Right next to our apartment is the Rockview Public Park. Although it was chilly, there were people jogging, walking their dogs and even surfing in the sea!
The view of the sea was magnificent from here. It looked so peaceful and calm, I think I can stare at it the whole day.
This was our apartment and we stayed on level 18, which gave us a super clear view of the sea, totally unblocked. In fact when we opened the door and stepped into our apartment, our jaws dropped and froze at the view we saw. Too beautiful.
More about our apartment later. Back to the park & beach. Everywhere I turned to, it was picture-perfect. I just let the girls run around while I looked around.
It looked bright and sunny, but I was actually freezing. But it was so comfortable sitting in the park.
The brave windsurfer. I was freezing under my thick jacket, and he got into the icy cold waters??!
Can anyone tell me why skies in other countries are always blue and clear? I remember Bali skies were like that too. Not a single hint of clouds anywhere! The fine white sands coupled with the beautiful blue sky was a dreamy combination.
The girls ran here, there & everywhere. They were really happy. =)
Back to our apartment, this was the view from our living room balcony. SO AWESOME. I swear I almost teared when I saw it.
I saw lots of bungalow houses, and I wondered if they were vacation houses or homes of Australians. Living on the beachfront must be such a romantic thing.
There's a big swimming pool at Level 1, and also another heated pool nearby. Because it was so cold the whole time we were at Gold Coast, we didn't have a chance to go swimming at all, much to Joey's disappointment. But nothing, absolutely nothing can get me to step out of my jacket into my swimsuit and jump into any pool, heated or not.
It was therapeutic just standing at the balcony and staring out to the sea. Our apartment was a non-air-conditioned unit which was really fine because it was winter. There were fans provided for every room but we didn't need them as the sea breeze was so strong. In the nights, we even had to close the balcony sliding doors because it was way too cold. Still, one of my best memories about Gold Coast was falling asleep to the cold sea breeze and listening to the strong and loud beating of the sea waves. No joke, even though we were a distance away from the sea, the sea waves were loud & clear!
I didn't take that many photographs of the apartment, but you can watch out for hubby's blog entries. He captured great photographs of the whole apartment. =) I briefly took a few and went back to staring at the sea. Couldn't help it.
By the way, I am extremely happy with the apartment I booked. It was truly fully-furnished with dishwasher, washing machine, ironing facilities, all kinds of pots & pans and cutlery, microwave, oven, etc. It basically contained everything we needed to live there. This is the living room..
Kitchenette. Nice & clean. =)
The living room had 2 sofas and an armchair, cable TV and DVD player, and a full length balcony. There was another balcony in the master bedroom that had attached bathroom. The other room had 1 single bed and a double-decker bed! Totally awesome for families! I booked the Royal Palm Resort apartment from www.booking.com. Mine was a two-bedroom apartment with two bathrooms, and they also have one-bedroom & three-bedroom options. Check it out if you are interested. =)
Flying by night saved us time, but because we had kids with us, we had to let them nap after we checked into our apartment, for fear that they might fall sick due to over exhaustion. So all of us napped for two hours and woke up feeling all fresh & happy! It was getting colder! See how strong the winds were.
We decided to explore the vicinity near our apartment, just to check out what's available. Methinks that strolling with my loved ones in the neighbourhood on a holiday is one of the happiest things ever.
We passed by a bakery and bought bread for next day's breakfast. Also bought bacon, eggs & hotdogs so that I can fix breakfast the next morning. =)
As we were walking, we passed by this huge wall of red bricks, and we made the girls pose for us. Haha love their smiles & spontaneity. =D
Passed by a kebab shop and hubby bought a mixed kebab of lamb, beef & chicken. Tasted not bad but really expensive I say! AUD9.50 for one!
I wanted to have Fish & Chips, so we sat at this sidewalk cafe and ordered some. Not too bad - AUD$5.
The only thing about Australia dining is that they don't serve chilli sauce. And I need to pay for ketchup or mustard.
Absolutely the best way to be served our Fish & Chips. =D Eating this along the sidewalk with my girls especially made it a special experience.
It's winter season in Gold Coast now, and the days are typically short. It gets pitch dark by 5.30pm and all the shops start to close from 4pm onwards. So we spent all our nights in our cosy apartment watching TV and DVDs. So relaxing & nice. Super like. =D
