Images: Destination Gold Coast
So, you’ve locked in Australia’s favourite holiday destination for your honeymoon and wondering how you’ll plan the perfect Gold Coast Honeymoon itinerary!
Firstly, great choice on location! And, don’t worry about what to do and see … we’ve got it all covered here with this exciting and romantic 14 day Gold Coast Honeymoon guide.
A Gold Coast honeymoon is all about fun in the sun — but deciding on a place to stay can be a little daunting if you’ve never spent much time here. The coast’s famous white-sand beaches stretch 40 kilometres from The Spit, north of Main Beach, to Coolangatta near the border with New South Wales and there’s just so much to see and do in between.
Getting there: Start your engines in Brisbane and follow the Pacific Motorway (M1) south for just under an hour to reach the glistening shores of Main Beach.
Days 1-3: Main Beach
Just minutes from the hedonistic nightlife of Surfers Paradise, Main Beach is a little more relaxed than its southern neighbours, but every bit as impressive. Get acquainted with those sparkling ocean views over a glass of the best at the Southport Surf Club (est. 1924) then hire a bike or scooter for a ride along Federation Walk, all the way to the Seaway on the Spit. This is a vast area of public parkland where you can swim at the beach, fish off the jetty, take SUP lessons, or throw down a towel and watch surfers shred those South Straddie breaks.
Speaking of which, if you want to learn to surf together, this is the spot! While there are good options up and down the coast, we like the Get Wet Surf School that runs popular beginner classes from The Spit Beach (a low-key local’s favourite). After a morning of sunshine and waves, stop by Fisherman’s Co-op just down the road for a fresh-from-the-trawler seafood lunch.
Ready to dial up the thrills? Main Beach is positioned on the doorstep of the state’s best marine playground — the incredible Broadwater. Tandem parasailing is just one sky-high option to consider here, or perhaps a jet ski safari to the northern tip of South Stradbroke Island? For the full adrenaline-smashing experience, see the jet boat/parasail/jet ski safari package from Paradise Jet Boating. And if you like your nautical adventures a little more luxe, try a private yacht charter through the scenic waterways.
For a more land-loving option, indulge with some just-married retail therapy at boutique shopping destination Marina Mirage. Or sharpen your skills and share a few laughs with an Italian Cooking Class from the experts at Salt Meats Cheese in Surfers Paradise. Just make sure you’re back in time for a sundowner at the Southport Yacht Club. Overlooking the 300-berth marina, where million-dollar boats jostle for position, this is a top spot to watch the sun set on your first days as newlyweds.
Fancy dinner: In Main Beach, we can’t go past Glass Dining & Lounge Bar (right on the water at Marina Mirage) or the superb Vanitas restaurant at Palazzo Versace.
Honeymoon highlight: Hitting the beach! While the attractions are awesome, it’s all about sun, sea, and surf here on the Goldie. Throw on your swimmers, slip on your shades, and soak up the dazzling ocean vistas.
Days 4-6: Broadbeach
Prepare for a sprinkling of Gold Coast glitter in Broadbeach. With world-class shopping at Pacific Fair, five-star stay and play options at The Star Gold Coast, and an established cafe and restaurant culture, this really is the heart of the GC. There’s a sophistication here you won’t find elsewhere on the coast plus plenty of easy-breezy holiday delights.
Pull up a seat for a coldie at the award-winning Kurrawa Surf Club (think 270-degree Pacific Ocean views), chill out with live music and an Aperol Spritz at The Star’s Live on the Lawn, or enjoy a sun-drenched barbie in the park. Just down the road you’ll find a different world at The Miami Marketta, a converted warehouse turned dining playground. Dip into their thrice-weekly laneway experience with food vendors serving up global flavours to a soundtrack of awesome live music.
If the fun and games of the glitter strip, such as iFLY Gold Coast Indoor Skydiving or the futuristic disco maze at Infinity Attraction, are more your style just hop on a tram and spend a day in neighbouring Surfers Paradise stopping off for lunch at Ms Margot’s Bar & Eats at the Hilton Hotel – it’s all so close! For big kids at heart, the famed GC theme parks are also less than half an hour away in Coomera.
Big night out: Fun, feisty, and as colourful as an 80s disco, Maggie Choo is perfect for a neon-lit night out in Broadbeach. The kick-ass cocktails go down easy, and the street food-inspired Asian fusion menu is as enticing as the good vibrations bouncing off the walls.
Honeymoon highlight: Start married life on a high (270 metres up!) with a SkyPoint Climb at the iconic Q1 building in Surfers Paradise. It’s Australia’s highest external building climb with the choice of a sunrise, day, twilight or night adventure.
Days 7-9 Burleigh Heads
Burleigh is buzzing. What was once a sleepy retirement town is now the young gun of the coastal strip. Its epic views (up the coast to Surfers Paradise), vibing village feel, and must-see dining/café scene make Burleigh a non-negotiable on any Gold Coast itinerary.
