Gold Coast - places to visit and stay
 

Hi, I will be travelling to Gold Coast in end of May for a week. Appreciate if you can provide some advises on places to visit, where to stay and is it better to rent a car?

Thank you.

I like to rent a car for th convenience & flexibility.

My preferred accommodation is a self catering apartment somewhere around Main Beach, Broad Beach or Southport.

There's plenty to see & do in & around the Gold Coast, but what appeals to me, as someone who has friends there & been a regular visitor for many years, is possibly not what would appeal to a first timer.

For accommodation: bookimg.com & Airbnb
Seeing & doing : the Gold Coast website & destination tags & FAQs here on the Gold Coast Forum.

Surfers Paradise is where a lot of tourists head to first but it's not our favourite place. Burleigh Heads, at the southern end, is nice. The beach is lovely and there are lots of cafes and shops in the area. Although there are multi-storey apartment buildings it doesn't have the multitude of highrises that Surfers has.

If you stay in an apartment you'll have more space and a kitchen, laundry etc. We stayed recently at Spindrift on the Beach at Mermaid Beach, the location was good. Check reviews on Trip Advisor for specific areas or just key in the Gold Coast.

Although there is a tram now along part of the Gold Coast and there are buses, I think a hire car is a good idea so you can get about and explore.

I suppose you know there are theme parks at the Gold Coast, such as Movie World, Dreamworld, Seaworld etc. Very popular with families.

What are your interests? Presumably you like the beach, there is a big shopping centre called Pacific Fair at Mermaid Beach if you want to shop. They have a free shuttle bus if you decide not to hire a car.

Kay

Have a look at the report by Yestravel - six weeks down under. There's some ideas of things to do on the Gold Coast there. A car may or may not be best depending on what you want to see and do. What entices you to visit our city ?

We've had many family holidays to the Gold Coast and usually stay in the Southport area.
Broadbeach is also nice and I stayed there at Breakers North when I went for a girl's holiday with friends.
Are you bringing children? Our kids really loved Sea World and we did all the other theme parks. Wet and Wild was their least favourite as they preferred swimming at the beach.
The centre of Surfers is for the young and bronzed surfer types IMO and we did'nt spend much time there.
Harbourtown has good discount shopping.

Hi all,

Thank you for all your replies. Really appreciated it.

This is my first time visit to Gold Coast with a friend. So it's only 2 of us. We would like to have a chill and relax trip instead of hectic itinerary.

And since is only 2 of us, is it advisable to rent a car?

Thank you.

The car question really depends on what you want to do.
If for example you stay at Broadbeach, you have access to the G (our light rail) for points north, or an extensive bus network which would get you to Burleigh Heads or Harbourtown. No car needed. If you want to visit the mountains or northern NSW you would need a car. Late May is not school holidays, and there are zillions of car rental places here.
Perhaps decide when you get here.

Sartoric gives you good advice. Wait until you arrive, makes some plans and see if you need a car. Maybe you can do everything you want by walking, public transport or the occasional taxi. There are also shuttles buses to some of the big attractions.

If you haven't booked accommodation yet, check Google Maps first to make sure you are staying within easy walking distance of places to eat as well as the beach. Or come back to us with specific accommodation ideas if you are not sure.

Kay

With so much to see and do Gold Coast’s list of things to-do is almost endless. It’s a place where outdoor activities are viable year round. The things are as follows,

1. Take a Jetboat Ride
2. Explore the Hinterland
3. Go to the Beach
4. Go up the SkyPoint Deck atop the Q1 Building
5. Visit Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary
6. Visit a Theme Park

Hi all,

Thank you so much for the input. I'm still doing research for accommodations. Might need you guys to comments after I have shortlisted some. Thank you in advance!

Hi,

Would like to know what's nice to explore about Hinterland? Is there public transport to there? I will be staying around Surfer Paradise.

Thank you.

Have a look here: http://www.goldcoastaustralia.com/vi...interland.html

Mt. Tamborine is a picturesque town, with lots of cafes, galleries & rainforest walks.
Other places, like O'Reillys, Lamington & Springbrook National Parks all have wonderful walks. It depends entirely on your interests.

And no, there is no public transport to Nationsl Parks. Don't know about Tamborine Mt., but suspect not. Your options are - rent a car or take a tour.