxation centre. So yes, you won’t be for want of activities while staying at the Holiday Inn.

Entrance to Holiday Inn - Surfers Paradise

Giant yellow modern artwork adorning the walls of the ground floor stairway

Minimalistic hotel lobby - Interesting red lip shaped sofas

Sirocco - formal dining restaurant

Our room

Simplistic theme continues in the room

Kinky shower with peekaboo window to the room

Our seafacing balcony gave us great views of the beach

Hotels lining the Gold Coast Highway with the beach on the other side

More views from the balcony

A shopping centre a mere 5 minute walk away from the hotel

The mini theme park across the street

The mini theme park all lit up at night - pretty eh?

We took beach strolls had a typical beach cafe lunch too. There are a couple of cafes lining the beach with some opened early - offering simple buffet breakfasts. We chose to have our lunch at Montmartre by the Sea.

Walkway to the beach

Blue bottle jellyfish washed ashore - this delivers a very bad sting... see this anywhere near you, jump out of the water immediately!

Random shot of beach users

The waves looked scary

Buildings lining the beachfront

The world before me....

Surfers Paradise archway

Surfers Paradise Promenade

Promenade in the evening

We spotted rookie lifesavers in training

Lifeguard post

Ala Baywatch, Bondi Rescue..

Wave crashing... the volume and height makes me nervous

Shadows in the sand

Super hubby making a second appearance :) His first appearance was here

One of the many cafes by the sea

Fish & Chips - typical beach fare

Iced Chocolate

If you are looking for a bigger shopping centre, the Pacific Fair is just a 2.5km drive away. It has all the usual retail outlets and cinemas.

I liked the frames lining the roof of the mall, Pacific Fair

Beautiful stained glass in between the frames

There was a fashion show showcasing winter wear when I was at the mall. I took some shots. Inspiration for a closet change maybe?

The next day we headed to the city, our first stop being South Bank. There we spotted the Brisbane Eye! I did not realise Brisbane had one. It was just too bad that the weather was cloudy and rainy. Gray skies do not make good shots.

It was raining when we took this shot on the bridge

South Bank with the Brisbane Eye

We then headed Brisbane’s Queen Street Mall. This is Brisbane’s premier shopping destination a usual haunt for tourists and locals alike. Alex and I were strolling down the walk when we bumped into some old friends. Boon and Sarah! It was just the day before that I mentioned to Alex that we could bump into these friends and true enough, we did so the very next day! I was so caught up with catching up with Boon and Sarah that I completely forgot to have a picture taken with them. Sigh..

Queen Street Mall

Our trip although short, although rainy and although shadowed by ill health, was a really good one. Being able to go on short holidays in a moment’s notice is a luxury we treasure. Once little Cheryl’s and little Alex’s come along, holidays like these would be few and far between.

cheryl