A Fabulous Place To Stay On The Australian Gold Coast

The Gold Coast International Hotel and Surfer Paradise is one of Australia's top venues. It is commonly called the GCI and despite its rather grand sounding name, it proved to be a friendly and relaxing place. The hotel is amazing but the surrounding area is unique. Nowehere else in the world will you see animals and plants like those in this part of Australia.

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LOCATION

This 5* (listed as 4 or 4.5* in some places) is among the best I have stayed in. It is located 30 kilometres from Coolanguta and is a fabulous location not only for surfers, but also for families and couples. The main commercial centre is just half a kilometre away, so that's handy if you are there on business.

The beach is only fifty metres away and easily reached on foot and what a beach. If you have ever watched and longed for those golden Australian beaches shown on Australian soaps, this is it in real life. I could just imagine the cast of Home and Away, or Neighbours having a 'barbie' down there. My partner failed to see why I should think this and pointed out that none of those soaps are true to life. Talk about bursting my bubble, but he did agree that the beach was amazing.

ROOMS

Rooms are luxurious and comfortable and we opted for a beach view which meant that we could see the whole panorama of the fabulous Gold Coast Beach. There are 296 rooms in this hotel and not all face the sea. There was a choice between Ocean View, Mountain View, or Executive Ocean Spa Suite. These are all priced accordingly.

The room looks and feels spacious and cool, which was a good thing because it was very hot. My partner had advised that December might be too hot in the Brisbane area but I wasn't going to be put off that easily. Air conditioning is really vital when it's 30 degrees plus outside. Facilities in the room included everything you might expect from a hotel of this standard. TV, internet, iron and shaver point are all available and the bathroom was spacious and cool feeling.

FACILITIES

The hotel facilities are excellent and well maintained. The gymnasium, pool, spa, sauna and tennis court are perfect for those who like to active but I preferred to have a leisurely drink, or browse the speciality shops inside the hotel.

There are 4 international restaurants to choose from and the fare offered ranges from local fish, right through to more complex dishes from all over the world.

There is also a range of conference rooms which cater for weddings, functions and business meetings.

SERVICE

The service here is excellent. Staff were friendly and happy to do anything they could to make your stay a pleasant one. I had the feeling that they were proud of their hotel and wanted everything to work to plan. Reception staff were particularly helpful when we were enquiring about local transport and places to visit. We ended up with a list of restaurants, bars, etc that were off the main streets and not geared to tourists. So, we were able to eat very cheaply during the day time.

COST

Rooms here cost from about £72 and £189 per night for two people but there are discounts available and, depending on the time of year, it is possible to book some excellent deals direct with the hotel. If you are thinking about staying here just search for their website and contact them directly, you will be surprised how much you can save.

We found our deal on Sky Holidays and ended up paying just £553 (plus airfares, of course) for 7 nights in a sea view room.

VERDICT

This is a luxury hotel and well worth the money. It is clean, modern, friendly and has everything you could need. Staff are friendly which makes all the difference in a hotel.

The location is excellent and although we are not surfers, we enjoyed watching the sea and walking along walkway by the beach. The whole place is friendly and welcoming and I would not hesitate to book this hotel again, or to recommend it to anyone else.