Black is the New Black

On our last full day on the Gold Coast, we awoke to another beautiful sunrise.

We spent a relaxing day by the pool at the Sofitel Gold Coast, then went up to our room in the last afternoon to freshen up for our last evening out in the Gold Coast.

I was excited to dine at Ristorante Fellini in the Marina, which had gotten great reviews on TripAdvisor while researching plans for our honeymoon.  Our evening at Ristorante Fellini did not disappoint – the location right on the Marina provided lovely views, the interior design was fabulous, and the wine and food were wonderful!

I had the fresh deep sea trout, wrapped in ocean trout mousse and coated in poppy seeds.

After dinner, we walked to Palazzo Versace for a drink.  The hotel was certainly fabulous, but I was glad we decided to stay at the Sofitel Gold Coast instead, as it was right on the beach and we could walk to most destinations, but Palazzo Versace was quite removed from the main strip.

As the stars came out, we decided to end our last night on the Gold Coast with a walk on the beach.  I loved the juxtaposition of the beach against towering skyscrapers on the Gold Coast, and was sad to be leaving the next day.  However, we were both excited about our next destinations – the Whitsunday Islands and the Great Barrier Reef!

Poolside

Swimsuit: Vix

Sunglasses: Ray Ban Wayfarers

Evening

Dress: J.Crew Black Audrey Cotton Dress

Jewelry: Cartier Stainless Steel Tank Franciase, Cartier Yellow Gold Love Bracelet, Solitaire Pendant, Solitaire Earrings

Purse: Chanel Classic Flap in Medium with Black Caviar Leather and Silver Hardware

We awoke on the 11th day of our honeymoon to yet another beautiful day on the Gold Coast.

After little discussion, we decided there was only one place to spend our day – the beach!  We headed out and walked along the Gold Coast’s lovely shore, stopping a few times for a flat white at a beachside cafe or dips in the water.

As the sun began to set, we headed back to the Sofitel to freshen up before enjoying dinner at a beachside restaurant.

After dinner, we headed back to the balcony of our room at the Soiftel Hotel Gold Coast to enjoy the champagne they were kind enough to send up in celebration of our honeymoon.

After taking in the sparkling lights of the Gold Coast skyline, we set out to explore Jupiters Casino in Broadbeach.  Can you believe I had never been to a casino before?!  Jupiters was fun for the evening and not at all what I expected a casino to be like – the atmosphere was more reminiscent of a 1950′s ratpack film than ‘The Real World: Las Vegas‘.

Beach

Swimsuit Coverup: La Blanca by Rod Beattie ‘Safari’ Tunic Cover-Up

Shoes: Jack Rogers Gold Navajo Sandals

Jewelry: Cartier Yellow Gold Love Bracelet

Sunglasses: Ray Ban Wayfarers

Dinner & Casino

Dress: J.Crew Black Audrey Cotton Dress

Jewelry: Cartier Stainless Steel Tank Franciase, Pearl Necklace, Cartier Yellow Gold Love Bracelet

Shoes: Beige Chanel Wedges with a Black Cap Toe

Purse: Chanel Cambon Bowling Bag in Black

On our first morning in the Gold Coast, we woke up early and watched the beautiful sunrise over the ocean from our balcony at the Sofitel Gold Coast.  It was hard to believe that we were almost half done with our honeymoon in Australia, it felt like we had done so much, but still had so many more sights to visit!

After a relaxing breakfast on our balcony, we headed out to enjoy the Gold Coast‘s famous beaches.  They did not disappoint!  The sand was clean, the waves were awesome, and everyone was wonderfully friendly!  The Gold Coast consists of 35 miles of beach and the views up and down the coast were framed by the sweeping skyscrapers along the coast.

After a few lovely hours on the beach, I felt a sunburn coming on and we decided to head back to the Sofitel hotel pool to relax for the rest of the afternoon.

As the sun began to set, we headed back to our hotel room to shower and change for the evening.  We ventured into Surfer’s Paradise for dinner, then spent the remainder of the night walking around the boardwalk and enjoying the street scene.  The Gold Coast has such a vibrant scene – we loved taking in the sights and sounds of the area.

