Gold Coast Travel Forum

Hi
Is there a coach service that would take me from Gold Coast Airport to Brisbane CBD?
Thanks.

Hello :D

going over to surfers paradise next week (for a week's holiday) and wondering how's the H1N1 flu virus situation over there ... thanks to advise.

:D :D :D

Hi - we're visiting family in Brisbane over xmas this year and want to spend a week recovering afterwards in either Noosa or Caloundra.

We'll have a 2.5yr old and a 6mth old baby to entertain...

We've heard Noosa is classier but pricey and Caloundra may be best for kids/families.

Does anyone have any recommendations on which town and any resorts/hotels you've been to which offer apartment style /self catering accommodation with aircon and a good shallow pool for toddlers? Maybe a playground with slides, swings?

Most of the "Kid Friendly" resorts assume older kids with deep pools and access right outside the accommodation - too scary.

Hi,

I'll be going to Gold Coast soon end of July for 4 days with my elderly parent who cant handle too much walking/hiking.
The weather will be one thing to cope with as it'll be in mid of winter, but planning things to do there will be another? Can anyone reccommend places to visit/things to do there that isnt too adventurous and more of leisurely nature.

I had thought of taking the catch a crab tour- not sure how interesting this is, can anyone comment?

As we are muslim, winery tour is out. So any other suggestion would be appreciated.

4 of us will visit gold coast 2 weeks later. We will touch town to brisbane airport on thursday morning. My hotel is Royal Wood, Ashmore. I believe that its too early for me to check in, thus we plan to walk walk around brisbane airport. and the rest of the day is free.
my second day is to catch a crab cruise, finish at 11am then plan to go currumbin wildlife sanctuary, evening time will be suffer paradise
On sat we go to sea world and sun we go to Movie world
the monday plan to go some market place to buy some fruits back to my country, thus we choose tropical fruit world then harbour town for shopping.
Can anyone suggest to me that where should i go except tropical fruits world and what should i do afrer i reach airport on thursday

Hi to all fellow VTers!!

We are planning to spend a week in the Gold Coast as part of our Australian Holiday. We have 3 children in our group aged 15,12 and 8. I'd love to have some suggestions about how we could spend our week. I mean which theme parks are really good and what are the other attractions in the Gold Coast which should not be misssed?? Any suggestions for hiking spots??

Thanx!!

Nazima.

Hi...
Im going to Gold coast, planning to stay in Surfer's paradise for 4 days, taking my 5 year old son with us. Beside going to theme parks, I'm interested to bring him to a see koalas and kangaroos.
I've done some research and it seems that there are many but could not have a clear view which is best. I am more interested in a place where my son can interact with the animals, such as feeding them and or patting them....

Can anyone please advise me where to go and that is closest to surfer paradise.

Thanks a bunch.

Hi, i am a malaysian and will be taking my family to GC this June. All of us hv never been to GC and no frens there. i am hoping to get some info on the bus transportation and also some travel tips as i want to make a enjoyable and memorable trip for my family. We hv booked our hotel at Santana Resort.

i want to know :-

1) how much is the taxi fare from coolangatta airport to santana resort
2) is there any bus service from airport to town? how much is the fare?
3) cheaper to take a taxi or bus since we hv 4 pax?
4)

My boyfriend and I will be on the Gold Coast for just over a week in early May and we would like some advice on where to stay. We're looking for a place somewhere in the under $30 per person price range. Has anyone been to a really great hostel that they would like to recommend?
Also, other than surfing, any advice on what sorts of things we should really try to do/see while there?
Thanks a lot in advance!

