sunshine coast Archives - Wander Wonder Wonton

Girls Getaway at Coolum Seaside Resort

July 27, 2021March 10, 2017

Girls getaway to Coolum Seaside Resort!

Jill, Kaia and I have been planning to get away to the coast for weeks, with our busy lives it took us a bit longer than we had hoped but it was so worth it!

We hit the road at 3pm on Friday and headed to Coolum Seaside Resort to check out our 2 bedroom apartment we had booked for the night, right in the middle of town.

Sandie, the lovely host, welcomed us and we found our spacious apartment tucked away in lush gardens. We quickly checked out the beach right at the end of the road ready for the morning. Kaia was quick to pop open a bottle of sparkling rose on the balcony and we sat down to enjoy the sunset and catch up. Once the sun was set we were up and off to Canteen, a buzzing bar just a block and a half away for cocktails!

Canteen has a funky area out the front where you can lounge on cushions watching the world go by as you sip on your bevvies. We had booked Harvest for dinner, only a 5-minute walk down the road. Everything is close by in Coolum, with bars, restaurants and shopping along the central strip, right across from the beach.

Harvest had been recommended by a few friends and while it wasn’t what we had expected when we arrived, the wine list and entrees surely made up for it. You can read about that here.

After dinner (and dessert) we strolled to The Coolum Hotel. Hot tip: do NOT wear thongs (jandals / flip flops) if you want to get in. With that option out of the way and the knowledge we had another bottle of champagne chilling in the fridge, it was an easy decision to chill out back at the apartment.

A few glasses of bubbles later and some green tea, (could have cooked a feast in the massive kitchen!) it was bed time.

We woke up fresh and hungry, devoured breakfast at My Place, with a view of the beach and great food.

Hitting the pool (one of the three), spa and tennis court were next on the agenda for the getaway. We jumped in the first pool, had a spa and tried out the outdoor shower where a little lizard friend wanted to get in on the action. The next pool and spa were my favourite, right next to the tennis courts so you can watch the game while you soak in the spa and then cool off in the pool. There was a great BBQ area there too, if I was staying another night I would have bought in some food to enjoy poolside with a nice, ice cold beer.

I learnt very quickly that I’m terrible at tennis. Hilariously, I managed to hit three out of our four balls into the pool in about 20 minutes. Amused, I sat the last one out so the girls could have a proper hit without my …. lack of coordination.

There’s a gym and a business centre at the hotel too but they didn’t fit in with our champagne and spa schedule this time. Although I did have good intentions and had packed my runners. Will have to be on my next visit, as I am definitely going back!

Groove Train Kawana Waters

November 28, 2016

Alfresco dining – tick
Large menu choice – tick
Cool beer on tap – tick
Fantastic customer service – tick
Ample parking – tick
Strawberry and Nutella calzone – tick, tick tick!

After a lovely, leisurely day hitting the beach and checking out the shops at Shoppingworld, my girlfriends and I headed to Groove Train Kawana Waters for a bite to eat and a wind down wine. We had been really impressed with the variety of shops at Kawana Shoppingworld, with some of our favourite stores for fashion and beauty buys and we needed a debrief. We chose a table outside the restaurant, perfect for people watching and with a beautiful, cool breeze.

As a regular holiday maker to the Sunshine Coast, I’m always looking for great places to kick back and enjoy some beverages and great food with friends. A large menu is always important for me as everyone has different tastes and food requirements or allergies. As luck would have it, their menu had something for everyone.

We all explored the menu, tossing in ideas of sharing plates so we could taste everything as it all sounded so good. I ended up picking an old time favourite of mine, the pumpkin and spinach risotto. Boy, did it not disappoint! Lightly creamy and full of flavour. Obviously, I paired it with a glass of red, a lovely cab sav that was recommended by our waitress.

I noticed a large range of beers there too, will have to bring the boys next time!

The girls went on the fresh side (something about this warmer weather) and chose a seared beef salad and a Thai calamari salad to share. The salads which, of course I tried, were refreshing and light. I think I favoured the calamari best.

For dessert I can never go past the chocolatey calzone… it’s full of Nutella and strawberries. Delightfully warm, melted Nutella and strawberries in a beautiful, crisp calzone with ice cream on the side – cue drooling!

A bunch of big ticks for me! We will definitely be back soon.

** Originally published in Dining Out Magazine, Sunshine Coast

Mooloolaba Fish Market & the Deck on Parkyn

November 25, 2016

Whenever I’m on the Sunshine Coast I visit the fisheries on the spit for some beautiful seafood.

I’d love to say that I look around all the items and choose the best catch of the day, and while I do look at everything, 99% of the time I will simply go with a dozen natural oysters and a handful of prawns with some lemon.

The last lot of oysters we had were coffin bay and were only about $24 a dozen! They were fresh, plump, creamy and melted in your mouth.

When your order is ready, you can take your fresh seafood (they will cook the fish or whatever you chose) up to Deck on Parkyn where you can purchase alcohol and eat on the giant deck overlooking where the trawlers come in. You can purchase some food up there too.

Perfect spot for lunch but be warned, parking in warmer months isn’t easy.

Mudjimba weekend getaway

November 23, 2016

Yup, you read that right, Mudjimba. It’s on the Sunny Coast about 15 mins past Mooloolaba.

After some unexpected circumstances saw us lose our preplanned weekend accomodation at the last minute, we were all so devastated at the thought of not going away we had to find something else. Mudjimba it was!

We rented a three bedroom apartment at Santorini Twin Waters for two nights. The apartment was huge with a beautiful deck looking out to the ocean.

The first night Ka Lei, Kieran and I ate pasta and drank champagne. We bought champagne for about ten people and found a pet snail in our mint while preparing dinner. I walked along the beach in the morning and Nikki, Lisa and Scott joined us for the second night.

After a beach hit we all went into Mooloolaba Spit for a seafood lunch and Benny and Jo joined us. The seafood is so fresh at the fisheries on the spit – it’s my favourite place to eat. We devoured oysters and prawns and scallops and fish anddd… more seafood…

We had dinner across the road from our hotel that night and while the food wasn’t amazing, the company was great.

Sunday we tried a place for brunch that had us wait far too long (read super hanrgy), followed by more beach time, another lunch at the Spit and some light shopping. Oh and gelato! Can’t forget the delicious choc and raspberry dairy free gelato!

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