THE PERFECT PICNIC DOES EXIST

Life is a picnic thanks to the Mercure Gold Coast Resort.

Ahh, the glorious sunshine state. The chance to soak up all those rays without our pesky friend humidity ruining the vibes is too good to pass up. It’s lucky the daily SPF is a staple inclusion in the ol’ skincare regime because we cannot. get. enough.

If you also welcome any opportunity to make like a lizard and bask all. day. long. – we would argue that this is the superior time for the underrated outing of glorious weather –the humble picnic – to make an appearance again.

Luckily for all us foodies and lovers of spectacular outdoor vibes, our friends at the Mercure Gold Coast Resort have thrown together the ultimate picnic option.

Why do we always forget how good picnics are? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that every time we embark on the chill, alfresco adventure we’re imagining – halfway through all the buying and preparing of all the delicious, one-handed fare we remember that organising picnics is a lot of work (and even though it inevitably gets eaten outside, the kitchen still ends up trashed with a capital T).

What if we told you we have a solution that eliminates that whole logistical ordeal entirely? And yes, when we say “we”, we do mean the Mercure. Picture this: round up the fam, saunter on over to the lush Mercure grounds and grab yourselves a signature Picnic Pack or two. Throw down a blanket, kick back on the MCG- worthy manicured lawns and let the good times roll (instagrammable sun hat optional). For $53, you get to nom your way through the winning combo of a couple of gourmet sandwiches, 2 x organic juices, 2 x packs of the GOAT Red Rock Deli chippies (all top shelf here folks, it is the Mercure after all).

In fact, any of the goodies available on The Cart Takeaway menu are available down on the Lakeside Lawn, so why not treat the kiddos to an ice cream ($8) and the adults to a bottle of wine (from $35) – or perhaps some fries ($9) – for everyone, obvs #sharingiscaringkids. And would you look at that – this just became the best picnic ever.

You could bring your old trusty picnic rug rolling around in the boot (everyone has a dedicated boot-rug, right?) or leave the whole thing up to the Mercure and hire one of theirs, and a cute basket for the full picnic experience (refundable bond required). There’s also lawn games to hire, you just have to peel yourself away from lounging on that nice spongy lawn first.

So next time those clear blue skies beckon and the brain says ‘let’s do something fun’, while the motivation levels suggest a nap – throw everyone in the car and head on over to the Mercure Gold Coast Resort to luxuriate in those immaculate surrounds and indulge some in delicious alfresco treats. What more could you need? (...okay, so maybe just that nap to top it all off make it a perfect 10)

Words by Kellie Leader