The Gold Coast is a great destination for a relaxing holiday, with great weather for most of the year, beautiful sunsets, so many hotel options and a modern cafe culture.  We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves with our 2.5-year-old toddler who is getting very used to getting on an aeroplane and loves a good holiday. She will walk around the house at home pretending to go on holiday and put herself on the plane.

It was hard to choose where to stay on the Gold Coast with so many beaches to choose from, and so many hotels. We opted to stay at the Vibe Hotel Gold Coast in Surfers Paradise as they had a great deal on while we were travelling which we loved. It’s positioned on the river side of Surfers Paradise but still has plenty of views out to the river which overlooks the mountains and also some that look over the beach.   The attraction to this hotel was the pool which is attached to the bar, a perfect situation with a toddler as you can easily access the pool but then retreat to a large spacious bar where she could run around and enjoy herself (with a drink in hand).   We travelled in October when it was fairly windy on the Gold Coast, and retreating towards the river sheltered us from the wind and the pool was also facing the right direction.  Next door is the Surfers Pavillion, a modern and great restaurant and bar that also overlooks the river and mountains, with a perfect sunset view.  Highly recommend it and would stay here again.

We mostly had our meals down on the beach side of Surfers Paradise and found some gems along the esplanade.  We found TGI Fridays, Walgurgers, Messina and our favourite Gringo Loco Cantina for Mexican (but also great for coffee in the morning).  We also loved Elcamino Cantina as well for some frozen margaritas and some great fajitas. There were plenty of options for restaurants to keep everyone happy.

When it comes to the beaches, Coolangatta and Burleigh Heads have to be on my top for swimming beaches.  Surfers Paradise, Nobbies, and Broadbeach are great suburbs for cafes, restaurants, and hotel pools but they usually have rough surf and are not the best for toddlers.  We found South Burleigh, Tullebudgera Creek Beach and Cooloongatta (Rainbow Beach) the best family beaches.  If you love the quite calm water Tullerbudgera Creak Beach is your best stop, and also features Custard Canteen Cafe and also a short walk to the local playground – a perfect toddler combination.   Coolangatta was a great destination with endless beach options.  If you park near Green Mount beach there’s a small inlet that is great for swimming and an amazing headland with lots of views of Surfers Paradise and plenty of wildlife for entertainment.   If you walk the headland it leads to Rainbow Beach, also a great option for swimming and a small playground.  A hot tip for a cafe would be Ground Cooloongatta.

Burleigh Beach also has some great food destinations to check out.  The Burleigh Pavilion is a beautiful restaurant that looks over the whole beach with a fantastic menu. A must-stop for morning brunch is either the Paddock Bakery or Tarte Bakery and Cafe.  Also towards Currumbin is another Tarte Bakery stop along the river which was well worth the brunch vibes. If you’re stopped at Burleigh for a day, it’s also great to get fish and chips from Burleigh Heads Fishmongers. You can’t go wrong.

If you want a day out to see the local wildlife you could go to Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary to see all the amazing birds and all the amazing natural animals. A great toddler outing that is fun for the whole family.  It’s also close to Currumbin Beach, a great location for a walk and swim.  Another hot tip is to stop in at Barefoot Barista for a coffee and cake.

If you stop here for more than a few days, it’s great to check out the shops as well.  Pacific Fair is right on the Gold Coast Highway and offers great indoor and outdoor shopping with lots of entertainment and restaurants to choose from.  It’s across the road from Broadbeach and lots of dinner options in the area.

We found holidaying on the Gold Coast like a Aussie version of Hawaii. Beautiful pink sunsets, beautiful beaches and pools and good shopping.