If you’re looking for a bit of love on the Gold Coast, this three-day romantic itinerary ticks all the right boxes, taking in blissful beaches, delectable dining and height-defying activities.
Day One
Check in like royalty at The Langham Gold Coast
Nestled between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach, The Langham Gold Coast is the first new beachfront luxury hotel to open here in more than 30 years.
A heady mix of sophisticated style meets coastal charm within its 169 hotel rooms. We recommend you and your love book an Executive Ocean Suite boasting a stunning panorama of the sparkling Pacific. Beyond the rooms are six dining options, including the refined yet casual plates at Akoya and fine-dining Cantonese cuisine at T’ang Court. Talk to your concierge about reserving a table for your final night.
Lunch
Enjoy an intimate lunch with farm-fresh flair at The North Room at Mermaid Beach.
Seats are a hot commodity at The North Room, making your dining experience even more special. Plus, the intimate dining room has space for just 16 guests, it’s the perfect place for a romantic date. The degustation menu is four or five courses, and it changes daily depending on what the kitchen team can source fresh from local farmers, makers, bakers and fishermen. The restaurant is open for lunch every Friday and Saturday (and dinner Thursday to Saturday) so reservations are essential.
Afternoon sailing
Sailing in Paradise will show you the coast from another angle. Recline on the trampoline-style foredeck of your luxe catamaran, drinking in unobstructed horizon views over Broadwater, South Stradbroke and Wavebreak Islands.
Choose a private charter and take to the seas at twilight for the ultimate date night. You’ll get to watch the sun sink behind the Gold Coast Hinterland, drink in hand. Or, if time is on your side, take a longer day sail of three to six hours. You’ll be able to indulge in a seafood barbecue and have a seasoned crew to tender to your every whim.
Day Two
Enjoy moments of spa bliss at the dreamy Greenhouse the Bathhouse. Hidden between Burleigh Heads and Tallebudgera Valley a pamper session is the ultimate way to start the day.
Book the romantic 90-minute ‘Signature Soak Session’ for you and your amour. You can spend hours immersing in the hydrotherapy spas, wet steam room, red cedar sauna and magnesium plunge pool. The treatment ends with a nourishing organic body scrub. The Bathhouse’s natural skincare goodies are worth a take-home as a nourishing souvenir.
Lunch at Rick Shores
Tuck in at Rick Shores and lunch on Pan-Asian flavours at one of the Gold Coast’s most romantic dining settings.
Its name, Rick Shores, is a play on the Asian passenger cart – rickshaw – as well as its seaside location. Head chef James Brady draws culinary inspiration from Thailand, India, Vietnam and Japan, using fresh, locally sourced produce to create modern Asian fusion with a twist. Expect everything from lobster har gow to Sichuan duck red curry.
Bottle up Burleigh at Wild Flower Gin Distillery
Spend the afternoon at Wild Flower Gin Distillery. The boutique bar makes award-winning gins using local botanicals and the distiller’s backyard honey.
Take a masterclass to co-create your couples’ bottle using a selection of 50 different botanicals – some of which you can then sample in a craft cocktail like the Negroni using oak infused gin.
When it’s time to move on, be sure to take home bottles of pink gin infused with fresh Australian raspberries and hibiscus. Or a moreish vodka distilled with strawberries, cocoa and coconut. Great for Gold Coast memories.
Sunsets and spice at Rubi Red
Acclaimed Melbourne chef and restaurateur Michael Lambie has brought his foodie flair to the Gold Coast with Rubi Red at Nobby Beach. Its cosy blood-red booths are the best place to work through the menu with plates ideal for sharing. Make sure you try the Hiramasa kingfish sashimi, crayfish-filled milk buns and wok-seared local calamari on a papaya salad.
But first, hit the rooftop bar for a sun-kissed afternoon of coconut-infused mojitos while watching the day disappear over the hinterland. Bliss.
Day Three
Sunrise hot air ballooning
Take your love to greater heights. Balloon Aloft Gold Coast is a breathtaking way to start the day. The sunrise hot-air ballooning ride glides over some of the Gold Coast’s most dreamy destinations. And yes, there’s a flute of bubbles as you touch down.
Afternoon
Up the romance at Nineteen at The Star. The uber-chic rooftop bar and lounge has starry Gold Coast skyline views. Slip into one of the private booths for lunch, experiencing chef Mitch Tucker’s exquisite dishes.
Happy days if you’re here on a ‘Bellini Saturday’, which means that from 4pm on the terrace you can indulge in shared cheese and charcuterie plates alongside the famed Venetian cocktail. Cheers to that!
It’s time to return to T’ang Court for one of the most sublime Cantonese meals you’ll ever enjoy – its sister restaurants around the world hold Michelin stars. Think Canadian scallop stuffed with minced prawn in egg white sauce; duck bun with lychee and raspberry sauce; and stir-fried pork jowl with XO sauce. Love at first mouthful.
This article was created in partnership with Destination Gold Coast and one of five fantastic Gold Coast itineraries
