Vacation Packages

The Gold Coast of Queensland is a place known for its spectacular beaches. About seventy kilometers of sand and sun are the reason why, along with warm water for any day you’d like to go for a swim. In fact, the water hits its “chill point” at 19 degrees C. It doesn’t take much to understand the draw of the beach here, nor why tourists pour in to the Gold Coast every year for a little relaxation.

Here are some more reasons why our beaches are so popular

For the Surfers

From Duranbah in New South Wales through to The Other Side (TOS) at South Stradbroke Island, we have beach after beach of world class waves to surf. We have some of the most famous reef breaks in the world, with Snapper Rocks and Burleigh Heads constantly producing amazingly long right handers. And it is at these point breaks that we host the first ASP World Championship Tour event, during February – March every year.

However, if you’re the sort of surf hound that likes to ride the waves with some room to stretch out and avoid a crowd in the process, you’d probably be happy to compromise a little on wave quality and should check out the numerous beach breaks where you can have plenty of fun and solitude at the same time. Beach breaks around Kirra and Surfers Paradise are famous for a reason. Besides that, you’ve got more hidden gems like Tugan, Mermaid, Main Beach, Miami and Nobby’s Beach. It’s not all about point breaks. These fine beach breaks give the surfer lots of fun rides which sit empty for many days of every season.

This part of the coast is a laboratory for surf champs, producing guys like Dean Morrison, Parko and Mick Fanning, guys who are in the running for world champion.

Tanning and Swimming

The Gold Coast is blessed with a climate that not only permits terrific tanning all year round, but the water temperature is rarely below cozy. Maybe in the winter it gets a little chilly, but even that’s just before noon. It is quite rare to see no tanners out, even in July or August, the peak of the Australian winter. Normally there are people out on every day of the year, with typical temperatures between twenty and twenty-four degrees in wintertime.

As for the water, it’s so pleasant you can even take a swim most nights on the Gold Coast! The air was much more of a threat to my comfort level when I jump out of the water one night and run back to the car.

Considering there are about ten to twenty meters of sand from ocean to street on almost every Gold Coast beach, the tanning, surfing, swimming, running and kite surfing are truly a pleasure. Usually, there are spots for picnics, barbecuing or a little beach volleyball, too. It’s not surprising that the beaches are one of the biggest tourist attractions themselves.

Damian Papworth loves living on and writing about the Gold Coast. He recently investigated Gold Coast Hotels Australia for your information. A holiday express hotel is always a good option.

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You are probably aware by now that we are entering a period where cash is a going to be a little bit tighter for all of us. With record high oil prices, we are paying more and more for the petrol we need in our cars. With inflation on the rise, we spend more for the day to day necessities of life. With both interest rates and rental prices increasing, no matter if you own or rent your home, you will be paying more for it this year, than you were last year. Something has to give.

In this context, it is typical for most families to sacrifice their yearly vacation/holiday. With the going getting tough, a holiday can be seen as just one large expense. By forsaking such a trip, the rest of the year can be rendered a little more bearable and easy. INCORRECT! Missing out on the fun and relaxation of a good holiday will be likely to make you loathe the rest of your year: you’ll reach year’s end in tatters, barely having survived, no more. That’s not what we are here in this life to do. We need to live, not merely survive.

A year of hard work merits you a reward, something you can look forward to with joy and anticipation. Furthermore, it’s necessary to get away to recharge one’s batteries for the next spell of drudgery. A good holiday is in this sense another necessity of your life, not simply a luxury. Holidays are that much more important when the going gets rough, the need for some downtime and unloading bad energy is that much greater.

Notwithstanding all this, there is no need to spend a fortune on your relaxing vacation. This article is aimed at helping people understand what economical alternatives there are for a quality holiday on the Gold Coast. These options which will strip hundreds from your holiday budget. All that without having to renounce any of the fun or relaxation that such a vacation needs to entail.

Getting there: to find cheap airfares to your destination there are a few different strategies. Here’s a look at some of them:

Reward Programs – If you’ve yet to register with any such program, do so ASAP! Register with a frequent flier and/or a credit card reward program. To get the most from these benefits, transfer the points from your credit card account to your frequent flier account and make good on the benefit this offers you. In this way, you could very well end up cropping several hundred off your ticket expenses.

Discount Carriers – Leave the full-service companies behind. When it comes down to it, go with the discount carriers to get the best fares. Make sure you sign up to all benefit programs and to their newsletters. The offers that you’ll find will be sure to surprise you.

Flight Comparison Services – These kinds of services help customers narrow down a list of truly competitive pricing options for their flight, defined by a specific date range. Through such comparisons much of the fine-comb work is eliminated, meaning a simpler selection process and better results.