Hi guys, new to this forum. Will be heading over to gold coast in 2 weeks, 19th to 26th april. ive been there twice before, but that was almost 10 years ago haha. currently, my itinerary is as follows

day 1: arrive at brisbane airport around 10am, half day farm tour (included in the tour package) before heading back to hotel (paradise country resort)

day 2: SEAWORLD!

day 3: MOVIEWORLD!

day 4: will be going over to sunshine coast, travel agent said the place is a must visit so will be spending the day there

day 5: supposed to be dreamworld, but im changing it to currumbin wildlife sanctuary after reading all the comments here abt that being a must visit.

day 6 & 7: this is where i need help the most. i have 2 free days. i might use up one day to go dreamworld, depends on my gf. so i need activities and suggestions that can occupy me for 1-2 days. please help! :)

day 8: flying back home in the afternoon.

and also do recommend some interesting places or GOOD dining places near my hotel area. thanks!

Hi everyone!

I'm thinking about traveling to the gold coast for the last three weeks in April..I have a friend who lives there so I will have free accomodation etc.. and don't want to pass up this chance to go! However I'm really curious about the weather...I've researched averages are 16-25 celsius but I'd love to hear from someone who's actually lived or been there in April!! I have a limited budget still so would want to spend a lot of time suntanning etc..at the beach and worry it will be too cold or raining all the time...any advice would be so soo appreciated! Thanks:D

Hi,
we are travelling to Gold Coast in April with two young children aged 6 and 9. We were planning to take the kids to Movie World, Fantasy World, Wet n Wild world and sea world. I wanted to know if all these theme parks are really worth going to with children of this age? My younger one is only 100cm tall and I know she won't be able to ride in many rides, but then again, we want them to see the best of Gold Coast. But i really would appreciate hearing from people who have been there, is it worth the 4 days to visit all the theme parks?

Is there anything else to do in GC besides beaches and theme parks cos we have an extra day with nothing much to do. Pls advice :-)

Hi All,

any idea how can I get to Central Park Plaza (area of factory outlets shops including no less than 3 huge Billabong shops, and other famous brands such as Timberland, Cult and many more) from Watermark Hotel Gold Coast located at Surfers Paradise Blvd?

Thanks

Hi All,

I will be going GC next week and will be staying at paradise resort.
Have include the following places in my itinerary:

1) Theme Parks - Movie World and Dreamworld
2) Surfers Paradise (shopping areas like cavill mall)
3) QDeck observatory deck
4) Pacific Mall / Harbour front Mall/Australia fair
5) Central Park: Billabong Factory
6) Gold Coast Hinterland - includes Mt Tamborine, Lamington park
7) Brisbane City Sights

Any other places I should go and should not miss or I should actually give it a miss?

For 6 and 7, I was thinking of signing up with tour operator. Any tour operators for recommendations? Is Scenic Hinterland Holiday Day Tours good?

Thanks

Hi,

Do you know of any good and trustworthy website / tour operators which offers a good rate for 1 ticket pass to both Dreamworld and Movieworld?
It seems that most of the online website offer 1 ticket pass to both seaworld and movieworld only.

Thanks
Cheers,

Hi,

Hubby and I will be travelling from Sydney to Gold Coast and will need one nights accomodation close to Airport as we will fly out for Malaysia following Day and also return flight too. Can anyone recommend a hotel close to airport. If they have a shuttle service that would be even better. Nothing fancy, just clean accomodation for 2 with own bathroom up to $200 a night. Thanks.

Hi
We are in a group of 15 (9 adults + 5 teenagers + 1 kids, age 12), will be staying at Plaza Apartment, Surfers Paradise in early March for 7 nights. Our arriving time will be at 9pm. We are not so much on theme parks. Our draft plan is as follows:

1) Stanthorpe (purpose to see lavender, fruit farms)
2) Moreton Island
3) Brisbane
4) Movie World + Paradise country farm (purpose is to see sheep shedding).
5) Mud-crab tour
6) Mt Tambourine
7) Tropical Fruit World
8) Carrara Market, Harbour Town

