Short Break Special: Gold Coast

So it's finally starting to show signs of warmer weather and we're already feeling that ache inside for a quick holiday, and some time out from work and chores and stress and ... well, from life in general! If you're feeling the same, it might be time for that well deserved short break, heading to a place where you can chill as much as you like, or play hard and let off some steam. Some place like the Gold Coast ... that mecca of sun, surf, fine dining and late night partying! And with Springtime just around the corner, it's looking great on the beaches - the perfect way to shake off the winter blues, re-energise and re-charge. 

There's always plenty of romance to be had with a beachside holiday, so Holidays for Couples have found some great special deals from Virgin Australia that makes the Gold Coast lifestyle feel all the more enticing. How does return economy airfares plus three nights accommodation starting from just $350pp* sound? Pretty awesome value, for that perfect short break holiday, we think!

There's a range of deals to choose from, from the casual to the trendy and the super-luxe, and lots of extras you can add on if you please. Check it out right here.

Discover the delights of Melbourne with a short break

Melbourne offers some seriously indulgent lifestyle for a short break! From awesome shopping and quirky boutiques, great nightlife with the coolest clubs and niche bars, a renowned live music and entertainments scene and the famous city alleyway cafes where you can pull up a block and enjoy the best latte of your life, you'll feel like you've got your finger on the pulse of what's cool, creative and happening when you come to this thriving city. The arts is engrained in the city life and multi-culturalism is everywhere from 'Little Italy' in Lygon Street (the best Italian restaurants, can be found here!) to the longest continuous Chinese settlement in the western world to be had at Chinatown, and 'Little Greece' centred on and around Lonsdale Street. 

And with Melbourne's celebrated calender of blockbuster theatre productions, sporting events and cultural attractions, you are certainly not short of great experiences to fill your time! Wining, dining and a very urban cool approach to living ... a few days in Melbourne gives you a dose of the good life.

Blue Holidays and Virgin Australia has you covered with yet another tempting special offer - for a limited time you can get airfares and 2 nights from $335pp* - so now there really is no excuse for you to not enjoy a quick city break! See other great city deals here.

Sydney Short Break Escape

How about hitting Sydney for 3 days of city high life? Blue Holidays (the holiday program of Virgin Australia) have you covered with a really fantastic special offer that will get you your flights and 3 nights accommodation from just $366pp*! We just wrote all about our own 48 hour short break in Sydney, which was filled with shopping, art galleries, wining and dining, and a whole lot of walking through some of the trendiest areas of this exciting city. Read all about it right here. And if it's your first time or you really crave some of the major tourist sites, Sydney is saturated with incredible experiences. With a packages like this, we're thinking it's never too soon to get back to Sydney for another short break escape! Check out the other great short break packages to Brisbane, Melbourne and Adelaide here!

Get your short break city fix: arts, food, fashion and fun, Brisbane style!

Looking for an ideal short break in the city? Head to the Sunshine State to discover the hidden treasures of Brisbane, and you may just find yourself begin a love affair with this exciting and progressive city! 

Brisbane has really come of age in the last five years, and it delivers on all fronts: the very best in food, arts, entertainment, sporting, cultural and live music events. And all to be enjoyed amongst a sub-tropical climate in a stylish urban city scape and sprawling parklands that has Brisbane ranked as one of the most liveable cities in Australia. 

The creative pulse in Brisbane is going strong - design and the arts have become one of the city's greatest draw cards, and you can get your fix at galleries like Queensland Art Gallery and the evolving works on show at stunning GoMA. Shopping is a buzz, with a plethora of emerging and established designers having set up shops and studios in the trendy neighbourhoods of New Farm, Paddington, West End, and the pounding heart of the city, The Valley (where you'll also find some very cool clubs and bars!).

And the dining is absolutely world-class - vibrant, modern and forward thinking cafes, restaurants and classy bars have taken up residence across the city, so finding the ultimate romantic night out is literally just a case of a short walk from many hotels. 

Brisbane is a place without pretension, and that's why the locals and visitors alike love it so much. And all within easy reach of the beaches and mountains of the Gold Coast to the south, and the Sunshine Coast to the north. Brisbane has it all, just waiting to be discovered.

