Gold Coast Luxury Hotels - DeeLuxe's 7 Top Picks
The Gold Coast is a coastal city located in the southeastern corner of Queensland, Australia. It is renowned for its stunning beaches, vibrant nightlife and numerous attractions. It is also known for its high-end accommodation and pampered experiences. The Gold Coast has a glittering skyline of towering buildings and you shall find a range of luxury hotel accommodation sure to be your perfect match. I love all of these hotels and have stayed at all of them. I also love them all for very different reasons and even for different seasons!
Here’s DeeLuxe’s 7 Top Picks of Gold Coast Luxury Hotels
1. JW Marriott Resort and Day Spa
This impressive hotel is a firm favourite with its grand staircase and gigantic fans swinging gently above as you enter the foyer.
The JW Gold Coast Marriott Foyer is incredibly welcoming.
Favourite Room? -
Go for the Junior Suite, very large room, huge king bed (THE most comfortable bed I have ever slept in) and has a devine spa bath with glass floor to ceiling overlooking the coastline.
Choose the Junior Suite if you can or use your points for an upgrade - is such a gorgeous room
Picture yourself with champers in hand and watching the world go by – is really perfect.
The Junior Suite has a spectacular spa bath overlooking the Gold Coast skyline.
Favourite Part of the Hotel?
The pool! – I don’t believe there is another on the Coast like it.
The JW Marriott pool is by far the most gorgeous pool on the Coast - complete with its own tropical fish!
Whilst the ocean is not far away, the whole pool setting is a dreamy experience, inclusive of tropical fish swimming from one side to the other. Serious! – pop on your snorkelling gear and watch the huge fish swim right past you.
This hotel feels very tropical and you could be mistaken for feeling you are in the heart of Hawaii.
Favourite Dining?
The hotel restaurant Citrique also offers an amazing dining experience. Whilst Misono Japanese Steakhouse Restaurant is not part of the hotel restaurants, it is within the Hotel itself. What can I say about Misono – great food, fun atmosphere and just a fantastic night out.
If you can imagine you favourite decade of music playing loudly, unanimous bellows of laughter as you are pose wide mouthed awaiting your tossed prawn; then you can imagine just how much fun it is at Misono.
An absolute must-do dining experience.
2. Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort
Favourite Room?
Lagoon Room, although one day would really love to stay in one of the villas. That would be my perfect vacation!
I love the rooms that overlook the lagoon or on the top level that overlook the ocean - you can open the windows to hear the waves feintly crashing in the distance.
Favourite part of the hotel?
I could stand and gaze out over the floor to ceiling glass outlook to the lagoon pools and the beach yonder all day!
Sunshine, lagoon pools, swaying palms and views forever - what could be more perfect!
It exudes luxury and the tropical surrounds make it feel incredibly inviting and relaxing. This hotel is all about location, location, location - right on the beachfront!
The Sheraton Grand Mirage is the only 5 star hotel that is directly on the beachfront at the Gold Coast.
Love everything about this hotel.
Long meandering decks take your across the lagoon pools into the main swimming area and swim up pool bar. Some Lagoon facing rooms have balconies that open up onto the water.
Favourite Dining?
The Terraces restaurant has wonderful dining options and located perfectly overlooking the pools and fountains. The seafood buffet is wonderful. By far, the best seafood dining experience we have ever had.
The Terraces Restaurant - Fresh prawns and seafood galore
Otherwise grab an exquisite cocktail at Pearls Bar. At our last stay, we had intended to head out on the coast and enjoyed our stay at the hotel so much, we simply stayed put. Everything we wanted was right there.
· Mid-Week deals offer great pricing
· Check Queensland travel providors for deals on offer across Queensland such as Discover Queensland. They often have great pricing with lots of inclusions. This also includes luxury accommodation options.
3. Palazzo Versace
Favourite Room?
Lagoon Room – however do check the suites – they are stunning. This hotel opened at the Gold Coast in 2000 and put a new standard on the Gold Coast in terms of luxury. It is hard to put into words just how glamorous this hotel is. It’s grand, opulent and the epitome of Italian design and luxury.
The foyer entry - Palazzo Versace is the epitome of Italian design and luxury with marble features throughout the hotel.
Situated literally across the road from the Sheraton Grand Mirage, you enter the foyer and your gaze will be drawn to the opulent chandeliers, incredible architecture and famed marble floor designs.
