Gold Coast.
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Pack your swimmers – and your appetite – for the ultimate romantic escape with this bespoke Gourmet Traveller itinerary
Inspired to visit the Gold Coast? Find out more at destinationgoldcoast.com
Feel the love:
If life has recently been more about work or family commitments than quickened pulse rates, you’re overdue for a romantic getaway. And the Gold Coast is the perfect destination. This rapidly changing city of more than 700,000 residents is spectacularly diverse and feels almost custom-designed to please any taste at any time. The blossoming food scene continues to surprise and grow, offering everything from ambitious dining concepts to hip bars, world-class cafes and a bounty of regular, excellent openings. When your appetite is sated, there’s plenty of beautiful coastline for dreamy, hand-holding walks, and more importantly there’s an expected average of 300 sunny days each year for you to actually enjoy it. When you need a break from the sand and salt, there’s the lush hinterland within easy reach. Expect stunning views, walking trails you can have to yourself in pristine World Heritage rainforest and a range of new distilleries and paddock-to-plate dining experiences. To make it easier, we’ve put together an easy itinerary to help you eat, explore and channel romance, Gold Coast-style.
CENTRAL Gold Coast
The Hinterland and surrounds
Southern end of the Gold Coast
Enjoy your final day with a long breakfast and a super-relaxing spa and sauna.
Start to unwind on your romantic escape with all that Surfers Paradise has to offer.
By Fiona Donnelly
plan your three day escape
Day One
start at surfers paradise
Day TWO
HIT THE HINTERLAND
Day THREE
BURLEIGH AND BEYOND
Check into luxe digs by the beach and then head for the mountain for local produce.
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gourmet getaway:
Where to stay
Surfers Paradise
qtQT Cabins Gold Coast
Keen to escape and yet stay within strolling distance to the action? Your rooftop tiny home-from-home awaits. Clustered on the second-storey rooftop of the recently made-over QT Gold Coast are six new qtQT Cabins, set in breezy gardens with tropical plantings. These coastal rooftop cabin retreats are perfect for couples, stylishly decked out in earthy tones, well-stocked with treats and replete with QT Dream Beds accessorised in local linens. There’s a private deck and, of course, a temptingly equipped minbar. Choose to unplug and cocoon or emerge for a gratis aperitivo at the communal fire-pit, take a yoga session – or summon your 24-7 “Curator of Sunshine” via your QT Tablet for more fun ideas.
Book The Darling on Broadbeach for an upscale city-smart take on beach accommodation. Its distinctive structure stands tall on Broadbeach Island and the architecture of the 17-storey tower aptly references sleek superyachts. There are 57 suites within, ranging in size from 78 to a whopping 328 square metres – if you treat yourself to the romance of the ultra-glam penthouse. A stunning rooftop restaurant and pool with dramatic views takes pride of place on the 17th floor, while a land bridge connects you to The Star Grand casino, with eateries like Chinese flagship Uncle Su and Japanese standout Kiyomi. Guests can also access The Dorsett hotel’s Isoletto Pool Club for cabana cocktails on the level six leisure deck.
The Star, Broadbeach
The Darling
Booking info: Check rates and availability here
casual beach lifestyle
Classic hotel stay
rooftop oasis
If you want to make your romantic stay a more low-key, smart-casual event, then do it at the gloriously located gem, Bujerum Apartments. Those pine-fringed ocean views from your deck, which curl so prettily around all the way back to Surfers Paradise are another beautiful bonus. This compact walk-up complex, with four two-bedroom apartments and one three-bedroom, sits directly across from Burleigh Beach and is on the doorstep of the Burleigh Heads dining and shopping hub. It’s also ideally placed for romantic coastal walks through nearby Burleigh Heads National Park. Bujerum means ‘spirit’ in the language of the Indigenous Kombumerri Saltwater people, the traditional custodians of these lands.
Burleigh Heads
Bujerum Apartments
From rooftop cabins to a contemporary beach apartment
explore Surfers Paradise and main beach
Day one: explore your surrounds from Surfers Paradise
Set the scene for your escape. Breathe in the fresh air and the beauty of the Surfers Paradise beachfront. Explore everything from Euro-channelling overwater beach clubs, with pitch-perfect Mediterranean dining alongside to fun, hole-in-the-wall tapas bars and elevated arty bars at one of Australia’s most impressive arts precincts. This day could surprise you...
Wake up to breakfast
Don’t set your alarm, but it’s well worth getting up early and out and about to make the most of your day. Hit the sand and stride out with locals beside the breakers for an easy saunter into Surfers Paradise via the beach. If you’d prefer to cover more ground, book a bike and explore all, or some, of the 36-kilometre Gold Coast Oceanway on wheels. This series of paths and cycleways connects Coolangatta in the south with the Gold Coast Seaway in the north, providing ever-changing views and a chance to work up an appetite for a blowout interactive buffet brekky at QT’s Bazaar. If you’d prefer something lower key head for Mermaid Beach to The Milkman’s Daughter for her hearty plant-based fare. Try lemon ricotta pancakes made with vegan ricotta, or a farmer’s breakfast built around koftas, grilled veg and house beans, with an organic kombucha or matcha latte alongside.