After a fun evening out in Surfer’s Paradise, we headed back to our room at the Sofitel hotel to enjoy the sparkling lights of the Gold Coast over a glass of Australian white wine, while making plans for our next 2 days in the Gold Coast.

Swimsuit: J.Crew Solid Underwire Twist Tank

Sunglasses: Ray Ban Wayfarers

Dress: J.Crew Blakely

Jewelry: Cartier Stainless Steel Tank Franciase, Cartier Yellow Gold Love Bracelet

Shoes: Chanel Camellia Sandals

Purse: Chanel Cambon Bowling Bag in Black

On our last morning at Lilianfels, we headed to The Orangery, sad that it would be the last time we enjoyed their fantastic breakfasts.  Not able to pick a favorite dish at The Orangery, I tried a little of all my favorites – yogurt with fresh passionfruit, an almond croissant, museli, fruit, pineapple juice, fresh coffee, and a sampling from the marmalade bar.

After breakfast, we walked down to Echo Point for one last glimpse of the amazing Blue Mountains.  I hope to come back to the Blue Mountains someday – our trip there was absolutely fantastic.  I will always hold dear the memories of our stay in the Blue Mountains – sunrise hikes and decadent breakfasts, afternoons lounging by the pool overlooking sweeping views of the landscape, high tea at Lilianfels, evening star gazing over champagne in the garden, and many more unforgettable experiences.

Next, we packed our bags and set off for our next destination – The Gold Coast!

I had never heard of The Gold Coast until we began our honeymoon planning.  A friend of my husbands had lived there while studying abroad in college, and highly recommended we visit while in Australia.  We already knew we wanted to visit Sydney, the Blue Mountains, and the Whitsunday Islands, but had an extra 4 days in our itinerary to spend elsewhere in Australia.  We thought about spending it in Melbourne, Cairns, or Darwin, but decided on the Gold Coast based on the wonderful recommendations it received.  Before our flight arrived, the only thing I knew about the Gold Coast was that it was often referred to as ‘Australia’s Miami’ with vibrant beach, art, restaurant, and nightlife scenes.  I found it was all that and more, but better than Miami as the beaches and streets are pristine, it is very safe, and is full of friendly people!

Upon our arrival, we checked in at our hotel for the next 4 days – The Sofitel Gold Coast.  I had wanted to stay at the nearby Versace Hotel (obvi), but my husband vetoed that decision.  I’m so glad we ended up staying at the Sofitel Gold Coast – it was a block from the beach and had sweeping views of the ocean by day.  At night, the skyline of the Gold Coast sparkled under the stars.  And the smell!  I’m not sure if it’s all Sofitels or the Soiftel Gold Coast in particular, but they must pump the lobby full of something amazing – it smelled absolutely divine.  My husband called the concierge to find out what it is, the fragrance is manufactured by a small company in Melbourne.  I must get more information on this!

Overall, the service we encountered was impeccable, starting with a honeymoon upgrade to a ocean facing room and delivery of champagne!

After freshening up, we headed to Koi Dining & Lounge Bar for dinner, followed by a trip to Mövenpick for some ice cream.  Four days after my sun overexposure at Bondi Beach in Sydney, my horrible sun burn was finally starting to get better!

After dinner, we headed back to our hotel room at the Sofitel Gold Coast to enjoy some champagne while taking in the sweeping Gold Coast skyline, which sparkled all around us.  Listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the beach, we made plans for the following day – excited to explore the Gold Coast for the next 4 days!

Dress: J.Crew Blakely

Cardigan: J.Crew Black Merino Chiffon-Placket Cardigan

Shoes: Chanel Tweed Heels

Purse: Chanel Cambon Bowling Bag in Black

Jewelry: Cartier Stainless Steel Tank Franciase, Cartier Yellow Gold Love Bracelet, Pearl Earrings

The next morning at Lilianfels Blue Mountain Restort, we awoke to yet another sun filled day in Australia.

We headed down to The Orangery to enjoy a wonderful breakfast – I had a almond crossoint, guava juice, fresh coffee, yogurt, fruit, and sampled offerings from the marmalade bar.

After breakfast, we headed out to hike the trails along Echo Point in the Blue Mountains, where we spent the morning exploring.  The sweeping views, fresh air, and beautiful flora and fauna were truly amazing.

