Today I write for good vibes, so I go back to my happy place, Australia, even just for awhile thru blogging. Last December, it was summer in Oz and we did a side trip to Gold Coast from Melbourne, before heading to Sydney. I wanted to go somewhere I haven’t been to this time around in Oz plus I wanted to maximise while Elian is still newborn rate/almost free for flights, so we squeezed in 3 nights and 4 days in the Gold Coast, for his birthday trip.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t as breezy as I thought it would be. We had a ton of excess baggage coming from Melbourne that we’ll be bringing home to Manila (from the family, for the family) and since Virgin Air is a domestic airline with limited baggage allowance, we were trapped and had to leave some at the airport at the same time paying extra for what we can include in our things. Plus, Melbourne’s unpredictable, stormy, freezing cold weather in the middle of summer made Elian sick. So he was feverish when we arrived (hence the Kool Fever on his forehead in the video).

So for this trip, we took it easy and spent most of our time in the hotel to let him rest. On the days we went out it was only to the beach and he loved it! We love the wide stretch of fine sand, the waves and everything else. The shore just seemed to go on and on and it was just so wide. Elian loved playing with the birds by the shore, burying his feet in the sand and just playing with the cold water. It was really a good relaxing break. We did nothing but rest in our hotel then go and play at the beach throughout our trip.

We stayed at the Watermark Hotel & Spa and it was the perfect choice! It was just walking distance to Surfers Paradise beach, not at all expensive but had really good service. The moment we arrived, we got complimentary wine and chocolates with a handwritten note for our anniversary! It was such a sweet surprise! Plus, our room had a beautiful view of the lake across and I love just watching the water and sky sparkle in different schemes during different times of the day. We also love their food. Since Elian was sick on our first days, we just kept ordering room service and he loved their pasta and soup while Ken enjoyed their pizza and I absolutely love their steak! It was the best steak I’ve ever had, juicy and perfectly grilled and I wish I took a photo. I thoroughly enjoyed it that I forgot to take a photo. I would come back just the steak and the view. Thank you so much for a memorable stay Watermark hotel!

Next time, we would love to go back here and explore more. There’s so much to see and do in Gold Coast — theme parks, sanctuaries, animal experiences, other beaches and nature treks with views. We were looking forward to exploring but travels with a baby can sometimes be unpredictable. We hope to come back when Elian is bigger.

Grateful for this chance to see and experience this city with my little family. Til next summer! 🙂