I need help here:
1) Should we stay 2 nights in Brisbane since Stanthorpe and Moreton are nearer to Brisbane. I need to confirm my accommodation at Surfer Paradise soon.
2) Do you think we should hire a coach or travel by Public Transport? Which way is more economical?
3) Should we join a tour company for the entire visitation? We will join tour for Stanthorpe, Moreton Island, Mud-crab tour. I can get a train down to Brisbane and getting around at Brisbane by City Cat, bus to Carrara Market, Casino and Harbour Town but not sure of Mt Tambourine and Tropical Fruit World.
Warm Regards,

Hi all,

My galfriend and i will be travelling to Gold Coast in 2 weeks time.
Our itinerary is mostly visits to the 3 Worlds (Movieworld.etc) and surf school in the morning.

Can anybody suggests any good locations for White water rafting or bush walking, anything else other than the zoo? We are pretty much up for anything as long as its not too far off from our hotel area in Hanlan Street.

Please kindly leave your comments as soon as possible.
Thankz in advanced :-)

Hi,

I would be going to Gold Coast in Mar'09 and will like to have a night stay at the farm hence any recommendation for Farmstay, Clean & Cheap as I would be brining my child (4 years old) along.

In mind will be Lillydale, any others?

Thks

Hello to everyone!
Thanks to all who answered my previous question, you really helped me out! :)
I have one more question though!
Has anyone every stayed at the Islander Resort Hotel in Surfers Paradise?
What was the service like?
Any comments on this hotel would be great as Im still deciding on which hotel to stay in. I've had my eye on this hotel, but I would love to hear what your thoughts are!

Thanks again!
Jasmine :)

It's been a while since I've been on VT so a BIG HELLO to all the awesome people on VT!! Anyway Im planning a trip to the Gold Coast with my Boyfriend and we are planning on going to Wet N Wild World, Sea World and Movie World and I have a few question that i'd like to ask.

1. Im taking a bag with me with lunch, money, camera etc (ive heard how expensive food can be there!) Can I leave my bag somewhere before I go on the rides? Obviously I cant take them 'on' the ride, so what should I do?

2. Im buying 2 tickets at $150 each for a 5 day pass to the 3 parks. Does this entry ticket include all rides and shows? Or will I have to pay extra at each ride I want to go on?

3. Are the buses quite easy to catch? Im staying right in the middle of Surfers Paradise and we are wanting to catch a bus to the theme parks.

4. Is one day per park enough to see everything if not, most attractions at the park?

5. We are planning to go near the end of february. Do you think this is a good time to go?

Thanks to everyone! and MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Hi all,

I'll be travelling to Brisbane in January and will be staying for 2 weeks. I will be working in Brisbane for the first 4 or 5 days and I have the rest of my time to do/see whatever I want, but I will be spending my last couple of days in Sydney. This leaves me with about 4 or 5 days to travel around. I would like to see the Gold Coast and Fraser Island, but am having a hard time planning the itinerary. Seeing as I will be by myself, would you suggest seeing the Gold Coast or the Sunshine Coast??? Also, how do I make my way to Fraser Island and is one day enough to spend there?? Can you suggest any other spots I should see while I'm in this area? I would like to take full advantage of my time there, but unfortunately have to pack it all in to a short period of time! :( Any help would be greatly appreciated! I'm also on a budget, but won't be backpacking (I'm 32 years old), so I prefer to stay in hotels. So any suggests that way would be great too.

Thanks!!!

Hi

I'm going to be spending christmas at Gold Coast probably, I'm a backpacker from England, and was wondering which is the better option to stay - Coolangatta or Surfer's Paradise or not on Surfer's itself but Southport. I don't want somewhere that is quiet as I will be away from all of my family for the first time ever - can anyone recommend anywhere? I'm also on a pretty tight budget so if anyone can recommend any other cheaper areas for the festive period I am open to suggestion...

