I’m in heaven

I wrote on Facebook yesterday “We’ve arrived!” and my friend Steve wanted to know “where?”

I wasn’t trying to be elusive, I still haven’t quite got the hang of all the functions on my phone, so I couldn’t work out how to automatically reveal my location, gave up and pressed send. But I decided the phrase worked on so many levels.

We’re at Mantra Salt in Kingscliff. And while admittedly it has a touch of the Truman Shows about it, I’m generally pretty stoked.

I was faintly terrified Husband would be dry retching over the cookie-cutter toy town vibe but he seems fine with there being no challenges – despite usually being more the adventure holiday type. I think we all need a break. And this place ticks heaps of boxes on that front.

For a start, I scored a two bedroom apartment on Stayz. Sharing a hotel room with my offspring no longer qualifies as a holiday in my mind.

The apartment is all blond and marble and clean. No ocean views but you can hear the waves crashing as you drift off to sleep.

The pool is tropically warm enough to have enticed me in … Though unfortunately shallow enough for the youngest to have taken the skin off her chin while doing tumbles.

There’s a Witchery. Let me repeat … A Witchery! With a sale on! I’ve already scored a pair of half-price sandals. I’d have done more damage but it was 5.25pm when I made the discovery and they were closing.

Next door to Witchery is a gelato bar. The piña colada flavour is nom nom.

A little further along the complex’s retail strip is Fins, one of my all-time fave Aussie restaurants. Husband and I first ate there at least 15 years ago when it was a ramshackle place beside a river and have never forgotten the flavours of the Mauritian-influenced seafood dishes.

We ate at the bar last night (we’re saving the restaurant for when we can glean a babysitter and take our time to savour) which has transformed itself into a pop-up Portuguese restaurant. The beef cheeks were sublime.

Other stuff on site that means we may not leave all week: a pub, a bottle shop, an IGA, a fish and chip shop, a Thai restaurant, a pizza bar …

I’m even contemplating a pedicure at the beauty salon so I can have lovely seashell toes and non-cracked heels for our getaway.

I haven’t seen the beach yet – too busy shoe and grocery shopping – but husband tells me it’s gorgeous and patrolled.

I’m itching to go for an early morning walk but I’m loathe to wake the Household (who crashed into bed exhausted at 10am last night halfway through an Avatar viewing on the apartment’s DVD player).

Our apartment was formerly a studio and a one-bedder joined together, so we decided to leave the heavy airlock door to the kids room open and I’m afraid of waking the poor sods up. Actually it’s self-preservation, not fear – they’re feral when they’re tired.

So I’ll take a twirl on social media instead …

Talk soon!

PS meanwhile, Charlihas having a pretty awesome time too at home with his pet sitter Glen, who he’s talked (or should that be barked …) into letting him sleep at the end of his bed.