After our 4 days of fun and adventure in Sydney, we flew to a worldwide known holiday destination - Gold Coast. My kid at heart is screaming in excitement as I look forward to our itinerary. We flew via Tiger Air and arrived around pass 4 in the afternoon, Gold Coast time. It is unfortunate that the Airport Transfer that I booked did not pick us up on time. There was a confusion in the airport as a lot of passengers that book the transfer also got stranded like us. Instructions were also not given properly so we waited for so long until we were told to book a separate taxi and the transport company should be the one paying on our behalf.
We arrived quite late already in Sandcastles on The Broadwater, which serves our home for 4 nights. We were so tired and drained and we don't even know how to check-in to this apartment type accommodation. Finally, someone had answered the phone and gave us instruction on how we can enter our unit. Good thing, the unit is very homey and it is really a house with complete appliances and furniture.
After settling down, we tried our luck to find an open restaurant nearby so we can have dinner. We were not familiar with the place and the area that we booked is so far from Surfer's Paradise, which is the city center. Good thing there is a Pizza Place nearby where we had our dinner and eventually called it a night.
The next day, we are bound to Warner Brothers Movie World. We purchased a 7 day pass for 99 USD which can be used for 7 straight days to Movie World, Sea World and Wet 'N' Wild. We also have access to unlimited digital ride photos and free cruising in Surfer's Paradise. We just took public transport through buses to reach Movie World. There was a long line to enter the theme park, we patiently waited until it is our turn to finally enter. :)
Almost all of the rides in Movie World are so extreme and we are so afraid to try them. I think we only entered the Cinematic Experience near the entrance. We also watched the scheduled mini appearances of characters and of course we will not miss the parade in the afternoon.
Newlyweds resting over popcorn
Contemplating if we will try... Ok let's just have a picture! :)
Bien with catwoman
Posing with Superman
This Stunt Show is really amazing
Finally Tweety Bird, up close and in person
Batman!
We chickened out! :)
The lines are really long even if most of the rides are this thrilling. We just ended up appreciating the park itself and waited until the parade. We decided to leave early to avoid difficulty commuting. We then learned that there is also a nearby outlet shop that really has a lot of brands that we can shop for "pasalubong".
The next day we had an early start as we are to have our hot air balloon experience. This experience is part of my wedding gift to Bien and this is a first for us. We are so thrilled to try it, but at the same time there is a hint of fear as well. We prayed that we will have a smooth flight. We are instructed to be picked-up at Mercure Hotel near Surfer's Paradise.
We are so happy to be witnessing the balloon being inflated in front of us. For our tour, 2 balloons are being utilized and we are fortunate enough to be seated (stand) near the pilot. (Maybe we paid a premium for this?) The view above is so amazing! I actually don't want to take photos and just purely appreciate the view, but this is honeymoon, we need to at least document the amazing memory.
What a wonderful experience to witness the sun rising in Gold Coast
Our smiles say it all!
After the wonderful experience flying, we were treated to a Buffet Breakfast with Champagne toast with none other than our captain. They said it was a tradition to drink champagne after a flight. We returned to our hotel after the sumptuous meal to rest for a while before heading to Wet N' Wild for a swim.
Even the recreation park is full of thrilling activities
Hubby posing happily
It was really cold to swim but we did anyway!
One last pose before we leave Wet N' Wild
After having a dip in the pool. we agreed to head back to the Harbor Town Outlet Shopping Center to check out some more pasalubongs! So many branded shops to look at. Oh how we wish we have tons of cash to spend.
Day 3 in Gold Coast was spent in Surfer's Paradise in the morning. The beach is really beautiful but it was too cold for us to swim. I was also amazed flags symbolize safety for swimmers. There are also helicopters roving to check for any shark sightings that can be a potential harm.
Stopped by this dog statue to pose
Can you see how fine these sands are?
Behind the gigantic Surf Board
Fascinated by the materials used to make this chair
Immortalizing the famous Surfer Paradise's Arch to remember this epic time
After looking around, we headed to our Gold Coast morning cruise with snacks through Wyndham Cruises. We were honestly not expecting that we will have a full house. Still glad we got a good seat to be able to appreciate the views. Too much beautiful houses. We sure hope one day we could own one. :)
Our cruise ship
Our coffee and freshly baked pastry
We hope to also own a boat someday! Gotta work hard for that.
After our cruise, we head back to have our lunch. Finally, a good steak at a very reasonable price in Surfer's paradise.
Hubby posing since we have a good set of girls dining across us
After filling our stomach, we are bound to visit SEA World to check some attractions. The park was indeed large and mostly the visitors are kids / families. Surely, not a honeymooners' top activity.
Happy Feet
This one is quite photogenic
Oh hello there, turtle!
Up close and personal
A funny show with these bunch
On to view the sharks!
Goodbye, SEA World :)
After looking around, we decide to leave the park earlier as expected to avoid difficulty commuting. We unanimously decided to head back to Harbor Town again to shop again for one last time before packing all our stuff as we are bound to Perth the following day.
For our last and final day in Gold Coast, my very good friend from college - Maja, picked us up to show us the other side of Gold Coast. She drove from Brisbane just to see us and show us around. Thank you so much, Maja.
But first, we have to say goodbye to our lovely apartment. Too bad we were not able to even swim on the pool or do some barbecue.
Our first order of business is to see some Glow Worms. The glow worm cave is located in Tambourine Mountain. While waiting for our turn, we roamed around the area and found ourselves in this bar.
Oopps... might be too early for wine.
We were welcomed in this cave like set-up to watch a brief documentary about glow worms so we could understand better. They are actually larvae of small fly. Glow worms glow to attract insects. They grow web similar to spiders where they capture insects.
Decided to capture the beautiful scenery behind us since we cannot take a photo of the glow worms
Thankful for our countryside tour in Gold Coast with UP KEM friend, Maja.
After our glow worm tour. All smiles :)
After our acquaintance with the very sensitive glow worms, Maja drove us to a place where there were a lots of lavender flowers. It was truly an amazing view. There were also a natural organic bath products being sold but we found it quite expensive.
Honeymooners with the perfect garden shot. Too bad, the flowers are just starting to bloom.
It was time for our lunch and we found a German Place to dine. The place is wonderful and the food has big yummy servings too.
Beers, anyone?
German basic food
Mandatory shot with the food
This is the name of the place where we dined. There was a nearby falls that we had tried to find. Unfortunately, our trek was already long but there were no signs we were near it. We just decided to play it safe and head back to our car.
At one of the vineyards we visited
We visited a small town full of vintage shops and food stalls. It was a refreshing experience. We tried a little wine tasting too but played it safe since it was our flight in a few hours. After the happy yet tiring tour, we capped off by afternoon tea time. It was a first for me to try scones. :)
Up next our last and final leg in the land down under - Perth.
