STRIKE GOLD

When you think ‘Gold Coast’, you probably think ‘sun, sand, surf and theme parks’ – and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.

WORDS NICKY ADAMS

Like any popular destination, the Gold Coast has an entire spectrum of appeal that extends well beyond the obvious attractions that spring to mind. Does this mean that the things that we’re so familiar with – miles of sandy beaches, theme parks and bush walks – have become ho-hum? Absolutely, resoundingly not! This is a location that is easy, accessible and fun for any age and stage.

The weather gods were undoubtedly on our side on our recent family holiday. Ten glorious days of sunshine beat down, complete with cool mornings and cloudless skies. Flying into Gold Coast Airport, we made a beeline for our accommodation at Burleigh on the Beach Apartments.

Along with the adults, we had a range of young people to please (12, 16, 19), and Burleigh Heads ticks a lot of boxes. The beachfront location was worth the investment; the beach is stunning and patrolled by lifeguards, and overlooking the action is the surf club, which buzzes all day long and serves great ‘pub grub’-style meals. The Burleigh Pavilion screams ‘too cool for school’ and is apparently a hunting ground for candidates for the Aussie version of Married at First Sight. By day, it’s a great place to grab a beer and people-watch; at night, entrance prices rise, as DJs hit the decks and the young and beautiful come out to play. The town is filled with boutique everything – fashion, bakeries, butcheries. Our self-catering apartment was a dream, and we found everything else within walking distance.

Sunset on the waterways at Sanctuary Cove.

Resisting the urge to just sit around and wile away the days, activity-wise, we attempted to cover off something for everyone. The grunty electric bikes that peppered every corner made for a fun pedal up to the headland for my husband and children, to enjoy scenery that serves as a reminder of just how beautiful this stretch of Queensland coastline is. I’m not known for my biking prowess – electric or not – so I made it a daily treat to walk along the beach in one direction or another, over to the lookout spots and through the bush.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

A family of animal lovers, we’d planned to swim with turtles at nearby Tweed Heads. Unfortunately, on the day of our trip, a huge swell meant it was cancelled at the last minute. Our Uber driver was already downstairs revving up, so we pivoted and headed to the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary instead.

What can I say, except that a great wildlife park is the ultimate family trip whether you’re 10 or 100. Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary is one of those places at which you could never get bored – think cute koalas so still in their trees that you’re convinced they’re stuffed; huge lizards sitting on rocks, watching with beady eyes as you pass by. Although rules around manhandling animals have been massively tightened up, you can still get up close and personal with some species. Our gang was thrilled by the snake experience, and there aren’t many places where you can stroke a dozy baby ’roo as tame as a cat.

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary.

Naturally, we weren’t going to visit Burleigh without scratching the shopping itch; the Pacific Fair mall is a 10-minute drive away. On the Gold Coast, public transport has been capped at 50c for any distance, so bussing was the obvious choice for the kids, who happily navigated the journey. The only thing I would say is that although the buses are great, the ongoing roadworks required to install a rail system are causing a bit of congestion.

Our trip was two-phase, with the second part covering off the theme parks. Excitement was at fever pitch by the time we headed up to Sanctuary Cove, a gated area built around a marina, located around 15 minutes from the parks. Surrounded by waterways, it gives you a totally different perspective on the area, and the whole vibe is low-key and relaxing.

Nicky and husband Scott on Main Street, Movie World.

A sweeping entranceway announces your arrival, and there’s a feeling of zen as you cross the threshold. A world-class golf course stretches as far as the eye can see in one direction; to the other is the luxury of an InterContinental resort. A stone’s throw from the hotel is a boutique shopping complex with everything you need – a supermarket, a pharmacy, an ice-creamery (very important), retail, restaurants and bars. The private residential area is made up of both permanent and holiday homes; here, locals zip around on golf carts. Both the hotel and houses or apartments are available to rent.

Superman Escape ride, Movie World.

I haven’t been to the Gold Coast theme parks for years, and confess it’s something I approach with some trepidation; it’s an understatement to say that being thrown upside down at speed is not my thing. There are multiple options, so it’s worth doing your research beforehand. We plumped to kick off with Warner Bros Movie World, where adrenaline-pumping rides abound. Highlights for us were the Superman Escape roller-coaster, which sends you from zero to 100km/hr in seconds, and the Joker ride, which lifts you what feels like miles high, before plunging in a vertical drop, then into a corkscrew loop. I’m assured both were mind-blowingly fun.

