Theme parks, Surfers Paradise, Supercar racing and “Schoolies”. The Gold Coast doesn’t really have the reputation for a “slow” family holiday destination but I am here to tell you it is possible.
Arriving to sunshine and warm temperatures of Coolangatta (Gold Coast) Airport made us forget the early start and wet weather of Sydney. The Gold Coast is almost an annual tradition for our family and we have been coming here for about 10 years. A week on the Gold Coast is a great break when it is cold in Sydney. We have stayed in April/ May, July and October and usually the temperature is mostly a pleasant 24 degrees Celsius.
Table of Contents
Minimise Tourist activities
We have been to the Gold coast as a family about 7 times as well as a few times before kids. We have already seen lots of attractions including its famous theme parks. This time our goal was to relax so we decided to only visit two “tourist attractions”.
Thunderegg crystal mine was in Tambourine Mountain so we allowed most of the day to drive around it. This was Miss 9’s choice as she loves rocks. We explained that we would only do a few activities and they were happy with this idea.
The other tourist attraction we went to was Tropical Fruit World. Again we allowed ourselves the whole day to explore this so we wouldn’t feel exhausted. We also made sure to have a few days break after the Thunder Egg Crystal mine.
Focus on what refreshes us
We are an ocean-loving family and the girls won’t say no to a pool swim. We chose our accommodation, One the Esplanade based on both of these things. Surfer’s Paradise beach gets a lot of shadows over it in the afternoons from all the high rises. For this reason, a swim straight after breakfast is always our priority.
In October the water temperature is about 20 degrees Celsius but the wind temperature is cool so we always pack wetsuits. This is especially important for the girls so we can maximise the time before they want to return to the pool or for a hot shower.
We catch some waves, build sandcastles and chase seagulls. This family time sets us up for the rest of the day.
Allow time to just be
We chose to stay in an apartment by the ocean so we can enjoy the views but also have space to spread out and feel at home. Being able to prepare our own meals means we don’t have to go out to dinner at a certain time or get dressed for breakfast.
It gives us space to read, play lego or Monopoly. We can Slow down and relax which can be hard when we visit “new” locations and want to see everything.
Do “normal” activities.
On these trips, we include the “normal things” that are hard to fit in at home. Like a trip to the movies at Harbour town which also has outlet shops. We can do some clothes shopping without having to rush off to be somewhere else.
We go grocery shopping to have food for home and take the best bits of being at home without all the extra work and school stress.
Get some exercise
Mr OTC keeps up his tradition of finding fun runs to do on holiday. On the Gold Coast, it is the 8km run at Sanctuary cove. He also found a Park run to do while we were there.
I prefer my exercise on the less strenuous side. A slow holiday gives me the chance to keep up with my online pilates every day as well as a few laps of the pool.
Of course, we also have beach walks as a family. Sometimes to our favourite surf club BMD Northcliffe for lunch. Queensland surf clubs are open to the public for meals with great views and reasonable prices. This is quite different from NSW and is a great way to help fund the lifesaving equipment for the club.
Get more sleep
All this fresh air and relaxing are exhausting. Because Queensland doesn’t have daylight savings like NSW at this time of year the sun gets up very early. It also sets early which makes going to bed early much easier than at home. I may or may not have fallen asleep on the lounge at about 8 pm each night we were away. Of course, the ocean waves may also contribute to helping us get to sleep.
Catching up with friends
We have quite a few friends who live on the Gold Coast. Having a slow holiday without all the tourist attraction leaves time for catching up with these friends. We have time for long lazy lunches or coffee breaks by the sea. At home, it is easy to get caught up with all the things. When we are here with the goal to relax fitting in catching up with friends just adds to the holiday vibe.
Exploring markets
Surfer’s Paradise has beachfront markets 3 times per week. (Wednesday, Friday and Sunday). Staying on the beachfront means it is just a quick stroll down from our apartment after dinner to see what is on offer. There is usually entertainers as well as all the market stalls. Staying so close means we can look at what is on offer early in the week and then give the girls a chance to think about any purchases they might want to make instead of having them impulse buy the first thing they see.
Where to Stay
We have stayed in quite a few different properties in our years of visiting the Gold Coast. The Seaworld resort often has special packages even in school holidays and is a great choice if you are wanting to visit the theme parks as the entry is included in the accommodation deal.
Q1 and Soul were also fun to stay at being close to the town centre and beach. They are apartments of various configurations with great views being so high up.
Our current favourite is One the Esplanade. It is beachside at the Southern End of Surfer’s paradise. The north side of the apartment has uninterrupted beach views as there are no apartments or hotels on this side until the end of the Esplanade.
The 2-bedroom apartments are just the right size with 2 bathrooms and a well-equipped kitchen and laundry facilities in the second bathroom. It also has a pool on the grounds for those days you can’t make it to the beach.
Where to eat:
BMD Northcliffe surf club.
This is a Gold coast tradition for us. One year I was able to purchase a perpetual membership and so now have lifetime membership of the social club. It has lovely food and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is sometimes possible to see whales passing by while you are eating.
Great food and good-sized, reasonably priced kids meals. It is a short walk south of the Surfer’s Paradise strip.
Mos Burger
A Japanese fast-food chain that we only get to go to when we are on the Gold Coast ( or in Japan). It has a fun twist on the traditional burger restaurant with some burger buns made from rice. Ice tea is the soft drink of choice. Mos burger is on the beachside of Cavill mall or in Australia Fair and Pacific Fair shopping centres.
Lord of the Fries
Another fast-food restaurant in Cavill mall ( there are also branches in Sydney and Melbourne where it began) Being a lover of chips this is a great stop for me. It is actually a vegan restaurant but my omnivore family were all able to find something to eat.
If you need a beach break with a side of rest a Slow holiday on the Gold Coast might be just what you are looking for. Do you have anywhere that you like to go to rest and recharge? I would love to hear about it. Comment below to let me know.
