NRMA Treasure Island makes family holidays easy
The small pot shook as it was extended towards me, an offer that would apparently provide much-needed protein should we ever find ourselves stranded in the wild. The kids took one look at the dried worm-like creatures and declared they would rather die of starvation. “Oh well, I’ll miss you then,” I said, dipping my hand in and grabbing three to try.
Three, two, one, GO! I quickly threw them in my mouth, pushing away any thoughts of how I might keep them down should they be terrible. Turns out mealworms (which aren’t actually worms, but the larval stage of a darkling beetle) aren’t that bad. In fact, they taste kind of nutty. Looks like I’ve got a chance of surviving in the wild after all. As for the kids? Well, they’re screwed.
Luckily for them, they’re not actually going to starve. We were on a Bear Grylls Kids vs Wild survival mission at the NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Park. There are four missions for kids only and one family mission. It was the latter in which I found myself eating less than desirable protein options. You can book into however many and whichever missions you like.
So while this is all “pretend”, they are actually learning some really cool stuff. Like how to build a shelter, tie useful knots and start a fire. Not to mention signal for help, get yourself out of difficult situations, navigate and of course, feast in the wild.
NRMA Treasure Island is relaxing even during the school holidays
When the NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Resort invited us to stay for a few nights to try out the Bear Grylls survival missions, I immediately said yes because I knew straight away the kids would love it. However, what I wasn’t expecting was that I would love it just as much as them.
I have not enjoyed holiday parks over the school holidays in the past. Why? Because they are often crowdy with questionable toilets and more often than not, the jumping pillow is flat. But the NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Park is the complete opposite of this. Despite it being peak school holiday season, the park was never chaotic, impeccably maintained and there is enough infrastructure and facilities to ensure everyone has their own space.
Here’s what you can expect from the NRMA Treasure Island Gold Coast Holiday Resort.
Accommodation
The accommodation options at NRMA Treasure Island are varied from camping sites to glamping tents through to villas, units and cabins. Here’s the low down on how you can stay here:
Cabins and villas
There are no less than 21 cabin and villa options beginning at $147 per night for a two person studio cabin through to $406 per night for a Townhouse Riverside Villa which sleeps up to eight. We stayed in the Pandanas Villa, which you can see in the YouTube video above. It featured two bedrooms, two bathrooms, living area, kitchen and dining area and outside verandah with barbecue. There was even a washer/dryer tucked away in the cupboard.
Glamping tents
Starting from $172 per night, families can enjoy all the fun parts of camping without all the boring parts, such as puting up the actual tent and sleeping rough. The safari style tents are open plan, featuring a kitchenette, ensuite, air-con, verandah, barbecue and outdoor dining.
Caravan and camping sites
Caravan sites range from $76 – $94 per night. Choose from a range of unpowered, powered, premium and even an ensuite site. The latter gives you access to your own private toilet, vanity and shower.
Camping sites range from $67 – $92 per night. Choose from a regular powered site, premium powered site or an ensuite site.
The fun stuff at NRMA Treasure Island
Over the school holidays, there are extra activities for the kids, including Bear Grylls Kids Vs Wild. Some are paid for and some are free. The Bear Grylls program is drop-and-go for the kid’s missions. This means if you book all four missions, you’ve just scored yourself four hours of adult time with no kids to do as you please.
The kids club is year-round!
In addition, there is a splash park, four resort style pools, a jumping pillow, playgrounds, mini golf, pedal carts, E-bikes and a multisports facility. Some fun is free and some fun is for hire. The pedal carts are particularly fun with adjustable seats to suit all ages. NRMA Treasure Island is quite large so there’s quite a few roads and paths to pedal around on.
One thing I thought was particularly cool and hadn’t seen before was a bike and scooter repair station. Located near the splash park is a bollard with various tools attached commonly used to repairs bikes and scooters.
Other stuff
If you run out of staples like deoderant or you just feel like an ice-cream, there is an on-site kiosk that’s got your back. Boats can be launched right from NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Resort to explore the Gold Coast’s famous waterways and if you have an electric vehicle (EV), let them know when you book as select accommodation has EV charging ports.
NRMA Treasure Island is pet friendly but there are rules so you will need to phone and discuss your options with the staff before booking.
Dining
Find Galleons Bistro within the NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Resort grounds. This restaurant is family friendly and open 7 days a week for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The location is superb, right next to the jumping pillow and splash park. This means parents can enjoy a meal while keeping a watchful eye on the kids. As an added bonus, there is a licensed bar.
The dining is probably my only gripe in the whole park. There just didn’t seem to be any vegetables on the menu. There were salad options for those still wanting to eat healthy, but I didn’t enjoy them which left me with burgers, pizzas, seafood and schnitzel to choose from. By the end of our stay, I was craving a plate of vegetable … or at least a bit on the side of my schnitzel.
Of course, if you get a bit sick of the menu or want to save some dollars you can utilise the camp kitchen or cook in your accommodation. Woolworths is only an 800 metre stroll away for supplies and Surfers Paradise is only 15 minutes away with plenty of dining and drink options.
Where to find NRMA Treasure Island
NRMA Treasure Island Holiday Resort can be found around 7km north of Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. It’s easily found on the Brisbane Road (Gold Coast Highway) and despite being on such a busy road, we didn’t hear any traffic within the park until we walked out of the grounds onto the actual roadside footpath.
The Verdict
Before coming, I thought that NRMA Treasure Island would be too “touristy and busy” but I was totally wrong, even despite staying in the school holidays. There is a central area around the restaurant which is incredibly well thought out however, because the four pools are spread out around the park, everyone is not congregating in the one spot and it doesn’t feel crowded.
The grounds are maintained immaculately and it’s really hard to find fault with this holiday resort as a family holiday destination. It’s a top spot for the kids to have active and outdoors fun while the adults can choose to either join in the fun or chill out.
Although we had fun on our own here, NRMA Treasure Island is the kind of place that’s great for family groups so it’s worth getting a bunch of families and friends together for this one.
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