New school, old school Back to the future for Nobby Beach resort
NOBBY’S Outlook resort, a tired Miami relic of another era, is undergoing a bigspending transformation into an up-market resort with “that old charm”.
The former glamour holiday resort, abandoned for more than a year, is being reborn with a new name – Nalu, the Hawaiian word for “wave” or “surging surf”.
Nalu and its retro townhouse-style apartments will come with amenities never dreamt of when it was built more than 50 years ago, including yoga barre areas and a business centre.
Paul Solomon, a Melbournebased co-chief executive of Moose Toys who paid $23.75 million for the property a year ago, yesterday said he wanted to “stay true to the area”.
“I want to bring it back to the sort of destination that it was when it was built,” he said.
“Back in the ’70s it was a real destination with a great lifestyle.
“Basically, we’re going over every part of it. The resort will be like brand new but have that old charm that we all liked.”
Mr Solomon, a father of three children aged from three to 10, said Nalu would be “quite unique” and different to anything else being built on the Gold Coast.
He expected the resort’s upgrade to be completed by December and its 46 two and three-bedroom apartments then would be offered for holiday and long-term rental.
A professional interior decorator, Melbourne’s Sally Caroline, has been engaged to add her flair to the project.
Nobbys Outlook was built in 1966 and consisted of four two-level buildings fronting a recreation square that includes two pools.
Its 7284sq m Marine Pde site has been eyed by developers, including the Sunland Group, for many years. It was auctioned last September after the individually owned units all were put under one title.
Mr Solmon, 42, is no stranger to the Gold Coast nor the Miami area – it was a holiday destination in his youth.
Before joining Moose he worked for the Globe surfwear and skateboard company.
Mr Solomon is the stepson of billionaire Manny Stuhl, founder of Moose, whose Shopkins products turned into an international toy craze.
Mr Stuhl has a home near Nobbys Outlook – he paid $25 million in 2016 for the beachfront mansion built by Scott Perrin, one of the men who floated the Gold Coast-based surfwear company Billabong.
Aspiring tenants at Nalu will be able to start putting their names down next month and, if successful, will be spending Christmas by the sea.
Andrew Henderson, managing director of John Henderson The Professionals, yesterday said the first Nalu residents could be in by early December.
He said the resort, with barbecue and pool areas at its heart, would offer a “little bit extra” for the millennial crowd.
A yoga instructor will visit once a week, there will be bicycles for the use of residents and the Nobbys cafes, restaurants and shops are a stroll away.
“For decades people flocked to Miami and Nobbys Outlook for the sun, surf and holiday resort feel,” he said.
“Now they will be able to live there, in what effectively will be new apartments, on a permanent basis.”