Tag Archives: lunch surfers

Apr 14 2019

Goldies – The Island, Surfers Paradise

Located on Surfers Paradise Boulevard, just one block back from the iconic Surfers Beach, sits one of the original Gold Coast Hotels, The Island.

Goldies is the downstairs restaurant and bar, open from 7am, seven days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. This expansive restaurant is a wonderful place to catch the cooling sea breeze. Sit ourself next to one of the large open window spaces and watch the world go by.

Trams are literally on the doorstep, connecting different areas of the expansive Gold Coast, together. This is the right on the beating heart of Surfers. Pretty much, everything you want or need is nearby. But today, is about Goldies.

Menus here were reasonably priced, with a good choice of items. Judging by the cocktail menu and the selection of cocktail “additions” behind the bar, these guys know how to mix something for all tastes.

I am going to mention the service here, as the staff were absolutely awesome. Not only attentive and aware of their surroundings, but informative and helpful also. You deserve the recognition. Well done.

This southern fried chicken burger was an absolute hit with Hubby. From the jalapeño skewered through the top of the bun, to the deliciously crunchy chicken matched with smokey bacon, every morsel was consumed with rapture. Not only that, this burger was matched to literally the coldest on tap Stella Artois beer, hubby has ever had the fortune to drink. he even had a second 500ml on tap beer to make use, the first one was not just a happy accident. It wasn’t!

The light meal of salt and pepper calamari was my choice today. With a beetroot hummus cris crossed with a black squid ink aioli, what can I say, this was totally delightful.

In recommending this venue, I will mention, what a wonderful location to wile away the day. If you’re into people watching, this is definitely the place to be.

Have a chat to the enthusiastic staff, they are proud to briefly tell you the history behind The Island. Once holding the most unfortunate of reputations, but now, totally redeemed with the work put into this iconic Surfers Paradise venue.

The new area, which is being worked on now, well, I’m excited, as someone who has been to the awesome bar upstairs, which I thought was really very cool, but the staff assured me, the new area is going to be amazing!

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Dec 27 2018

Destination – Gold Coast. What to do during your stay!

When you reside in South East Queensland, the Glitter Strip that is the Gold Coast, or the Goldie as it is often affectionately referred to by locals, is right on your doorstep. Funnily enough, when something is right on your doorstep, you often overlook it in favour of destinations further from home.

Highrises tower over sand, surf and myriad of city streets. Here the limit is, imagination, pure and simple.

Recently having enjoyed a brief overnight stay at Surfers Paradise, it was a delight to spend some time wandering our little area and visiting a few local businesses. Our accommodation for the night, was Novotel Surfers Paradise. Not the first stay here and definitely wont be the last.

This trip was to serve two purposes, one for a function, the other to catch up with lifetime mate and spend some girl time alone for the first time in about 16 years. Both purposes were fulfilled beautifully,

With a balcony giving a view of the sea and beach, Novotel Surfers Paradise, really is a pleasant place to wile away some time as you relax into that holiday (albeit brief) mode. Our room had been renovated, was clean, tidy with plenty of room to move. That balcony is just an awesome added extra bonus!

Staff were fantastic, throughout the establishment, from reception to cleaning and everything in between. Very welcoming and helpful. The only meal we had at the hotel was breakfast, but, the choice at the buffet is superb. Add to that a helpful chef who can whip you up an omelette or eggs of your choice. Yum, great way to start your day.

Even though the weather wasn’t that great we did head out for lunch on the first day. After a bit of retail therapy, what could be nicer than a balcony lunch overlooking the flame trees in full flower, with a lot of potential for simply watching the world go by. We found this ideal spot at Hard Rock Cafe. Located on the same block as the hotel, we arrived there by meandering through some interesting shops between the Novotel and Hard Rock. Ok so we didn’t go far, but in our defence, there was a lot to see, I mean a lot!

Again the service was superb, with meals coming out quite quickly. The Nacho meal was huge and I certainly enjoyed the fish n chips, awesome food, great company and a lovely atmosphere.

There’s plenty to see at this venue too, with walls seeping music history for your perusal. Loved the Christmas tree set up, great tribute to Guns N Roses.

Part of the reason for this trip was to visit a small function at the iconic Island hotel. With a renovated function, open bar area on the rooftop, it was interesting venue to visit. The Island is one of the original hotels for Surfers Paradise, now renovated, whilst still maintaining some of the history from years gone by. We were treated to a very brief sunset, which looked incredible from the function room we were in. Would recommend paying The Island a visit whilst you’re exploring Surfers, theres a great bar and restaurant downstairs, plus those renovated rooms are apparently quite a sweet place to stay.

Our exploring included a test of a couple of chocolate places, one each day of course… Our favourite between Max Brenner & San Churro, was the latter, on this occasion.Remnants of the 2018 Commonwealth Games remain around Surfers, with Borobi smiling happily at tourists and locals alike, inviting you to take a posing photo.

We finished our exploration of this small part of the Gold Coast, with a lunch at Helm Bar. The large sprawling complex caters for your needs and is conveniently located alongside one of the canals, meandering its way through Surfers. Even on a dull, overcast day, there is still plenty to see across the water, with the big floor to ceiling windows allowing a great view. Here we encountered helpful, friendly staff and a menu with plenty to choose from.This superb platter we shared was a credit to the Chef. Awesome finish to our short little break.

There is simply not enough room to cover everything we saw and experienced. However, set Gold Coast as a destination for your break, either short or long stay. You certainly will not be bored!

Further photos and brief stories, posted on Dine Live Travel’s Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and Stellar. Follow Dine Live Travel to enjoy future visits to the Gold Coast!