Beachside delights
AM: Surfers Paradise
Mid-morning to lunch
After breakfast, make your way to Main Beach. Did someone say floating beach club? La Luna, a chic overwater enclave with resident DJ, sits off a pontoon at Marina Mirage, surrounded by bobbing mega yachts. Nab a shaded lounger on the deck, or loll about on a stylish striped lilo adrift in the freshwater pool. This is chill-out time before a late lunch. Slip across to alfresco MĀRE by La Luna for an icy glass of something sparkling and a prawn and lobster-studded risotto, perhaps, or a plate of crisp-fried local baby squid gussied up with jalapeños, parsley and lemon. It doesn’t get any more GC. Want a lunch option with less sun? On Fridays and Saturdays, try a different take on coastal, with a lunchtime Lucky Menu at the dimly lit Eddy + Wolff, a slick, pocket-sized modern Asian restaurant hidden in plain sight at Robina.
Soak up the sun at Main Beach
Lunch and lazing by the pool
Afternoon to dinner
Once you’ve finished chilling out poolside, climb on the Hopo Gold Coast Ferry at Marina Mirage for a scenic 27-minute trip up the Nerang River to HOTA, Home of the Arts. HOTA’s new blockbuster The Pop Masters: Art from the Mugrabi Collection, New York, features works by Basquiat, Haring, Warhol and Schnabel billionaire Jose Mugrabi’s $5 billion private stash. It runs until 4 June, between 10am-4pm daily. Drink in more views at The Exhibitionist, an arty bar atop HOTA’s colourful cube, where you’ll find innovative and classic cocktails as well as small-batch wines. As evening draws closer, head back to your accommodation to get ready for a plunge in The Spring poolside precinct, then pre-dinner drinks at neighbourhood tapas hole-in-the-wall, Cantina. If you can manage to drag yourself away, head to under-the-radar Anekawa for big-flavoured, pristine Japanese dishes in an unlikely noren-curtained location at Mudgeeraba. Or for a more local twist, take a quick hop to The North Room for low-fi wines and a refined set menu that places native and local bounty centre-plate.
+ drinks and dinner
Out and about
Day two
explore:
explore the hinterland and head back to burleigh
Day two: make your way to the naturally stunning Hinterland.
Opposites attract. So, get prepped for a day of energising contrasts. Wake yourself up with a splash in the ocean with high-rises in view, at the aptly named Broadbeach, followed by a trip up into ancient Gondwana rainforest-clad hills. While there, try and spot the rare Albert’s lyrebird, admire the stately, epiphyte-embellished trees, and explore one of the many rainforest walking trails. Afterwards, indulge in a spot of conscious retail therapy, or craft your own bespoke bottle of gin. Then drive back to the coast to check out a new pool club and throw on something silky for dinner at the Gold Coast’s top-rated restaurant. Or instead, choose to spice up the evening with clever cocktails and modern Vietnamese plates in nearby Burleigh Heads.
Morning: breakfast and beyond
If you’re feeling fresh and ready for a close-up, and start with breakfast at sleek Palm Springs, where you’ll feel you’ve stepped onto a movie set. Admire the pale mint and white mid-century decor as you dig into a well-filled Cali breakfast burrito or try a sparklingly fresh Nourish bowl. Prefer the thought of crisp-layered creamy patisserie? You can’t go past Bam Bam Bakehouse in Mermaid Beach. Blast through a pillowy Chantilly-laced choux bomb, or fire up with their signature nasi goreng. Then, change tempo for the morning activities. Swap coast for rainforest, drive inland and up to Tamborine Mountain to The Witches Falls section of Tamborine National park. You’ll find several hikes here, including the Witches Falls Circuit, supplying backdrops of banksias, hulking strangler figs and piccabeen palms.
so much to discover
Coast to Hinterland
Once you’ve worked up an appetite, head to North Stores in North Tamborine. Nobody knows brilliant Gold Coast produce quite like the owners of Picnic Real Food Bar, so you’ll lunch well on the deck here, with a glass of kombucha, or an Aussie low-intervention wine alongside. Perhaps try some GF farinata chickpea flatbread topped with pesto, local avocado, sweet green peas and more. Afterwards, browse dreamy artworks together, check out Potta Studio’s ceramics and visit Kriket Broadhurst’s shop to see her delicate recycled sea glass and silver jewellery. If you’re pining for the coast already, zip back for a cooling ocean dip and stroll to casual Currumbin destination, Tommy’s Italian, now with chef Stefano Rosi (ex-Melbourne’s Osteria Ilaria) at the burners. Pre-book the red and white striped banquette on the first-floor alfresco deck for a late lunch and the best vistas. Foodwise, expect breezy favourites – grilled king prawns with salsa verde or paccheri slathered in an arrabiata sauce, topped with creamy stracciatella.