Nab a front-row seat (we’re talking salt spray) to the famous Burleigh breaks at Rick Shores restaurant or Burleigh Pavilion (both excellent). Or centre your energies around James Street and Justin Lane, a hub of boutiques, bars, and restaurants which pumps day and night. Partial to a pint? Some of the country’s best craft brews can be sampled on a Hop On Brewery Tour with local heroes Lost Palms, Burleigh Brewing Co., and Currumbin’s Balter (you know, the one Mick Fanning started with a few mates) on the ticket.
Aside from the addictive sip/sup/surf scene, Burleigh is simply … beautiful. So, leave yourselves time to really soak it up. Unpack a sunset picnic on Burleigh Hill, ramble through the national park from Burleigh Headland to the lagoon-like waters of Tallebudgera Creek, or take a drive into the lush hinterland to find the Currumbin Rock Pools: a secret locals’ fave for picnics and swimming.
And while you’re scoping out the southern Gold Coast, don’t miss Palm Beach. Once a place you drove through on the way to Coolangatta or Byron, Palmy is coming in hot as the next coastal cool kid. Ultra-stylish apartment blocks are popping up and new restaurants are firing up. Discover new dining go-to The Collective or relax with a cocktail at Las Palmas, a stylish bar/restaurant with a South American flavour.
Special dinner: So. Many. Choices. But with international travel on hold, we love the idea of being transported across the world to the white walls and blue doors of the tavernas of the Greek Islands. That’s exactly the feeling you get at Maman Bar & Kitchen in Burleigh where share-style platters of Mediterranean-inspired food await your honeymoon feasting.
Honeymoon highlight: It must be time for a massage! Treat yourselves to a blissful couple’s treatment at one of the coast’s decadent day spas. Try Stephanies Wellness Spa at Q1, Endota Spa (Broadbeach & Surfers Paradise), Earth + Skin Organic Beauty Spa in Mudgeeraba (just west of Burleigh Heads) and On Eagle Wings Mountain Retreat & Spa in the scenic Mudgeeraba Hinterland.
Where to stay on the Gold Coast:
While the GC is home to several stand-out resorts (the beachfront Sheraton Grand Mirage springs to mind), we love the idea of a honeymoon apartment. At the northern end of the coast, we recommend Xanadu Main Beach Resort for its easy access to the Broadwater and Marina Mirage, spacious rooms, and excellent facilities. Their ocean views are superb! Close to the action and great restaurants of Broadbeach, try Vue Broadbeach. Almost brand new, the apartments are stylish and spacious, the sea views dazzling, and the amenities first-class. Plus, you’re just steps from the beach and the tram stop. In Burleigh Heads, Gemini Court Holiday Apartments offers sweeping views of the coastline, with the local dining scene and eclectic boutiques just a short stroll away. Their apartments are gigantic!
Discover more Queensland honeymoons via our local guide…
Days 10-14 Tamborine Mountain & Gold Coast Hinterland
Had your fill of salty kisses? Say goodbye to the beach and round out your honeymoon exploring the green behind the gold: Tamborine Mountain and the Gold Coast Hinterland. This lush haven of ancient forests, hidden waterfalls, and majestic valley vistas is around half an hour from the waves — and home to the World Heritage-listed Gondwana rainforest of Springbrook National Park and Lamington National Park.
As well as a charming, artsy township, Tamborine Mountain is home to a growing number of boutique wineries. Sample the cream of the crop with Pineapple Tours, stopping for a sip at Cedar Creek Estate, Witches Falls Winery, Hampton Estate Winery, and more. Or swap wines for vines at Thunderbird Park and its dizzying Treetop Challenge course of high ropes, Tarzan swings, and flying foxes.
The natural beauty is mind-blowing here. In Springbrook, you can follow a trail to the irresistibly named Best of All Lookout or take a heavenly dip in the pools of Twin Falls or the Warringa Pool near Purling Brook Falls. And if you’re still chasing waterfalls, seek out Lamington’s glorious Elabana Falls and Picnic Rock Trail.
Where to stay in the GC Hinterland:
Tucked away in this luscious region you’ll find a trove of romantic retreats, chalets, and boutique accommodation. For a romantic escape we adore the secluded chalets of Springbrook’s The Mouses House Rainforest Retreat and the private cabins and cottages of Springbrook Lyrebird Retreat. Just a stone’s throw over the border, the stylish forest hideaways of Crystal Creek Rainforest Retreat are also outstanding for couples.
Honeymoon highlight:
For indelible honeymoon memories, you can’t go past a sunrise balloon ride with Hot Air Balloons. Amazing! That moment when you rise from the earth, just as the sun is peeking over the horizon, is as breathtaking as it sounds. Sure, it calls for an early start, but you do get to enjoy a Champagne breakfast at O’Reilly’s Canungra Valley Vineyard afterward.
Want more Gold Coast goodness? See our local guide for fun-loving couples here
