I never dreamt I could ever live on the Gold Coast as I had visited it a couple of times over the years, but felt it was a bit too pretentious for my liking. Three years ago though, we made a momentous decision to move to the Gold Coast and haven’t looked back. It’s not at all what I expected.We live in a quiet suburban area, about 4kms from Broadbeach. We’re far enough away, yet close enough if we want some action. We rarely venture into Surfers which is a real tourist trap, and we have yet to find a decent cup of coffee there. Broadbeach on the other hand, has some great restaurants, great coffee and the atmosphere is fab. Another of our favourite areas is Burleigh Heads where you’ll find some really good places to dine. It’s a great place to hang out on the weekend, particularly along the beach where you can enjoy an ice-cold beer on the promenade or treat yourself to some gelato.   The skyscrapers of Surfers make an impressive backdrop. Coolangatta and Tweed Heads have a laid back feel with an excellent swimming beach at Rainbow Bay.To the north, if you want some tasty, value for money seafood, try George’s Paragon Seafood Restaurant on the waterfront at Sanctuary Cove, but make sure you book ahead. Boat enthusiasts shouldn’t miss the International Boat Show in May which has the largest display of marine products in the Asia-Pacific region. It’s worth a visit even if you don’t have a few hundred thousand in your back pocket! There’s nothing wrong with dreaming…For those of you who want a bit of action, Dracula’s Cabaret, between Jupiters Casino and Pacific Fair, will entertain you with horror themed comedy while you dine in an incredible goulish atmosphere. And if you want to take home a momento of a truly stupendous evening out, Dracula’s Shop of Horror has an array of horror themed merchandise for sale. Hmm, I rather like their saucy stockings! Over Easter, we finally decided to take a trip up to Tamborine Mountain, 25kms west of the Gold Coast. The views from the plateau are spectacular and there are a variety of walks you can take where you can experience the natural beauty of subtropical rainforests and the botanical gardens. In the little village, you’ll find numerous antique and art and craft shops, galleries, quaint tea rooms, quality restaurants and a German cuckoo clock shop! The region also has a number of boutique wineries and a local distillery where you can sample a tipple or two of some quality wines. That’s it! I’m definitely going to spend a night the next time round.There’s still so much more to see and explore. What a great idea it was to move up here!

Tags: Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads, Coolangatta, Dracula's Cabaret, Gold Coast, International Boat Show, Jupiters Casino, Pacific Fair, Sanctuary Cove, Tamborine Mountain, Tweed Heads

This entry was posted on Sunday, April 6th, 2008 at 4:05 pm and is filed under Travel Destinations. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.