Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Vibe Hotel -Surfers Paradise

We finally touched down at the Coolangatta Airport at 6.30 AM (Australian time), after the 8-hour flight. It was autumn in Gold Coast; so daylight surfaces at 6.30 AM, as bright as 9 AM here in Malaysia...

This is my 1st time disembarking at Coolangatta Airport. During my last visit to Gold Coast, MAS flew (still does!) to Brisbanne. Coolangatta Airport fared below my expectation: the building was as simple as our LCCT, only with an ambiance far better and more "civilized". Another bad thing was, it wasn't open 24-hours.


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Local school boys waiting for the same bus as us...


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The one and only one pic I have managed to snap from the bus... heheh... The rest of the journey, we just chatted...



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That's the hotel!


The one thing I love most about the Vibe hotel in Surfers was its location. It was PERFECT! We just had to take a short stroll to the beach; and the malls were just across the road.

The hotel adopted a modern minimalist look, which was so me! We were assigned a room on the 10th floor, facing the sea. Unfortunately, the sea view was slightly blocked by the Chevron Rennaisance twin towers... Anyway, we could still enjoy a rather good view.

We checked in, and relaxed in the room for a while. After refreshing ourselves, we walked around the hotel to see their facilities - the gym and the pool were great, facing the beautiful Nerang river, lined by the Chevron Island housing area... that was just behind our hotel!


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The hotel lobby



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Luv those stripes and the color combination. Clockwise from left: The lobby, the mezannine lounge and our room.



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The view from our room balcony...we could see Hard Rock Cafe clearly from here!



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The Gold Coast sea is visible, beyond the Chevron Rennaisance twin towers' rooftop garden.



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This is the view from our room balcony at 5.30PM. Dark as night!



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The back view of the hotel...



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In my opinion, the hotel is highly recomended if u want to stay in Surfers Paradise. The reception staff were great, and so were the facilities! And the most important factor - the location is PERFECT!

I give Vibe 5 out 5 stars because I am very pleased with my stay there. U can visit thier website here, and of course, we will choose to stay at Vibe again if we come back to Surfers Paradise!


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Monday, March 30, 2009

Gold Coast - Suffer Paradise, Cavill Avenue & Chevron Island

Suffer Paradise.

Anyway, the few days we were at Gold Coast, we were already down at the beach as early 6.0AM - just to pass time, do some reading, enjoying the beautiful daybreak, and to have breakfast by the beach before we start the day... Of course, we did some photography, too! Such wonderful days... Here are some pics...


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We weren't the first ones to wake up Surfers Paradise!



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The famous Surfers Paradise arch...



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Each morning, the "beachcomber" truck tidies up the beach by picking up the sand and sieve it to extract any rubbish...



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En Arip harrassing some lifeguards to pose for him...



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Breakfast at the nearby McCafe...



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Cavill Avenue

I luv Cavill Avenue... Everything I needed was easily within reach just across the main road from my hotel... It's a great place to relax in, or to do your shopping! But it wasn't as happening as it used to be - they had lost thier very own identity to all the redevelopment going on... but it was still o.k!


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I like the pasta here...



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Classic facade of the Chevron Renaissance twin towers. This mall leads to a nice courtyard full of cafes, bars and eateries...



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Healthy palms lining the streets... I soooo remember Miami Beach here!



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Fast-paced world but a laid-back lifestyle... that's what I like about Gold Coast.



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This gigantic sign was visible even from our room!



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LV taraf2 kedai runcit je... heheh



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Shopping paradise... U name it, they have it! Duty-free shopping!



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En Arip's favourite spot, the Chevron Renaissance courtyard.



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Vintage meets vintage...



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A Fiat 600!



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Chevron Renaissance twin towers at sunset...



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No thanks... It was cold enough outside...



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Zarraffa's Cafe was my must-have every night. I stop by here every evening on the way back to the hotel... Too bad their outlet in Sydney was just too way out of town, at Warringah Mall, near Balgowlah...

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Hard Rock Cafe versus Hard Core Coffee...



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Chevron Island

When first I saw the residental island of Chevron Island, I should make a visit the island during my morning walkabout, and do some photography. Chevron Island was situated just across the river behind my hotel.

I always believe that things around us can be captured nicely, the way we choose to memorialize them...


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Thomas Drive, the bridge which connects to the island. Look at the picture properly and see if you spotted something!



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Yeah, that was me lying on the jetty platform! I do not mind lying down, protrude down kneeling, or squat down just to get the view I want! Hehehehe...



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Chevron Island at 7AM...



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Look at the tranquaility of the river... The red object in the left is Jetboat EXtreme's jet-powered thrill speedboat...



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Coffee by the river...


Some pics from Chevron Island residential area...



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The sandy shores of the river Nerang. This is just behind a house. Why can't our Malaysian riverside dwellers keep their backyard river as clean?



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Peacefully quiet, although abuzz with activities...



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I find this letterbox cute...



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From the other side... Did you notice that the number "8" is upside down?



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Don't they look delicious? Hehehehe...



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