Thanks

Cat xx

Hi,

I would like to have recommendations for the following:

- Which Apartments (3-bedrooms) located near the beach (Surfer Paradise)besides, clean, balcony to view the seaside, cheap.
- Transfers contact (2-ways) (From Brisbane International Airport to Surfer Paradise)
- Cheap Car Rental. I have 10 paxs (Will like to squeeze all in one car) properly a Multi Purpose Vehicle.

Please advise!

Thank you

Hi,
I am about to leave for my holiday to the Gold Coast in 2 weeks. Any information about the situation in Surfers Paradise and surroundings?

I am also travelling to Cairns, is it affected by the storm?

Hi, Me and my sis are planning to the gold coast for 7 days but the more i read about it makes me think its really cheesy? Would Noosa be better? Looking for a relaxing holiday but also want some social activity, and to do surf lessons and visit a theme park as well. Is noosa really quiet, or is there good nightlife as well?
Thanks

Hello! I would like to ask for help/ideas for a 3 week trip to Gold Coast. I have been to Australia already but only to Sydney.

Will be travelling by 23rd of November and will be staying with a friend somewhere in Broadbeach so my accomodations is covered already. Will the budget of US$1000 - US$1500 be good already for me to visit the theme parks and do some sight seeing and a bit of shopping as well?

I am thinking of probably going to an Island too, if the budget fits. Not Cairns and I guess not Fraser too as I heard both are really expensive. Any suggestions for a not so expensive tour operator for the island trip?

Also, my plan to spend the 3 weeks are as follows:

1st week: go to an island (for an overnight or 2 days the most) then some sight seeing
2nd week: go to the theme parks, then do the dracula show, outback spectacular (are these still ok? I visited their websites and dinner is included in the payment? )and do a bit shopping
3rd week: just relax, party, etc

but cant pick which actual places to go too.. it seems that there is so much to see in the Gold Coast.

Any help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks (",)

Hello :)

I am planning a trip to Gold Coast in March '09 staying for 3 nights. My budget for accomodation is max AUD100/nite.

I am looking for a quiet place, located within walking distance to the beach, shops and restaurants and easy to get public transport. I am looking at either room with ensuite bathroom or 1-bedroom self-contained apartment.

I have shortlisted the following options :

1. Costa D-Ora Apartments, Surfers Paradise
2. The Shore Holiday Apartments, Surfers Paradise
3. Karana Palm Resorts. Chevron Island
4. Club Surfers, Surfers Paradise
5. The Shore, Surfers Paradise
6. Breakfree Rays, Southport
7. Browns at Broadbeach, Broadbeach

I would like some advice on which of the above are the best based on the requirements listed above.

Many thanks for your response.

i am from singapore. me and my bf will be visiting Goldcoast for a 7 day tour this coming 20th oct to 26 oct... as this is our first time there, we got TOTALLY no idea wat place to visit etc...

as we will be staying over at my friend's place (near surfer's paradise), so we are thinking for the first 3 days, we would spend time in those "world" theme parks... probably movie world, sea world and dream world. is there other theme parks that u guys recommend?

as for the next 4 days, we were planning to go for longer road trips and shopping trips.

so we were thinking should we rent a car from the start for the whole 7 days when we arrive in brisbane airport and drive to gold coast, or should we rent for the last 4 days only for those longer road trips and take airport transfer/public transport for the rest of the days(inclu. the airport transfer to and fro brisbane airport and goldcoast)?

is there any other interesting and must go places in goldcoast/ brisbane?

we are more into a shopping/ sight seeing trip..

really urgently need the help from any kind soul who has answers to my above questions.

thankz so much!!

Hi there we are coming to the Indy Cars next year and are looking for apartments on the track and i have found that what you see on the websites is definately not what you get. Has anyone stayed at eh Breakfree Peninsula?? We want better than average clean and safe apartments, on the indy track and close to the town end. Stayed at Morrocan, lovely but dated and expensive, just want to hear from someone who has any advice on which apartments to stay in.
Like the area of Morrocan,beachpoint etc????