Winter Sunshine Indulgence at Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Australia.
Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
What do you do when a man with a very sharp knife and a distinct lack of bedside manner (or relevant information about side-effects) has taken half your thyroid; you’ve felt like an old damp dishrag since (and been about as useful) and your suffering mid winter blues at work??
Why, book an extra long June long weekend in the sunshine of course!
Where to go: Port Douglas? Cairns? The Gold Coast? Byron Bay? We love all of the above, but it has been many years since we treated ourselves to a little Noosa Indulgence, so…
Sunshine Beach, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Where to stay in somewhere as fabulous as Noosa is always a tradeoff – do you go for a gorgeous place on Hastings Street and cut back the dining budget (instant noodles on the balcony anyone)? Do you stay at the Sheraton where you know the beds will be wonderfully soft, and auction off your first-born child before you go? Find an apartment at Noosaville (5 minutes drive from Hastings Street) with river views and keep the cabbies employed? Hire a car and stay at Sunshine Beach with a view of that gorgeous long beach (but wade in no further than knee deep when the surf’s up)? Or perhaps try the Palmer Coolum Resort, home of Palmersaurus and Motorama – we stayed there when it was the Hyatt Regency Coolum and enjoyed it, but the press has not been kind about the changes with new management, and it is a long way from Noosa.
Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
We booked Noosa Blue on the hill – an easy 10 minute walk into town (but it seemed a fair hike pre-coffee on the days the poolside cafe was shut). The penthouse rooms have good river views and Jacuzzis on the roof; all rooms have a spa bath, a courtyard or balcony, and the resort has a pool. The beds were a little hard for a dishrag spending fifteen hours a day in bed (hmm, wonder how much a first-born is really worth?).
Noosa Blue Penthouse Suites, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
The Noosa Blue rooms are self-contained and you can cook for yourself, but the restaurants in Noosa are so fabulous you would be doing yourself a disservice not to try as many as possible!
Noosa Blue Penthouse Suites, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
The week before our trip had been freezing in Sydney and we quickly shed jumpers and jackets as we got off the plane in the laid-back Sunshine Coast Airport. Forty-five minutes later we were walking along the beach in 22 degrees. Sun, sand, sunshine and blue water – this is what life is about!
Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
I checked the wind forecast before we left and optimistically packed my favourite toy (the kitesurfer) but the reality was that getting out of bed in time for lunch was about as much adventure as I could manage, thanks to my friendly surgeon.
We slept late, we walked on the beach, we read books on the beach, we swam, we put photos of ourselves on Facebook and made all of our friends insanely jealous, and we ate and drank and then ate and drank some more.
Excellent Beer Selection at Rickys River Bar & Restaurants, Noosaville, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Many of the restaurants have fantastic views, and the seafood in Noosa is superb. We loved the fresh flavours in the Seafood Hot Pot at Bistro C (and the beachside location was superb). The Sand Crab Lasagna at Sails was decadence on a plate.
Crab Lasagne, Sail Restaurant, Noosa, Queensland, Australia.
The signature Sri Lankan Snapper Curry at the Noosa Beach House at the Sheraton was as good as advertised, and the Mooloolaba Prawns with Vegetable Kottu were unreal. Everything at Ricky’s River Bar was lovely but special mention has to go to the Guava Granita dessert, which was delicate and delicious.
To die for deserts at Rickys River Bar & Restaurants, Noosaville, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Adventure options in Noosa include Standup Paddleboarding (which you can do in the river on flat water or in the surf); surfing the beautiful point break; kitesurfing (I had one-on-one lessons in the Noosa River mouth last visit, and highly recommend it); kayaking on the Noosa river; All sorts of water sports at Lake Cootharaba; and day trips to Rainbow Beach and Fraser Island, to name a few…
Lake Cootharaba, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Noosa is also a perfect launch spot for some great multi-day adventures. A multi-day canoeing trip on the upper Noosa River is on my bucket list. A multi-day hike or four wheel drive trip on Fraser Island is a must do. (Several years ago we did a combination trip, that involved a few nights of luxury at Noosa, lake to lake to lake hiking on Fraser Island, a few nights at a Fraser Island resort, a self-drive tour of the island and a few days camped on a deserted beach – this trip is high on my must-do-again list.)
Beach life at Noosa, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
But for our current trip, the limit of our adventure was watching the whiting frolicking around our legs in the surf, and opening another bottle of Tasmanian Sparkling while watching the sun set over the river.
Tassie bubbles enjoying the view from Noosa Blue Penthouse Suites, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Cheers Noosa, I’m (almost) strong enough to face winter again. We’ll be back!