GUEST COMPENDIUM · MANTRA ZANZIBAR · NINTH FLOOR
You’ve landed in the best corner of the building. Nine floors up, looking straight across Mooloolaba Beach, with little between you and the horizon but a couple of Norfolk pines.
01 · WELCOME
903 is yours to enjoy. Open the curtains, step onto the balcony and take in the ocean. The beach is across the road, great coffee is close by, and there is nowhere you need to be.
This guide is here when you need it, with the practical details for your stay and a few of our favourite places to eat, swim, walk and explore.
02 · TAKE IN THE VIEW
Step outside and let the view do its thing. Mooloolaba Beach stretches out below you, the ocean changes colour through the day, and from June to November you may even spot whales passing offshore.
Morning coffee is especially good out here. So is doing absolutely nothing.
The breeze can pick up surprisingly quickly nine floors above the beachfront. Bring glasses, books, towels and other light items inside when you have finished with them, and keep the balcony table clear when you go out.
For everyone’s safety, the balcony and apartment are smoke-free, and candles or other open flames are not permitted.
Between June and November, humpbacks pass Mooloolaba in both directions: north to breed during winter, then south again with their calves in spring. From this height, you often won’t need binoculars. On a calm morning, look for a small white puff against the blue, then keep watching that spot.
03 · HEAD TO THE BEACH
Mooloolaba’s calmest water is at the southern end near the rock wall. It is patrolled and generally gentle, which is why families have been coming here for generations. Always swim between the flags.
The coastal path runs from the Spit, along the beachfront and over the headland to Alexandra Headland. It continues to Maroochydore if you feel like going farther. The route is flat, paved and at its best around sunrise. Allow about 40 minutes each way to Alex at a relaxed pace.
04 · THE BEACHFRONT
Mooloolaba’s beachfront is undergoing a major transformation, with new parkland, a wider coastal path and improved access to the beach.
The beach, surf club, cafés and restaurants remain open throughout the works. To reach the sand, cross at the zebra crossing directly outside Zanzibar, turn left and follow the signed walkway beneath the Norfolk pines. You will arrive beside the rock shelf in under two minutes.
At low tide, the rock pools are full of tiny fish and crabs. Families with children may find that the two-minute walk takes considerably longer.
You may occasionally hear construction activity from the apartment, particularly on weekday mornings. The upside is a fascinating ninth-floor view of the beachfront taking shape and, for younger guests, some very impressive excavators.
When the new foreshore is complete, it will make this already special stretch of Mooloolaba even better.
05 · SETTLE IN
Both televisions are smart TVs, so settle in and use Netflix, Prime Video or whichever service you prefer.
Before checking out, please sign out of any personal accounts so your recommendations and watchlist travel home with you.
06 · WI-FI
The internet equipment is near the kitchen bench and behind the television. Please leave both labelled devices connected so the Wi-Fi remains available throughout your stay.
07 · EAT & DRINK
Mooloolaba has no shortage of places to eat and drink. These are the ones we come back to.
A few streets back from the Esplanade on Brisbane Road, it is easy to walk past. Don’t. They roast Colombian beans on site and make the best straight coffee in town. It is mostly takeaway, with a few outdoor tables. The banana bread is baked in-house each morning and often sells out. An excellent morning ritual.
A converted garage in the back streets on Careela Street, about ten minutes’ walk inland. This is where locals actually eat breakfast: generous plates, buckwheat crepes, good coffee, second-hand furniture and no sea view whatsoever. It gets busy on weekends, so go early or visit midweek. Open mornings to early afternoon only.
Behind the big red barn doors at The Wharf, serving Asian street food - bao, dumplings and curries - with water views and a loud, cheerful crowd. No bookings; walk-ins only. The queue is part of the experience, but it moves quickly if you join before noon for lunch or around 5.30 pm for dinner. Almost everything is made to share and reasonably priced. Children are welcome, and the fried chicken usually wins them over.
Two restored timber fishing trawlers, permanently moored at The Wharf, serving wild-caught prawns, Moreton Bay bugs, oysters and seafood platters on deck. No fryers and no fuss: just cold seafood, a cold drink and the marina around you. Open daily from 11 am to 9 pm. Go mid-afternoon, order a platter and toss the shells overboard for the fish. It is more experience than restaurant, in the best way.
Walk south along the Esplanade to the Spit, pick up fish and chips - or fresh prawns straight from the local fleet - then carry them to the beach or harbour wall. It is perhaps the most Mooloolaba thing you can do, and it costs about twenty dollars.
Thai food at the quieter end of the Esplanade, and a local favourite for years. Try the crispy pork belly with chilli jam, proper curries and a cold Singha. It fills up most nights, so book ahead or eat early. Takeaway is also a good option when the balcony is calling.
The midweek specials are genuinely good value: roast night Tuesday, parmy night Wednesday and steak night Thursday, with steaks from 200 g to a 1 kg rump, all from 5 pm. Specials change occasionally, so check their socials. Book a window table and watch the light fade.
A proper tea house in Cotton Tree, about ten minutes’ drive north. It has been pouring tea since 2009 and was recently named Queensland’s best. High tea arrives on tiered stands with bottomless loose-leaf tea or barista coffee, and everything is baked in-house. Book ahead for high tea, or drop in for cake and one of more than 100 teas after a walk along the Maroochy River.
08 · THINGS TO DO
Each listing includes a rough time, cost, whether to book and whether children are likely to thank you.
The morning routine this town was made for.
At The Wharf, about fifteen minutes’ walk away. Seals, sharks, a touch tank and air-conditioning.
Walk or drive to the southern headland for the lighthouse, harbour entrance and the best place to watch boats push through the swell.
Calm water behind the beach, with hire operators near The Wharf.
Boats leave from The Wharf. You have watched the blows from the balcony; now go and see them properly.
A decommissioned warship sunk as an artificial reef, fifteen minutes offshore. It is one of the best wreck dives in the country, and it is sitting right there.
Gentle, consistent waves, and instructors who have seen every possible way to fall off a board.
The big one: hundreds of stalls about thirty minutes inland. Go early, before the tour buses arrive.
Train ride, boat ride, ice cream and ginger in every possible form.
A Thai cooking school set in a rainforest garden at Yandina, twenty-five minutes away. You cook, then eat what you have made - and it is better than most restaurant meals. This is the experience people talk about for years.
Around 800 steps up a volcanic dome, about 30 minutes to the top. The views are impressive. Go early, take water and earn your breakfast.
The best summit-to-effort ratio on the coast: about 45 minutes up, with views across all the Glass House peaks. Easier than Mt Coolum.
Follow the coastal walk from Noosa Main Beach towards the fairy pools, then have lunch on Hastings Street. Leave early; parking is a competitive sport.
Mountain villages, cheese and chocolate shops, plus the Mary Cairncross rainforest walk and its classic Glass House Mountains lookout.
Forty minutes south. It is exactly as good as they hope it will be.
09 · GOOD TO KNOW
Reception will organise parking when you check in.
The apartment and balcony are smoke-free.
10 · UNTIL NEXT TIME
If you enjoyed the apartment, request Unit 903 by name when you next book with Mantra Zanzibar. It is the surest way to wake up to this view again.