Places to stay: There are economical alternatives regarding accommodation. Bear in mind that hotels are aware of the current economic situation and have been offering ridiculous discounts to help keep up business.

Reward Programs – Though fewer people are aware of it, several hotels and booking agencies have reward programs. If you’re already subscribed to such a program, cash your points in now; if not, go ahead and sign up and start accruing points for next time.

Hotel comparison services – These search engines will find you the best deal for your class of accommodation.

Consider other options – Hotels don’t have to be part of a vacation, as other alternatives exist. Hostels for backpackers are one option to consider for those searching for a “shared” experience. For those demanding more privacy, there are always B&Bs, holiday apartments and RV parks, all rich in cheap possibilities.

Enjoying the destination: the Gold Coast’s biggest pride has to be its many excellent surf beaches. Hence, entertainment during your vacation can be had absolutely without charge if you packed a swimsuit and towel. There is no end to the body surfing, swimming and tanning to be done.

If you would like a bit more adventure, try a long term surfboard rental service. Most hire shops charge you an arm and a leg to rent a surfboard as they charge you hourly or daily rates. Instead use a holiday length rental service. These services make surfboard hire very affordable.

Then, there is a plethora of cheap entertainment options to be taken advantage of farther inland as long as you have some planning skills. There are the frequent and often free music and art festivals that always draw throngs to the Australian east coast. There are the charming local markets and the sporting events that abound. To get a taste of the nightlife scene, check out the Surf Life Saving Clubs where drinks are much cheaper than at the regular bars, yet the atmosphere equally lively and upbeat (you’ll also be patronizing the noble cause this institution represents).

In light of all these opportunities, your Gold Coast vacation can be just as fun as always, and not cost you more than your budget!

Damian Papworth knows that for cheap all inclusive holidays, the Gold Coast is a great destination. begin by buying some cheap Gold Coast accommodation, and see what your providers will include in the deal.

Upon awaking this morning I promptly headed on over to Coolangatta Beach. A surf-rental client was leaving the area very early in the day and needed me to come by and pick up the equipment (a short board and a minimal) they had been using before they went ahead to check out. Hence I went for precisely that purpose, arriving a little earlier than 7am.

On the Australian Gold Coast, Coolangatta is roughly a 30 minute drive headed south out of Surfer’s Paradise, both places being world-renowned thanks to the impressive surf conditions they present. Surfer’s Paradise, located at the northern tip really does have some of the most spectacular of the Goldy’s beach breaks thanks to the shifting sand-based ocean floor, which gives a lot of swell.

Coolangatta on the other hand is at the south end of the Goldy is more famous for the world class point breaks of Snapper Rocks, Greenmount and Kirra. These points, though not able to pick up as much swell as the northern beaches, definitely host the best waves of the area. On their given day, the waves can bend endlessly around the points. A surfer can kick off a wave due to fatigue rather than the wave ending.

Not this morning though. This morning on arrival, the waves were less than a foot, clean as they get though with no wind to speak of. Having picked up the rented surfboard, I decided to have breakfast at a lovely little cafe on the beach front and see what happens at our beaches when there is no surf.

It didn’t take me long at all to realize just why the Australian Gold Coast, in the northern Queensland state, is among the most frequented beach destinations on the planet. At little past 7 o’clock in the morning the beach front is already thriving with activity; for sure, 24 water helps a lot just as the 26 air temperature does–who wouldn’t be inclined to spend a day on the beach in those conditions?

In the water, there are a couple of Polynesian style surfers out, with those big stand up boards and paddle, enjoying the tame conditions with a couple of long boarders. Also, there were a handful of swimmers swimming between the flags, trying to catch a little breaker on the shore edge.

The beach at Coolangatta spreads out to approximately 50 meters of gorgeous yellowy-golden sand, a perfect setting for the many ladies already out in their bikinis deepening their tans at such early hours. The really early tanners comically tend to always be the ones that are wrapping up their vacations and want to go home that much bronzer!

Along the bike and running paths designated in the park, tiny groups of cyclists and runners whiz by as they carry out their morning fitness program. Way out at sea a pod of whales is playfully splashing around as they follow their migration path, to the great amusement of the beach-bound passersby.

I take in this marvelous vista, bustling with activity, as I comfortably sip my coffee and eat my eggs benedict which a pretty waitress kindly has served me. Being a local from the area, it is so gratifying to be able to just sit back and bask in the glory that so many tourists have traveled half a world to see. Hopefully you too will one day discover the beauty of this our home–it really just doesn’t get that much better!

Damian Papworth knows that for holidays in the sun, with warm water, golden beaches and sun drenched days, nothing beats the Queensland Gold Coast.