Wizard of Oz Land, Movie World.

Warner Bros characters dot the streets, music cranks and there’s action at every turn. If you visit in the school holidays, progress is slow; fast passes can be purchased once you’re there, but are an expensive addition. If you wait until after 1pm, you can buy single passes to specific rides, and another strategy we employed was to take advantage of our multi-day pass and go back an hour before closing, when many people were leaving. This ‘golden hour’ saw the kids able to run from ride to ride, cramming in multiple turns with hardly any wait time.

Scheduling in a day to recover in between, next on our hit list was Dreamworld. This time, I summoned my inner strength and went on an airplane ride that was basically an airborne carousel. Together with a scenic train ride around the park and the Sky Voyager flying theatre simulator ride, that was me done.

Surf’s up!

The adrenaline junkies on the other hand, were exhilarated by the Steel Taipan, a crazy, high-speed, trick-filled roller-coaster, and the Jungle Rush; this was apparently low level, but upside down and backwards were warning signs to me. There’s more than enough at Dreamworld to keep everyone going – we loved the wildlife area and wished we’d found it earlier in the day, as time runs out quickly.

After that, we had one day left to choose between Sea World (which is further up the coast) and Wet’n’wild. Since the weather was still glorious, we opted for the water park – which, if I’m honest, may not have been the best choice. It was fun and definitely a day well spent, but the wait times for the rides took the shine off a bit.

I’m not ready to join the exodus of Kiwis moving to the GC, but its appeal as a holiday destination is huge. When you leave a place, get home and straight away start googling the flight deals to return, you know you’ve hit a winner.

Island bliss

UNO editor Hayley Barnett experiences the ultimate family getaway: Fiji’s Plantation Island Resort, where luxury meets value with endless fun for kids and adults alike. 

As a family of four, it can be difficult to find a place to holiday that won’t break the bank and that caters to both parents as well as kids. 

Most of the time, you either have to bake in a tent or come up with $700 per night for a cabin in the middle of a campsite. But did you know there’s a gem in the Pacific Ocean that offers everything you could want from a family holiday in a five-star location for a fraction of that cabin price?

Plantation Island Resort has been around for more than 50 years and is still owned and operated by the family who built it − and it shows. Everything here is set up with families in mind. Convenience, comfort, and most importantly fun were obviously all high on the agenda when it came to setting up this island paradise.

We booked five nights in October and by the end of our holiday we could all agree it wasn’t nearly enough. Here’s a rundown of everything we managed to squeeze in between sunbathing and cannonballing around and into all four pools. 

DO

Handline fishing

Our seven-year-old, Oscar, often pressures us to organise a fishing trip, but we don’t own a boat and we aren't what you'd call ’boat people’. So the Handline Fishing Tour seemed as good a time as any to tick it off the list and satisfy him for a wee while. It turned out to be the highlight of the whole trip for Oscar. He caught eight fish! Of course, they were of the tropical variety and he had to throw them all back, but he didn’t mind. And Dad was relieved to get the beautifully-patterned creatures back into the water where they belonged. 

The inflatable water park is a must for kids.

Hair braiding

For regular vacation goers at Plantation, hair braiding is a bit of a holiday tradition, especially for young girls. It takes around an hour and 40 minutes, during which time you can choose to have your own treatment or simply order a cocktail while gossiping with the staff. My daughter, Poppy, opted for the corn rows over the box braids. She walked away very pleased with her choice and took every opportunity she could to get an unhealthy amount of selfies by the pool.

Underwater Museum 

One of the best parts of Plantation Island is the most hidden − its reef. It lies so close to the resort that you can simply swim out from the shore, or in our case practically swim out from our bure. Once you get there, a quirky underwater museum awaits snorkellers, full of fish and coral. There are golf buggies, a dining scene with a table and chairs, and various other objects to attract fish to the area. One of the resort’s resident marine biologists, John, swam out with us to make sure we found the museum and the reef itself. We had swum out the day before but had completely missed the reef, so it was great to have a guide show us exactly where to go. John explained that the pieces in the museum were put there to encourage coral conservation and growth. Plantation Island is big on conservation, so much so that they created what is called the ‘Bula Reef’ − a giant man-made coral reef in the shape of the word ‘Bula’, which means ‘hello’ in Fijian. It’s the world’s largest underwater coral display. Although it’s not a public snorkeling site, Dulcinea Tours do once-per-week visits where guests can view the reef from above the water.

