Written by winner of the competition, Krystal McKinley
Logging into Instagram and seeing a notification from Aabode that I was the winner of return flights for two and three nights accommodation at the Gold Coast I was completely over the moon! As most of you know, i’m a total compaholic and while I’ve had a small handful of wins, this one tops them all, I couldn’t wait to enjoy this little getaway with my husband and all it took was a simple follow, like and comment!
Departing from Sydney we arrived into the Gold Coast in just over an hour and caught a courtesy shuttle to pick up our rental car from East Coast Car Rentals then made our way to pick up the keys to our accommodation for the stay, a beautiful apartment at The Rocks Resort.
Our apartment was huge offering 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, and a very spacious open kitchen and lounge room area and my favourite thing about the place was the stunning ocean views on one side and forest views on the other! We were just metres away from the beach, walking distance to cafes and only a 10 minute drive to restaurants and bars.
Once we settled in it is was only lunch time and we didn’t want to waste the afternoon inside so we decided to check out the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary which was only about an 800 metre walk from our apartment.
This place is massive and I would highly recommend you give yourself at least a couple of hours here to experience all there is on offer. There are feeding shows and free flight bird shows as well as a miniature train ride that takes you around the park, you can walk around at your own pace and there are plenty of photo opportunities along the way. Popular areas of the sanctuary would be the free range kangaroo enclosure where you can feed and mingle with the resident kangaroos and there is also a treetop adventure park on site where you can challenge yourself to climbing over obstacles amongst the trees!
Open: Daily from 8am – 5pm (except for Christmas and ANZAC Day)
Address: 28 Tomewin St, Currumbin QLD 4223
Contact: (07) 5534 1266
Price: https://currumbinsanctuary.com.au/tickets-and-encounters/day-pass
The following day we drove to a beach side cafe for breakfast and afterwards walked across the road to check out the coastline. The beaches looked absolutely gorgeous and the water was such a beautiful shade of blue, not even the dark clouds on the horizon could dampen the busy atmosphere taking place in the area. There’s also a sculpture located on the state’s border and it’s pretty cool to be able to stand in both NSW and QLD at the same time!
As the rain clouds approached we hopped back into the car and thought about what other spontaneous activity we could do. Just a short distance from our apartment there is a place called Honey World on the way and decided to have a quick visit. Honey World has a whole range of honey and wax products available for purchase and also free samples of honey. I’m not the biggest fan of honey but they were very delicious! Entry into the building is free but for a small price you also have the opportunity to be guided by a bee keeper and shown the many hives and watch bees in action and what they get up inside of the hives, I would really recommend it, I learnt some things about bees I never knew and my husband is now even keen on having our own beehive!
Open: Monday – Saturday from 9am – 5pm, Sunday from 10am – 5pm
Address: 35 Tomewin St, Currumbin QLD 4223
Later that afternoon, my husband and I met up with a friend and tried our hand at Topgolf, a facility where people can play different games of golf from accuracy to hitting distances and are scored on their shots. You stand on a platform and hit as many balls until the game is over, the golf balls have chips in them that register where your shot landed and that is how you get your score. Table service is also available in your bays so you can order food and drinks without disturbing your game. It was so much fun and probably one of the highlights for me on the trip!
Open: Daily from 9am until late (except Christmas and ANZAC Day)
Address: Cnr. Roadshow Way and Entertainment Road, Oxenford QLD 4210 Contact: 1300 008 442
Price: https://topgolf.com.au/pricing
On our final day, we drove to Surfers Paradise and spent the day like tourists checking out some of the top spots in the area. This mall precinct is absolutely huge and you are really spoilt for choice when it comes to what to eat and what to do!
First up we went to Ripley’s Believe It or Not!, an interactive museum full of weird and wonderful things found from all over the world. This museum was really fascinating and was chock a block full of interesting facts. Having read the books as a child, it was great to see it all in person!
Open: Daily from 9am -10pm
Address: Soul Boardwalk, Cavill Mall, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217
Contact: (07) 5592 0040
Price: Click here
Then we moved onto Infinity, an interactive maze like facility where you have to move your way through obstacles in complete darkness and feel for a door that will take you into the next room. Some rooms have laser lights, one a galaxy full of stars and others obstacles hanging from the ceiling and coming out through the walls. Although nothing jumps out at you, if you have a fear of darkness, enclosed spaces and are unsteady on your feet, I wouldn’t recommend this place to you, but if you have a mind full of adventure and discovery you MUST go here! If you do find yourself stuck or lost, a staff member will be quick to assist you.
I couldn’t stop smiling the whole way through, it was just so incredible to experience all the wonder in each room and I absolutely loved it! Your own photography and videos are strictly prohibited in this experience however you get a photo taken half way through and are given the opportunity to purchase it afterwards.
Open: Daily from 10am – 10pm
Address: G31 Chevron Renaissance Centre, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217
Contact: (07) 5526 8935
Price: https://infinitygc.com.au/tickets/
Lastly, this one is for all you feline lovers out there, a visit to the Crazy Cat Cafe! The cafe has two sections, the dining area which offers hot and cold drinks and a basic breakfast and lunch menu and the other section, absolute cat heaven!
For a small price you can go into the cat room and indulge yourself amongst the absolutely beautiful resident cats there from all different breeds. There are two time sessions on offer, 25 minutes or 50 minutes. You can simply sit on a lounge and wait for the cats to sit in your lap, you can lie on the ground with them or you can play with them using the many toys scattered around, if they’re in the mood you can even pick them up for a cuddle. Being a cat owner myself, I really loved this place and really enjoyed some relaxation time just being in the company of these cats!
Open: Monday – Saturday from 10am – 5pm and Sunday from 9:30am – 7:30pm
Address: 3131 Surfers Paradise Blvd, Surfers Paradise QLD 4217
Contact: (07) 5630 1110
Price: https://www.crazycat.cafe/book
On our final night in the Gold Coast we were even farewelled by a stunning sunset overlooking the city, what a way to end this perfect stay!
Interested in the property that Krystal stayed at? Book it here: The Rocks Resort Aabode.com
