The city in Australia that I always dream of going. When I was a Holiday Guide, I helped lots of members planning for vacations, and Gold Coast was a very popular choice. I would advise them on what to do, where to go and how to get there. Being an avid fan of theme parks and knowing that there are 3 famous theme parks in Gold Coast, I insist on going there one fine day.
Well, dreams do come true. How it came true? One day, my handsome brother, Romi, and his family were at our house. I couldn’t remember what we were doing or what was the exact topic of the conversation then suddenly, hubby asked whether we wanted to travel to Australia together. Since hubby and I had marvellous time in Perth, he thought it would be even more fun traveling with them. Gold Coast immediately came to mind because Romi is a theme park enthusiast too! We chose to depart either late November (my birthday) or late December (Dini’s birthday).
Indeed it’s a sustenance from Allah. Scoot had a promotion and it only cost SGD0.02 to Gold Coast!!! Yup you read it right. There’s no mistake in where I placed the zeros. The promo fare was only 2 cents and after including all the taxes and other extra charges, the total cost of the return airfare for 4 adults and 4 children was less than SGD1300! Unbelievable! We were over the moon! More money can be reserved for shopping. Yay!!!
21st November – I fetched Romi and his family to my house so that we could take the Maxicab together to the airport. It’s way cheaper to pay a flat rate of SGD55 for a van that can ferry 8 people than taking 2 separate cabs. The kids got excited once we reached the airport and the next thing we knew, we were in the plane, all ready to fly.
Scoot flies to Coolangatta airport instead of Brisbane which I thought was much better because Gold Coast is about an hour away from Brisbane. Furthermore, our flight back was in the morning and the accommodation we booked is about 20 minutes away only from the Coolangatta airport. Now, I’d never been to Brisbane airport but I believed the Duty Free shops and immigration should be better than Coolangatta airport. Coolangatta airport reminded me of our Budget Terminal. So just to pre-empt you, it was rather small and not that fancy. When we arrived, Air Asia just landed too hence the queue was very long.
After clearing the immigration, hubby and Romi went to collect the car that we rented via Cut Price Car Rentals. Fortunately the rest of us did not follow because the place was quite a distant from the airport. We rented an 8-seater Toyota Tarago so that everyone including the kids would be comfortable. After that, we proceeded to collect our house key at Burleigh Heads. We couldn’t wait to enter the house because there’s a private pool. The kids will definitely have a blast!
Well, you can read up more on our itineraries below. In the meantime, let me fill you in on Gold Coast.
It’s no wonder Queensland was dubbed the Sunshine state because it’s indeed sunny and warm including the people. They are courteous and friendly. Beach lovers will definitely love Gold Coast because it consists of about 70km coastline, plenty of beaches they can indulge. Surfers Paradise being the most popular, also has many high-rise apartment buildings and a featured mall called Cavill Mall. Many would book their accommodations in the heart of Surfers Paradise because it is very convenient to shop and eat but since we’re driving, we didn’t mind staying at a slightly outskirt area.
Shopping is a must whenever I travel but I usually look for flea markets or factory outlets. I searched for flea market in Gold Coast and found Carrara Markets. I informed the rest that we’ve got to go there. Not much convincing needed when the key word is cheap. 🙂 As for factory outlets, I was told by my friend, Suriani, that Harbour Town is the best factory outlet in Australia and fortunately they have an outlet in Queensland. The best part about factory outlets is the great discounts and bargains that you could get on local and international brands. Apart from Harbour Town, there are other famous shopping centres such as Pacific Fair Shopping Centre and Robina Town Centre just to name a few but we didn’t go.
Gold Coast is an excellent place for a holiday because there are abundant of attractions you can visit within short distance. You can choose to drive up to the capital state, Brisbane, and if you are adventurous enough, you can drive further north to Sunshine Coast where you can visit the famous Steve Irwin zoo. Alternatively, head south to Tweed Heads for a memorable experience with your loved ones. There will always be activities and entertainment available for everyone.
I wished we could have stayed longer. The next time I return to Queensland, I hoped it will be Cairns! 🙂
Do share your views and post any questions you have in the comments box and I will have them answered in an instant! 🙂
Later,
Teana
Day 1 – Presenting… 7, Petunia Court
Day 2 – Carrara Markets | Surfers Paradise
Day 3 – Chillaxing and swimming at home
Day 4 – Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Day 5 – Harbour Town | Rock Pool Water Park
