Visiting Gold Coast with family from July 05 to July 11, for the first time as tourist. We are very much into theme parks and would like to dedicate 2-3 days to the theme parks. Would Gold coast be cold enough, so as NOT to include the "water" parks?

Which area would be better, we don't like secluded areas. It should have easy access to the beach, good cafes, touristy places etc and we are leaning towards Surfers paradise.

Furthermore, need your advise on following
1. We will have 3 more days, apart from theme parks. What can we do there
2. Is Brisbane worth travelling for a day
3. I am leaning toward Novotel surfers paradise, any feedback on it or any other hotel. Our budget is AUD175/ per night

thanks

The theme parks are great and if you like the action stay in Surfers Paradise.
We usually found it warm enough to swim but can depend on the weather. We live in NZ but had many winter holidays over there and it was usually warm.
School holidays will make it busier than usual.
Our fav parks are :
Sea World
Movie World
Dream World
Wet n Wild
Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is great for a look at Australian wildlife. There are lots of other places to occupy your time there -try a ride up the really high building Q Tower I think it's called.
I don't think I'd bother with a day trip to Brisbane. You will have more fun at the beach.

The Gold Coast is a kind of destination where outdoor activities are viable year round and the Gold Coast’s things to-do list is nearly endless.
With so much to see and do, here are Top 6 Things To Do on the Gold Coast from my opinion,

1. Take a Jetboat Ride
Location: Surfers Paradise and Marina Mirage, Gold Coast, Queensland

2. Explore the Hinterland
Location: Approx. 45-minute drive from Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast

3. Go to the Beach
Location: Various locations along coastline, Gold Coast

4. Go up the SkyPoint Deck atop the Q1 Building
Location: 9 Hamilton Ave, Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast

5. Visit Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
Location: 28 Tomewin St, Currumbin, Gold Coast

6. Visit a Theme Park
Location: Various locations, northern end of Gold Coast

All sounds good, Thanks

Can i get suggestions on hotels on the GOLD COAST. I am inclining toward NOVOTEL SURFERS PARADISE HOTEL, as i am getting it at a good price of AUD160 with breakfast

But open to more suggestions

Novotel is a high standard hotel chain and I personally like the Accor hotel group although we always stayed in a timeshare (thanks to MIL.
It's in a great position close to everything and $160 is a very good price. There is so much choice of accommodation there it's easy to get swamped when making a decision.
My friend was over there last year and enjoyed going to Tropical Fruit World.

Tasman, thanks for the good review on Novotel.

As mentioned earlier, our requirement for the hotel is as follows

Which area would be better, we don't like secluded areas. It should have easy access to the beach, good cafes, touristy places etc and we are leaning towards Surfers paradise.

I have the following hotels in mind
Novotel
Watermark hotel & Spa
Mantra on view hotel
Vibe hotel god coast
Whyndam surfers

Kindly suggest asap

Thanks

I've not stayed at any of those so I cannot recommend them. Use Google Maps to see where they are located in SP and make your decision from there.
What do you mean by 'secluded' - quiet and away from the action? Surfers to Broadbeach is pretty much wall to wall high rise hotels (100+) so it is not secluded at all. You will pay more to be beachfront.

The Novotel is attached via the Paradise Centre to Cavill Mall where the main action is. You will find Timezone and other touristy places there. The Gold Coast is Australia's most visited domestic tourist city, and Surfers Paradise is tourist central.

All those hotels are within an easy walk, Mantra is on the beach, but oblique to it, the Vibe is on the Nerang river which makes for water views. Plenty of eateries dotted around a couple square kilometres. Have a wander to Chevron Island for a more local cafe scene.