local produce + alfresco delights
Spoiled for choice
+ the coast’s hottest eateries
Craft beer on the mountain
If you decide to stay longer on the mountain, your afternoon might take you for a craft beer paddle at Mt Tamborine’s Fortitude Brewing Co. If gin’s more your thing, pre-book a 2.5-hour gin-making class at Cauldron Distillery. Back on the coast, shop designer stores at airy Pacific Fair or head to Tugun’s boutique Cornerstone Stores. Or simply explore the ocean at Broadbeach, with its patrolled swimming areas, then dedicate the afternoon to cocktails and a sunbed at Isoletto Pool Club. Whatever you decide, be sure to reserve a table for dinner in advance at Labart, the Gold Coast’s top-rated eatery. This low-key Euro-style bistro always overdelivers. Likewise, book early at hot-spot Vietnamese, Jimmy Wah’s. Jimmy’s “feed me” option is a steal at $78 and the spicy cocktail list is A1.
explore the southern end of the Gold Coast
Head south to relax on your final day
On day three of your romantic getaway, it’s another perfect day of swimming, food and chill-out vibes starting in Burleigh Heads. But while there’s plenty to hold your attention at this bustling beachside drawcard, it’d be crazy to ignore the rapidly gentrifying suburb of Palm Beach next door and the beautiful beaches of Kirra and Tugun. Try to squeeze in a trip to the border, too. Coolangatta is now home to a new wave of unpretentiously cool eateries like retro pizza and antipasto slinger, Bar Evelyn, the equally hip Franc Jrs and low-key Mexican laneway dweller, Clay Cantina – where you can dine like a Oaxacan-local, or even stop-by for a cooking lesson. Ensure you’re relaxed and ready for anything with a blissful afternoon soak and sauna session together in the relaxing surrounds of an eco-community at Currumbin.
Enjoy a final day beach swim at Burleigh Beach before heading out to breakfast. French-inspired Tarte Bakery & Café democratically accepts walk-ins only so don’t fret if you linger longer than expected on that delightful morning plunge. This sleek, popular spot turns over its fig-shaded Paris bistro-style tables quickly, so you won’t have to dally too long for your Single O coffee and handmade patisserie, bouncy bagel, or perhaps a tartine topped with house raspberry and cherry jam with whipped buffalo ricotta. The owner used to help helm the rustically charming Paddock Bakery, which is still going strong and is another good breakfast option. Housed in an old timber-and-tin Queenslander, Paddock’s shaded garden setting pulls in visitors from all along the coast for its crème fraîche scrambled eggs on sourdough toast, maple bacon toasties and more. Then, head back into Burleigh and follow the Oceanway, perhaps cooling off with another ocean dip en route.
with a swim to cool off
French-style breakfast
It’s worth strolling around Burleigh Headland for the incredible vistas, but this path also delivers you to the pellucid waters and idyllic white sands of Tallebudgera Creek. Be sure to scope out a perch on Burleigh Hill along the way. It’s the perfect spot for a loved-up Insta post come sunset. In the meantime, if you fancy an old-school lunch, dished up in on-trend surrounds, track back into Burleigh Heads for a nostalgic shredded roast chook roll, hand cut chips and gravy, with an icy vanilla shake at Freddy’s Chicken Shop. Or after Tally, scoot into Palm Beach for a visit to the tiny-but-mighty Scott’s Luncheonette & Bar for a pét-nat and the signature Philly Cheesesteak sanga melt. Owner Perry Scott is Australian bartending royalty and regularly mixes cocktails for VIPs at Splendour in the Grass. Scott’s margarita comes with the spice and smoke of a Tajin rim and the eats on offer here are just as cleverly detailed.
and plenty of lunch options
Beautiful walks
There’s almost 60 kilometres of shoreline to reconnoitre on the Gold Coast and the region boasts more than 400 kilometres of canals, but Currumbin Ecovillage’s Ground bathhouse serves up a very different take on water. Spend an afternoon here beneath the fig tree soaking up magnesium-rich minerals or let the jets of the hydrotherapy pool free up any last kinks. There’s an optional ice-bath experience and you can warm up in the wood-fired sauna. Back across the road from Bujerum, Burleigh Pavilion hangs over the ocean and offers the most picturesque panoramas on the coast. Head here for sundowners and book at a balcony table at The Tropic for dinner. Or visit Gourmet Traveller’s buzzy bar of the year, the retro Mediterranean-leaning Paloma Wine Bar, for cracking small plates and boutique drops. Prefer new-wave antipasto and pizza? Head to Coolangatta and groovy Bar Evelyn for more snacks and final drinks to toast the end of a beautiful three-day escape.
+ visit bar of the year
Soak away the afternoon