Check out some of the amazing special offers that Blue Holidays, the holiday program of Virgin Australia, have going at the moment - they've found some of the best hotels and made some really attractive packages for you to choose from that makes a short break to Brisbane even more tempting! We're talking 2 night packages including return flights from as little as $333 per person!

Visit www.holidaysforcouples.com.au to see some other fantastic short break escape packages to other Australian cities ... your next romantic weekend escape is just a click away! (images courtesy Tourism Queensland)

The White House - a little slice of heaven Daylesford, Victoria

I've been thinking lately about planning a road trip. Maybe it's the Springtime weather creeping in to brighten our days, but it feels like the right time to pack up the car and head out together to discover some of the hidden gems of our own local short break destinations. A little bit of homegrown romance, if you will. 

And this is the kind of place to shack up in for a few days of country living, in style! The White House in Daylesford is a gorgeous little 1850s brick minor's cottage that has been lovingly restored and re-designed in to a slice of heaven by Lyn Gardener (that's her pictured above, isn't she gorgeous!?). She has taken her passion for vintage and her keen decorator's eye - with many a nod to the stylings of her other darling, the treasure trove shop that is Empire Vintage - and has created a love nest in beautiful Daylesford, in the heart of Victoria's Spa Country.

The cottage has two bedrooms, a library and a separate garden studio if you are wanting to bring friends along too. Though we say this place is crying out for a couple who are looking to really cocoon and reconnect in this cosy ambience. It's also an easy walk in to town where you will find lots of great restaurants and cafes and a weekend market, plus Wombat Hill  with the Botanic Gardens that beckon you to bring along a blanket and a picnic basket. And a few minutes drive away is Hepburn Springs where you can make an easy day trip and succumb to total relaxation, heritage spa-style. Hepburn Springs is in the middle of Australia's largest concentration of mineral springs and there are a plethora of local spas and wellness centers, like the Mineral Spa at Peppers Mineral Springs Retreat, or the lavishly refurbished Hepburn Bathhouse and Spa which dates back to 1895.

We love Daylesford. And The White House is just the sweetest thing ... it's kind of our dream cottage home! And it's just been added to our 'must do' list for our next short break!

Gourmet Weekends in Australia

If delicious local cuisine is high on your holiday wish-llist, check out the collection of sumptuous short break destinations in Australia that Tricia Welsh has gathered ... where wining and dining is just as important as the room and the view.

Launceston, Tasmania

Let Wursthaus at Olivers pack a picnic hamper to enjoy in the grounds of local vineyards Goaty Hill or Brook Eden where you can savour their wine. Or make up your own picnic with home-made goodies, local smoked trout, cheese and more from chef Daniel Alps’ fabulous new Alps & Amici foodstore and kitchen. > Read more

Mollymook, New South Wales

Although only a hamlet, leafy Mollymook is supported as a gourmet region by cracking little restaurants such as the Tipsy Fig in Milton and The Vineyard Kitchen at Cupitt’s Winery (both perfect for lunch) and Millard and the Stone Grill in Ulladulla. > Read more

Castlemaine, Victoria

Just over an hour from Melbourne, it’s a gorgeous drive through flourishing farmlands to this former gold mining town when some 150 years ago, more than 30,000 miners flocked to this part of Victorian goldfields to seek their fortune. Book a balcony room at the beautifully restored historic Empyre Boutique Hotel so you can enjoy cocktails at sunset overlooking the town. > Read more

Maleny, Queensland

On a spur of the Great Dividing Range, the Sunshine Coast hinterland around Maleny has the lot – a gentle country lifestyle, idyllic climate, a vibrant food scene and great views across fertile farmlands to the state’s famed white sandy coastline.
Commune with nature in a Falls Pavilion at Spicers Tamarind, sip a Spicers Sunset cocktail and dine in the intimate on-site restaurant of former Darley St Thai and Chilli Jam Café chef Paul Blain’s exemplary Thai cuisine. > Read more

Stanley, Victoria

With one pub, a post office, an apple shed and a spread-out population of just 700, Stanley offers the best of both worlds – quality restaurants, cafes and food outlets in nearby Beechworth, plus the intimacy of small community living. > Read more

The Adelaide Hills, South Australia

Just 20 minutes by car from Adelaide, the Adelaide Hills could be another world away. These undulating hills are dotted with picturesque villages interspersed with market gardens, orchards, long-established formal gardens and myriad vineyards producing quality wines. > Read more