Taking full advantage of the free water equipment

Afternoon Delight snorkelling tour

There are a few different privately-owned charter companies offering boat trips around the surrounding islands. We jumped on a trip with Dulcinea and headed out to Castaway Resort’s reef for some more adventurous snorkelling. A short boat ride took us along Malolo Island, giving us a glimpse into island life for those residing on the island as well as other resorts. Our driver pointed out a small island to our left – ‘Google Island’. Apparently, the search engine company owns it. We jumped off the boat close to Castaway’s water park and snorkelled over the coral reef. The reef itself was large and colourful and teeming with tropical fish and marine life. We spent half an hour there then moved on to Funky Fish Surf Resort for some drinks and snacks before heading back to our slice of paradise.

Hayley’s family poolside at Plantation.

Paddleboarding, kayaking and water park

Most of the water activities and gear is free for guests and can be picked up from the boat shed at the main beach of the resort. We took advantage of the paddleboards and kayaks and journeyed out to the water park with the kids. They would have stayed there all day if they could, but kids under eight need supervision and after a couple of hours it was time for my daily cocktail on the beach. There’s also a new Jungle Water Park which costs FJ$10 per person and consists of two trampolines, a slide and Tarzan swing. My kids could barely handle the bouncy castle water park so we flagged the more extreme version.

Kids’ Club

On arrival we were given a timetable of all the Kids’ Club activities, of which there are many. We highlighted those that the kids were keen on and planned our days around it. There is everything from tie dye t-shirt making to crab hunting, and the staff were very warm and friendly, so we felt good about leaving them in their capable hands. 

Lomani Island Resort & Spa

When the all-day fun fests get a little much for parents, it’s nice to know there’s an adults-only sanctuary right next door. Plantation has its own spa with plenty on offer, but Lomani gives you that extra peace and quiet you might need for some time out. We escaped halfway through our trip to experience the couple’s massage right on the beach. The idyllic surroundings and the resort itself was just the calming activity we were looking for. Lomani Island Resort is right now building a brand new spa with four rooms, an ice bath, plunge pool, sauna and relaxation deck − to offer a full wellness experience − which will open in February 2025.

EAT

Copra Restaurant

This is the main restaurant that offers a buffet breakfast until 10am every day. It’s also the best restaurant in terms of views. Situated right on the beach, guests can opt for the veranda-style dining room and watch the kids’ activities on the beach at night. It does offer buffet dining every night, however, so if you prefer a la carte, the other restaurants might be more preferable.

Copra Restaurant.

BOWL

BOWL only opened in October 2024 and is already one of the most popular eateries on the island. Offering a variety of fresh poke bowls using local fish, tuna and chicken, it’s the perfect poolside meal for adults wanting to break away from the usual family fare of burgers and pizza for lunch.

Black Coral

This is a must-dine at least once on your trip. We ended up there three times, not just for the delicious food, but also for the convenient location. It’s right next to the Kids’ Club and there’s a playground directly in front of the dining area. The steaks (including tuna) are cooked on hot volcanic stone, making this a unique dining experience.

Gourmet delights at Black Coral.

Tavola

Tavola Restaurant and Bar is the newest dine-in restaurant, opening only a few years ago. It’s next to our favourite pool spot and became a santuary for our family to swim and dine. The restaurant offers breakfast, lunch and dinner, with a variety of different cuisines, from Italian to Thai.

Flame Tree Restaurant

This eatery is located at Lomani Island Resort & Spa next door, the adults-only retreat. It offers a lot of local ingredients and plenty of options. The dinner menu is great for meat lovers, and the cocktails are on point.

TOP TIPS

Join the Facebook page

‘We Love Plantation Island Resort Fiji’ offers advice from guests past and present, and allows you to ask any burning questions you might have before your trip.

Bula Bikes

These are the resort bikes that are suitable for all ages. The kids loved riding around the island on these and it gave them a bit of freedom to get about on their own.

Lookout point

There’s a track behind the resort that winds up to a lookout point, which offers views across the island. It only takes about 15 minutes to get up, but wear good walking shoes as it can get a little slippery on the track.

Water stations

You will be given water bottles on arrival. Save them and fill them up at the clean drinking water stations around the resort. There’s one next to the Coco Hutt which we used each morning.

Liquor store

The resort recently opened its own liquor store so you can stock up and have a wee tipple in your room from time to time.  

plantationisland.com