Simply in awe of the grand chandelier and furnishings when you enter the Versace. Photos don’t really do it justice.
The hotel overlooks the sparkling blue waters of the Gold Coast Broadwater and is only a stone’s throw from the beach. Marina Mirage (boutique shopping) and the Marina is located right next to the hotel.
We stayed in a lagoon view room, the rooms have luxury appointed furnishings and grand marble baths. I found the staff here were exceptionally accommodating and friendly.
Really LOVED our stay at this hotel – felt very, very DeeLuxe!
View to the heart of Versace over the pools
Favourite part of the hotel?
Staying in the room! It is so glamourous you really don’t want to leave. This is one of those hotels where you could lock yourself away in your room for the entire weekend and embrace every moment of your stay.
Favourite Dining?
You know we didn’t dine here! – we stayed for birthday celebrations and met up with friends, so we popped next door to Marina Mirage for dinner celebrations. We will need to go back and rate!
Put this one of your bucket list – it really is a place you need to experience at least once in your life.
Tips on how to stretch your dollar:
· Look for deals on offer through Travel Expos
· Check reservation sites such as Booking.com, Trivago, Expedia etc to keep an eye on deals.
· Contact the hotel directly or check their website to see what offers are available. Sometimes the best deal is with the hotel direct. Simply ask. Our daughters first getaway was to this hotel - talk about setting the bar high for future holidays. Such an incredibly good deal for a week stay. It remains a firm favourite for holiday destination.
4. QT Surfers Paradise
This place is a hidden gem located in the heart of Surfers Paradise. Its quirky, funky and of course, exudes luxury.
Such a funky hotel - just loved the decor. Check out the decals in the elevators.
The black and white stripe theming is throughout the hotel and adds a certain level of glamour. This boutique hotel is an absolute people pleaser – service is second to none and the service is what makes this a standout hotel. I found this really appealing and it just added to the whole experience right from the moment you pull into the driveway to the moment you check out. It made us feel incredibly welcome.
Favourite Dining?
Dining at the Bazaar Restaurant was really lovely, a mix of seafood, international and Australian Cuisine. A wonderful dining experience and fantastic for breakfast.
Favourite part of the hotel?
That has to be at their pool area. It has a swim up bar, an abundance of modern sun-lounges, all themed in the stately black and white stripes. There is also a large screen TV and bean bags scattered about. It is geared for total relaxation. I did feel it was little like ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’ as everyone looked glamorous, however didn’t feel out of place – lol!
Perfect to lounge about with cocktail in hand.
What else?
Location - it is only a couple of minutes from the beach, however you are away from the hustle and bustle of Cavill Avenue, so makes it a nice location within Surfers Paradise.
Tips on how to stretch your dollar:
· We stayed during peak season of Xmas holidays. Best deals were mid-week which offered terrific pricing, particularly at this peak period compared to other 5 star hotels.
· Check Queensland travel providors for deals on offer across Queensland such as Discover Queensland.
5. Pether’s Rainforest Retreat.
If you are looking for an adult only getaway that is quiet, secluded and immerses you into the heart of a rainforest – then go no further than Pether’s (located in the Gold Coast Hinterland). The perfect time to enjoy is during the winter when the chilly nights allow you to enjoy the roaring fireplaces, however the wonder of the rainforest can be enjoyed anytime. (Think I must have only taken video’s as shy on the photo’s!!)
There are many rainforest walks close by and is close to all the wineries, cafes, boutique shops and Gallery Walk up on Mt Tamborine mountain.
Favourite Room?
This is a boutique retreat. They are private treehouses, so the whole treehouse is your room. I loved the size – 100 sqm! which is bigger than most two-bedroom apartments. The spa bath overlooks the heart of the rainforest and makes this the ultimate romantic escape.
6. O'Reilly's Rainforest Retreat.
If you are truly wanting a get-away whereby you can experience all that nature has to offer and basking in some luxury on the side, then O’Reilly’s Rainforest Retreat is your next destination. I wouldn’t say this is a 5 star luxury hotel though, however it is by far a 5 star experience.
Not 5 stars for standard accommodation , however is the ultimate 5 star experience here.
