There are so many items listed on the menu. Our table ate the parmigiana, steak sandwich, salad and fish and chips. The food was good value for money and the meal sizes were fairly generous.

Being opposite the Surfers Paradise beach provided a great view and added to the relaxed atmosphere. It was quite busy when we ate here so took a while to be seated and to place our orders. However we didn't have to wait too long for our meals to be served and all of the meals were brought out within a few minutes of each other.

The staff were very friendly and hospitable.

There didn't seem to be many available parks out front but this wasn't a problem for us as we walked to the surf club.

They do breakfasts, lunches and dinners. Although we only ate here for dinner their breakfast menu looked really good too with variety and cheap prices.

Approximate cost: $10-20

Service was good. We were promptly seated and a high chair was brought over for the toddler dining with us. Our drink orders were taken and complementary bread was served.

The steaks were all priced between approx $28-$45 which is fine for a great cut of steak cooked to order, however if you require any sauces (mushroom, garlic butter, gravy, pepper) with your steak it costs an additional $4.50!

The waiting staff were all very attentive and removed the used dishes from the table quickly.

The steaks came out in no time at all although they forgot about the salad for the table to share that we had ordered (the steaks only come with potato or chips - no salad or vegies). When we reminded our waitress she immediately brought out the salad with apologies.

Approximate cost: $40

We used Action Outdoor Hire to hire some body boards while we were staying in the Gold Coast. We did a quick internet search for surfboard/body board hire and found this company. We gave them a quick phone call and they were able to come out and deliver the boards to our hotel room that same afternoon. At the end of our stay we were able to leave the body boards with the hotel reception where they were collected by Action Outdoor Hire. The prices were very reasonable - only $35 for 3 days. Their website also listed heaps of other outdoor sports equipment for hire. Highly recommended and made our holiday even more enjoyable.

Approximate cost: $35

While I didn't actually stay here I visited the casino complex one night and had a good time.

The casino complex looks impressive at night time from the outside with its lights and design, but inside the decor seemed to be a bit old and could probably be a bit more modernised.

The casino was relatively busy but we were promptly served drinks without much of a wait. We are not gamblers but our friends are so we watched them play some black jack and enjoy the pokies while enjoying a few drinks.

Jupiters is not as impressive as Melbourne's Crown Casino but still provided us a great night of entertainment.

There were many different animal enclosures and various show times throughout the day - the only thing was that some of the show times were on the same time as others or were on soon after the others but on the other side of the park so we had to rush.

Feeding the Sting Rays was quite an interesting experience (although it did cost $9 for a cup of sardines and squid to hand feed them). The young kids loved the star fish touching pools and sea urchins along with the underwater viewing area to the tropical fish/shark tanks. The dolphin show was average - I expected more. The seals were entertaining to watch as were the fairy penguins. Unfortunately the whole time we were there the polar bears were hiding out in their caves so we didn't get to see them which was disappointing.

There weren't many rides for younger children to go on.
The food, drinks and gift shop were all very overpriced!

Approximate cost: $80

Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary has lots of different animals to observe and interact with. You can hold a koala and have your photo taken for $20, there is also an opportunity to hold a baby crocodile and have your photo taken too. The eels were fascinating to watch and we loved hand feeding the kangaroos. It was interesting to see and learn about the animal hospital.

I would strongly recommend taking the miniature train ride through the park as the steep walking paths get very tiresome after a while! The footpaths were wide but in parts the shrubbery was a little overgrown and the garden areas not as maintained as they could be.

There were lots of different volunteers throughout the various sections of the park, who were all friendly and very knowledgeable about the animals.

The entry fee is expensive if you don't have a voucher - we had one that gave us 4 adults entry for just $80. If we didn't have that voucher it would have cost us approx $200 which I don't believe is worth it considering there are many other fauna parks and gardens with much cheaper entry charges. Additionally, the food and beverage charges were a bit over the top at $4.50 for a can of soft drink.

Approximate cost: $80

Our 2 bedroom apartment was very clean and had a full kitchen which was handy seeing as though we were staying at the Gold Coast for over a week and didn't particularly want to have to eat all our meals out. It also had a washing machine and dryer.

The pool area was fantastic. It had a sandy beach section where young children could play in the sand making sandcastles and splashing about in the shallower water. The water temperature was good - the water was heated but not too hot. The spa was great although the water temperature was probably a bit hotter than I am used to.

The buffet breakfast was included in our accommodation package so we made the most of it eating breakfast there each day. The buffet included a selection of fresh fruits and yoghurts, cereals, bread/toast, tea/coffee, juice, pastries and bacon, scrambled eggs, tomato, baked beans, croissants and hash browns. If breakfast wasn't included in our package I don't know if we would have eaten there that often as there are a lot of cafes in the area that offered breakfast cheaper than the $17.50 per person.

Overall we enjoyed our stay at Wyndham and loved the closeness to the beach and shopping/dining areas.

Approximate cost: $1200

We hired a twin stroller, 2 car seats and a bag of beach toys from Lollipops Baby Hire when we stayed at the Gold Coast for a week. Robert was very friendly and delivered the equipment to our hire car at the airport where he installed the car seats for us. Even though there was a bit of a mix up on our part, Robert was very accommodating and a pleasure to deal with. Highly recommended to anyone travelling with young kids and not wanting to have to bring all of the travel equipment with you - it really was so much easier to have it all there in the hire car waiting for us.

Approximate cost: $160

I went here with my young niece and nephew and they both really enjoyed themselves with the highlights being the tiger teacup style ride and the smaller climbing play equipment for younger children.

What made this play centre stand out from others that I have ever been to was that upon arrival the children are given a stamp and the parents/guardians are given a corresponding ticket number. When leaving the play centre the staff checked the ticket numbers against the child's number to ensure that adults were leaving with the children that they arrived with.

Approximate cost: $11

We ordered some takeaway pizzas and pastas from Alfresco Pizzeria while we were staying on the Gold Coast recently.

At a first glance we thought that the meals were expensive but after enjoying them for ourselves I think that they were worth the money.

The pizza was superb and tasted like good Italian pizza should, while the lasange was delicious but a little oily. The chicken vegetable risotto was perfectly creamy and full of flavour. It was nice to be able to order restaurant standard meals to takeaway.

Their website advertises that they deliver however when we called to place our order they advised that they no longer offer delivery.

Approximate cost: $21