Family long weekend in Coolangatta (car free!)

Our guiding principle while journeying with children is to embrace the "one activity per day" mantra. We've discovered that attempting to "maximise our time" often results in tears (potentially from Mum). After all, the purpose of a vacation is to unwind, not to hustle around like a busy bee. It's high time to ease into a more leisurely pace and truly savour the moments.

This itinerary has been crafted with this mindset at its core. 

Getting there

 Opting for weekends in Coolangatta, as opposed to the northern end of the Gold Coast where our family resides, has become our preference due to the significantly reduced travel time. Coolangatta Airport is a mere 5 minutes away from Coolangatta Beach, allowing you to disembark, check in, and unwind on your hotel room balcony in less than 30 minutes.

With young children in tow, this has consistently proven to be the optimal choice for our family. The alternative involves flying into Brisbane Airport, necessitating a minimum 45-minute drive or a 1 hour 15 minute train journey to reach the northern end of the Gold Coast. We experienced numerous tears and dramatic moments as we secured our little ones into car seats post flight. Although the train provided more mobility for the kids, adding an extra hour to an already 3 hour travel time was a bit challenging.

Staying at Coolangatta solves all these problems.

Where to stay