The views are commanding, the hikes into the rainforest are simply good for your soul, the wildlife - beautiful. The treetops walk close to the hotel allows you to connect with nature, even being able to climb up the towering trees to take in the sweeping views from atop of the treetops.
It’s a place where you can chase waterfalls, search for glow worms in the night, meet and feed the animals. We simply loved the whole experience here and urge people to make their way to O’Reillys for a really unique holiday break.
Favourite Room?
My pick would be the Valley View rooms, as a bit more modern than the other rooms. Complete with an outdoor spa bath - perfect way to end the day as you watch the sunset over the mountain ridge. We really enjoyed the whole O’Reillys experience. Check out a previous blog about O’Reillys to learn more.
We loved our stay at O’Reillys. A unique holiday destination.
Favourite part of the hotel?
The infinity pool - the outlook is out over to the valley and mountains beyond is really something special.
Taking in the views. Is incredibly refreshing after a day’s hike.
The dining area - it is surrounded by wood panelling and feels like a country lodge. There are atriums within the house and the birds fly down into the atrium to literally dine alongside you. It makes for such a pleasant experience.
The atriums are inside the lodge - the birds feeding alongside you having your breakfast!
Tips on how to stretch your dollar?
We got a deal through Discover Queensland at the time. It was the perfect price and right in the heart of peak season. Do check out the deals regularly.
Look at the different accommodation options as no doubt will find one that suits your budget. They have also recently opened a new camping grounds facility with safari tents to cater for the growing number of people looking to travel in their own Australian Backyard.
7. The Star
You may remember ‘The Star’ as Jupiters Casino. Since it has come under the brand of The Star it has gone through a major refurbishment. The transformation has been incredible. Whilst the obvious drawcard is the casino, it now has more of a large resort feel.
The Star (formerly Jupiters) went through an amazing transformation.
Favourite Room?
We have stayed at the Superior Deluxe Rooms and the renovations have been very tastefully done to become beautiful, luxury appointed rooms. There are other choices with the suites and I would love to experience a stay in one of them. I would also love to stay over at the Darling in one of their boutique designer rooms. The Darling is the building now situated in front of The Star.
Favourite Place?
Wow that’s hard - there are so many great places to head to at the Star, from the amazing restaurants, to the huge pools, outdoor movie theatre, cocktail lounges and the casino.
Gav and I ……poolside!
One place that you must visit is ‘The Darling’. I am not quite sure that people are aware that they can go across to the Darling to the rooftop bar or dine at the Nineteen at the Star Restaurant, even if you are not a guest there.
This is a MUST DO. We got to dine here not long ago, (do book early though, we luckily got in on a last-minute cancellation) and the price per person ended up being quite reasonable. The food was AMAZING! The whole dining experience was AMAZING with the chef coming out to chat about his creations - what a personal touch! Make sure to visit here when at the Star.
Looking back at the Star from the rooftop bar at the Darling.
Favourite Dining?
What I love about the Star is there are so many options for dining and to be truthful they are all exquisite. My favourite to date would be Nineteen at the Star, at the Darling.
Tanqueray Terrace. Head out here to grab your cocktails and grab a table with friends, watch the big screen
Tips on how to Stretch your dollar?
Sign up as a Star member (this is free to do) - as a member you get to hear about upcoming deals and trust me, they have some amazing deals. We have snapped up such amazing bargains.
Sign up for Star Play - it is like an on-line gaming app which gives you the opportunity to rack up reward points. You can then redeem the points earned for vouchers. At our last stay, we used the points to get a $50 voucher to use for breakky at the Garden Kitchen and Bar.
Who doesn't love to be rewarded!
Garden Kitchen & Bar -a great place to head for food and drinks at the Star
Check the website regularly. They offer on occasion, Stay-cation packages which typically has a number of inclusions.
That’s the end of the list. It isn’t the complete list, as am sure there are some other wonderful hotels on the Coast that may be worthy of making the list too, however perhaps we just haven’t experienced as yet.
Equally, there are luxury hotels that I have stayed at and sadly the stay was not pleasant, so I have simply not included a review in this blog.
As we are approaching our Australian hot summer, I do hope that you get to experience an ultimate getaway at one or more of these beautiful Gold Coast Luxury hotels!
Please leave a comment about any luxury hotels you have loved and recommend to stay at.
Cheers!
Enjoy
DeeLuxe
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link.
