The Gold Coast’s best hotels and resorts for different budgets

Perfect for: Families and couples who like attractions on-site
JW Marriott Resort & Spa’s first Australian property is a place you need never leave on your holiday (though you’re only five minutes walk from the beach near Surfers Paradise). The tropical lagoon with white sand beaches and waterfalls is its pièce de résistance. But don’t go thinking it’s tacky: nothing here reeks of that over-the-top Gold Coast bling you might remember from past decades. There’s a silver Airstream van serving lunch beside the beach, there’s stylish slow-moving, enormous rattan fans in the lobby, there’s a market garden outside, multiple dining options and activities like jet skiing and paddleboarding on a canal behind the resort.
158 Ferny Ave, Surfers Paradise. Phone: 07 5592 9800. See marriott.com. From $280 per night.

Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort

Perfect for: Families who love staying right on the ocean
You can’t get closer to the sea, Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort is the Gold Coast’s only five-star absolute beachfront resort – it’s only about 20 steps from the beach if you book a beachfront room. Set on six hectares of lagoons and tropical gardens, you could spend your entire holiday within the resort enjoying your own beach, two bars, restaurant and outdoor pool. But being located on The Spit – a thin section of terra firma between the sea and the Gold Coast Seaway, you’re walking distance from marinas with luxury bars and restaurants offering an array of boat tours.
71 Seaworld Drive, Main Beach. Phone: 07 5577 0000. See marriott.com. From $331 per night.

The Pink Hotel

Perfect for: Solo travellers and couples who love yesteryear
This is the place that made retro motels the hot new thing of the 2020s in Queensland. A magnet for every teenager on Instagram, it’s been just as popular with older couples feeling nostalgic. Set just metres from Coolangatta’s Greenmount Beach, The Pink Hotel was once a dour 1950s motel before the facelift. Now there’s a rooftop with a trendy bar where guests sit on sun-loungers listening to DJs. Each room is individually decorated, with record players and bright, garish furnishings and neon-lit scribes of poetry on the walls. Look for the secret lounge bar through the janitor’s closet.
171 Griffith Street, Coolangatta. Phone: 07 5415 0598. See thepinkhotelcoolangatta.com. From $181 per night.

Beechmont Estate

Perfect for: Couples seeking something other than a beach holiday
Don't forget – the Gold Coast isn't all beaches, you should see its hinterland, home to three World Heritage national parks and vastly lower temperatures which makes it well worth the trip. Drive 45 minutes west and stay beside Binna Burra National Park in a luxury pavilion built amongst the green rolling pastures of a wagyu cattle farm. There's a fire inside for chilly evenings, but the property's absolute highlight is a restaurant and bar area set in an enormous clubhouse where guests gather to toast the sunset across paddocks of kangaroos, cattle and horses.
422 Binna Burra Road. Phone: 07 5602 9710. See beechmontestate.com.au. From $480 per night.

Rydges Gold Coast Airport

Perfect for: Couples and single travellers who like to break the mould
Why would anyone going to the Gold Coast for a holiday want to stay in an airport hotel? Usually booked for functionality over pleasure, Rydges Gold Coast Airport Hotel breaks the mould. Located 56 steps from arrivals, you’re also only a five-minute walk from one of the Gold Coast’s quietest – but prettiest beaches, Bilinga. But the real star here is the hotel’s rooftop bar, The Salty Fox, a magnet for locals who like to be seen. Take the lift to the seventh floor where you’ll find an indoor/ outdoor pool where live music plays at a bar offering views across the sea, the tarmac and the hinterland.
Lot 5 Terminal Drive, Bilinga. Phone: 07 5619 8198. See rydges.com. From $235 per night.

QT Gold Coast

Perfect for: Couples and singles who crave subtle style
Located in the heart of the Gold Coast's glitziest town, Surfers Paradise, QT Gold Coast still manages to offer a quiet retreat into the region's yesteryear. There's nearly 300 rooms, but this place feels intimate and nostalgic: there's home-made lemonade served in bottles on arrival, a VW Kombi by the front door, old wooden surfboards from the '50s and vintage bikes available. Rooms offer either ocean, mountain or river views and there's a market-place style restaurant, a Japanese restaurant, the chic Sting Ray Lounge and a swim-up bar at an outdoor pool.
7 Staghorn Avenue, Surfers Paradise, 07 5584 1200, qthotels.com/gold-coast/. From $299

Sea World Resort

Perfect for: Families who love theme parks and water sports
This is the ultimate resort for any family looking to visit a theme park on holiday – because it's the only theme park resort in Australia. There's direct access to one of Australia's oldest and most iconic theme parks, Sea World, and there's also a water park on site with water slides, a kid-friendly lagoon pool and other water attractions. There's also a Nickelodeon themed area with kid-sized rides and mini-rollercoasters. Though it's not all about the kids: parents will appreciate the four restaurants on-site and a bar set on the Broadwater positioned for sunset, and a beach 200 metres away.
Seaworld Drive, Main Beach. Phone: 1300 139 677. See seaworld.com.au/resort. From $299 per night

The Mysa Motel

Perfect for: Couples and solo travellers who rate retro
While it’s right on the Gold Coast Highway, there’s a real charm about this place that makes you forgive the traffic noise. For starters, Palm Beach – one of the Gold Coast’s best beaches – is only a 90-second walk across the highway. But it’s the motel itself that will keep you enthralled: for this is Palm Springs, circa 1950s. Each room has a unique layout with lavender, peach and carnation walls. And there’s a kidney-shaped magnesium pool surrounded by pink sun loungers out front. Despite its nod to the mid-20th century, everything in it is modern and fancy (think: silent fridges, enormous showers, chic welcome snacks).
1100 Gold Coast Highway, Palm Beach. Phone: 0407 467 976. See themysamotel.com. From $220 per night

Paradise Resort

Perfect for: Families out for fun
Paradise Resort is the only family resort in Australia with its own waterpark, ice-rink and kids' club all on the one site. There's daily activities and entertainment – so it's like school holidays every day. The resort operates with a kids' first philosophy – so it's the little things that make it: like bunks painted in bright colours, gaming consoles in rooms and an extra TV just for kids. You'd come just for the giant water playground. It has a lagoon pool, heated spa and two giant aqua play areas while the Z4K Water Park is three stories high. There's also resort-style amenities for adults.
122 Ferny Avenue, Surfers Paradise. Phone: 07 5691 0000. See paradiseresort.com.au. From $249 per night.

Verandah House Country Estate

Perfect for: Couples who prefer the mountains
Here's another secret spot a long way from your normal notion of a Gold Coast beach holiday – and this one's only 30 minutes from the surf. Head up to Mt Tamborine and stay in brand-new suites overlooking pristine national parks. Verandah House Country Estate is Mt Tamborine's first five-star retreat, and has a wellness centre for everything from Reiki healing to hot stone massage, yoga and Infra-red sauna. Spend your days hiking and checking out the local art galleries and wineries of the region, before retreating to your estate for time around the communal fire-pit under the stars.
13-17 Munro Court, Mt Tamborine. Phone: 0448 590 081. See vhcountryestate.com.au. From $449 per night.