Three days after my sun overexposure at Bondi Beach in Sydney, my sunburn had become the worst yet.  For our hiking trip, I slathered myself with SPF 50 and reapplied often, also donning sunglasses.  Fortunately, I packed plenty of my trusty Smith’s Rosebud Salve, the only thing that soothed my painful sunburn.

After our hike, we returned back to Lilianfels to freshen up before lunch at Echoes Restaurant, located in the nearby Echoes Boutique Hotel.  We had a fantastic experience at Echoes Restaurant – the food was excellent, the service was top notch, and the amazing sweeping views of the Blue Mountains speak for themselves:

I had a wonderful fig salad and Australian white wine, my husband had a fantastic pumpkin gnocchi entree.

After lunch, we headed back to the beautiful pool at Lilianfels, where we spent the rest of the afternoon lounging.

As the sun set, we relaxed in the patio over some wonderful Australian champagne.  We were sad that our last full day in the Blue Mountains had ended, but were excited to head to the Gold Coast next!

Pool

Swimsuit: J.Crew Solid Underwire Twist Tank

Sunglasses: Ray Ban Wayfarers

Lunch

Dress: J.Crew Black Audrey Cotton Dress

Shoes: Beige Chanel Wedges with a Black Cap Toe

Jewelry: Cartier Stainless Steel Tank Franciase, Cartier Yellow Gold Love Bracelet

Purse: Chanel Cambon Bowling Bag in Black

Sunglasses: Chanel

Still not fully adjusted to the 16 hour time difference after a week in Australia, we woke up before the sun rose on our second day at Lilianfels Blue Mountain Resort in the Blue Mountains.

Deciding to take advantage of the early hour, we walked down to the nearby Echo Point Lookout to watch the sun rise over the Three Sisters.  It was truly a magical sight, after a day in the Blue Mountains the sweeping views still blew me away every time I looked at them.

After sunrise, we enjoyed the scenic walk back to Lilianfels.

Lilianfels and Katoomba in the Blue Mountains don’t offer an unlimited array of sights and activities, but what they do offer are one of the most gorgeous physical surroundings I have ever seen.  We repeated the same formula each day there – hiking, indulging in the fantastic breakfast offerings, lounging by the pool, high tea, watching the beautiful sunsets, and champagne in the garden.  It was absolute perfection.  I had the epic Australia film theme song in my head the entire time we were at Lilianfels (okay, and on my ipod while I soaked in our marble bathtub before high tea…), which seemed – as a romantic first time tourist of course – to be completely fitting for the mix of regally elegant colonial touches at Lilianfels and the rugged majestic physical beauty of the Blue Mountains.

Back at Lilianfels, we headed to The Orangery to enjoy the scrumptious breakfast offerings – that morning I had fresh coffee with cream, guava juice, and a fabulous almond croissant.

After breakfast, we decided to spent the day lounging in and around the beautiful infinity pool, overlooking the Blue Mountains.

Two days after my overexposure at Bondi Beach in Sydney, my sunburn was still getting progressively worse, so I stayed under the pool umbrellas most of the day, enjoying reading ‘In a Sunburned Country’ by Bill Bryson.

After most of the day had passed, we headed back to our hotel room at Lilianfels to freshen up before tea.  We divided our one order thusly: macarons, tea, and champagne cocktail for myself, sandwiches and scones for my husband.

I loved the elegant common rooms and patios at Lilianfels, and enjoyed relaxing with my husband over such delicious treats.

As the sun set, I indulged in another champagne cocktail and we spent the evening enjoying each other’s company among our beautiful surroundings.

Pool

Swimsuit: Bandeau Bikini

Scarf: Chanel Cotton Chain Print Scarf

Sunglasses: Ray Ban Wayfarers

Evening

Dress: J.Crew Cotton-Silk Faille Margeaux Dress (my favorite dress, as worn at my Bridesmaid Brunch)

Purse: Chanel Classic Flap in Medium with Black Caviar Leather and Silver Hardware

Jewelry: Cartier Stainless Steel Tank Franciase, Cartier Yellow Gold Love Bracelet