A three-day Broadbeach weekend, in twelve meals.

The first rule of a good Broadbeach weekend is not trying to do too much. The second is booking dinner at Hellenika before you fly. Everything else, you can figure out on arrival.

Friday — landing light

Land at Gold Coast airport around 3pm if you can. The drive to Broadbeach is 25 minutes, past the surf towns that get busier by the exit. Check in, put groceries from the Pacific Fair Coles down, open the balcony. That’s the first hour.

Swim at five, pool at six, walk to dinner at Kiyomi for seven. Kiyomi is at The Star — the omakase is the order, but the à la carte is a great low-effort option. Finish the night with a quick drink at Rabbit + Cocoon in Surfers, two stops away on the tram. Save the big nights for later.

Saturday — the long day

Up at 6:30. The Oceanway path starts at your building and runs south all the way to Burleigh. You don’t need to go the full distance — 30 minutes there, 30 back, with coffee at BSKT in Mermaid is perfect. Or, if the swell is small, swim at Kurrawa and walk back.

Back at the apartment, second breakfast on the balcony with whatever you grabbed from the bakery. Infinity pool from ten to noon. The building is designed for this — the sauna, the steam room, the deckchairs with a book, the slow reset. Don’t schedule over it.

Lunch is where you go further. Book Rick Shores in Burleigh for 12:30. Fifteen minutes by car, bug roll on arrival, the view does the rest. Nap afterwards. Dinner is Hellenika. Walk.

Sunday — quiet and home

Sunday is about not over-planning the morning. Swim first, breakfast second. The coffee at Elk, on the ground floor of the building next door, is good enough that you won’t need to walk to Mermaid again. If the weather’s good, drive up Tamborine Mountain after 10am — wineries, rainforest, back by 4pm. If it’s not, the pool never closes.

Check-out is 10am Monday. Leave the towels in the bathroom, the keys on the bench, and come back soon.