We have a new niece! this was the perfect excuse to hop over the ditch for a few days and spend some time on the sunny Gold Coast before heading down to Lismore. We’ve been a few times now and wanted something a little different from the cliché surfers Paradise experience – the theme parks and the ‘night life’. We wanted calm, we wanted beach and we wanted good food. We got this at Burleigh Heads.
A bit about Burleigh
North of Coolangatta Airport, but south of Surfers and Broadbeach, Burleigh Heads is a little piece of paradise. With a stunning beach that goes forever, Tallebudgera Creek nearby and plenty of tasty and beautiful food joints, a local shopping precinct full of the most delightful boutiques. I was in my happy place.
Where we stayed
We booked an AirBnB just a couple weeks out from our stay and got a gorgeous apartment on the esplanade, right across from the beach. It was rented by a gorgeous kiwi girl and she had even put chocolate in the fridge for us. There was parking for our rental car (we used Enterprise rentals coz they were cheap) and a pool, although we didn’t get around to trying this out. The location was great, as we had very easy access back onto the Gold Coast Hwy for heading both north and south as needed.
Where we ate
Rick Shores
A little bit swankier than we were imagining when we rocked up late Thursday night in our jandals, but the staff didn’t seem to mind. Rick Shores has hands down the best spot on the coast, with the large windows framing the rolling waves beautifully. Just as beautiful is their menu, with a focus on seafood and divine flavors. Mike had the Bug in a roll (I looked on with envy), we had the Grilled Oysters that were delicious and the BBQ Trout, something a little different from your usual fish dish. The staff were outstanding and we enjoyed the service we received.
Borough Barista
Right at the end of our driveway and across from the beach is borough. A busy little eat in or takeaway coffee shop serving healthy treats to start the day. Given I’m newly on my health enforced diet, the brown rice, quinoa and coconut porridge bowl ticked all the boxes, while Mike’s breakfast wrap looked amaze. He tried to convince me that it was yuck, but he was lying through his teeth. He loved ever little morsel of that thing.
Social Brew
I’d seen this place on Instagram but liked it even more in the flesh. With hanging plants, tropical palm tree wall paper and delicious food, I was in heaven. I had the wellness board and kombucha (because I just ooze wellness:)) and mike had his go-to savoury mince with toast. And oh my word, they have the most divine water taps, that pour either still or sparkling. I need one of those things.
Justin Lane
We’d actually stopped here for a drink on a previous trip, but came back to give the rooftop bar a whirl. I’m a sucker for a rooftop dining experience. It was Saturday lunch, the sun was out and their neon lights were saying all the right things. I would totally recommend this place for pizza or light bites, but guys get some tomato sauce for the chips please.
That’s as far as we got in Burleigh Heads, but I reckon there’s at least half a dozen other places I wanted to wrap my taste buds around. We ran out of time though and headed south to the North Coast where we added a few more must eats to the list. Go on, give them a read.