The 11 best hotels and resorts on the Gold Coast

Standing loud and proud at 322 metres, Q1 is the tallest residential building in all of Australia and the stage for one of the country’s highest external building walks, the SkyPoint Climb. The accommodation here is elite, with one to four-bedroom apartments, boasting views that stretch from the shimmery sands of Surfers Paradise to the lush green hinterland. The Q1 architectural design was inspired by the Olympic Torch and Sydney Opera House, and inside you’ll find three swimming pools, an award-winning day spa, four spectacular eateries, complimentary underground parking and Australia’s only beachside observation deck on level 77.

Soft white sand, bright blue waters with tropical fish and a streaming waterfall – we’re not talking about the Great Barrier Reef, we’re talking about the JW Marriott’s dreamy lagoon, which was awarded Australia’s Best Hotel Pool in 2021. Everyone from eight-year-olds to eighty-year-olds are looked after at the resort, which offers coastal activities, like snorkelling, sandcastle making and daily fish feeding, along with offering Jacuzzis, poolside cabanas and aquatic scooter hire. Committed to sustainability, the JW Garden’s culinary team also run garden and herb planting tours where guests can see those fresh ingredients being incorporated into the very food they eat.

The Langham’s three crystalline towers make for one of the most striking sights of the Surfers Paradise skyline, but it’s not just the exterior that brings diamonds to mind. This modern, five-star resort, complete with a health club and day spa, two swimming pools, five hospitality venues, a swim-up pool bar and panoramic ocean views, delivers an equally high-carate experience once you cross the threshold.

While not exactly subtle (the decor is a heady mix of marble, gold and chandeliers – but with that name, what did you expect?), the Imperial is huge, and, crucially, lots of fun. Centred around a massive pool, the hotel has a well-equipped gym and spa, and 200 rooms that are big and suitably luxuriant (massive mirrors galore, whirlpool baths, Juliette balconies). There’s also a private marina and a restaurant that has one of the area’s best buffet dinners. 

This grand, five-star hotel is within walking distance of Seaworld and boasts a sky bridge that connects it to the shopping centre on the other side of the road. It's also one of the only big hotels with direct access to the beach, though the waves up here can be rough, which is possibly why the pool area is one of the biggest on the Gold Coast, with a kids' pool, a hot tub area and a heated, colossal lagoon-like main offering. There’s a modern gym, a stylish spa, and Terraces Restaurant gives the Imperial Hotel across the road a run for its money when it comes to its seafood buffet. 

If you’re here for a bit of a flutter, this Vegas-style casino hotel – Queensland’s oldest, in fact – combines eating and sleeping with the possibility of winning some dough. Housed on its own island in Broadbeach, The Star has a theatre, spa, large pool area with cabanas and five signature dining venues. It’s opulent, yes, but with a sense of humour (NB: the vending machines selling mini bottles of Möet). Respite from the kerching-ing throngs can be found in the serene, outdoor Garden Bar.

A blindingly blue one-acre lagoon steals the show at this luxury coastal retreat in Sanctuary Cove. Surrounded by 4.2 hectares of tropical garden, you’ll have exclusive access to two of Australia’s top golf courses – The Palms and The Pines and Links Hope Island. The 251 rooms and suites recently underwent a lavish refurbishment with deluxe bedding, chaise lounges, outdoor furniture and white marble work zones. You’re also only a short buggy ride away from the Sanctuary Cove Country Club where you’ll have complimentary access to five tennis courts, a 25-metre heated lap pool, gym, yoga studio and aerobics classes.

Summoning the spirit of the Gold Coast’s golden era of the ‘60s and ‘70s, when this stretch of Queensland was a playground for the great and good of Australia, the retro, disco-fabulous style of the hotel's lobby pairs these winks to past with playful yet modern finishes. Major renovations in late 2019 have refreshed all of the hotel’s 293 rooms and suites, picking up flashes of the kaleidoscopic colours and yesteryear chic seen in the lobby, set against a crisp, white, beach-shack style complete with ‘Queensland beach house’ beds. 

With its burnished gilt ceilings, rose gold columns and thick-pile azure carpets lapping like waves against a parquet marble shore, the lobby of the Dorsett is a masterclass in Gold Coast glitz. And while this small but perfectly formed hotel may not be quite as resort-scaled as some of its nearby neighbours, its luxe finishes, boutique charm and thoughtfully curated facilities can certainly hold their own against any of Surfers Paradise’s bigger accommodations.

On the southern tip of The Gold Coast, Coolangatta is a surf town with a laidback, slightly ’70s vibe on the border with New South Wales. Mantra, on its main beach, is great if you’re looking for a budget-friendly apartment hotel a short drive to the casinos, shops and malls in Surfers Paradise and the unmissable Currumbin Wildlife Park. On-site, you’ll find a tennis court, a gym, a small sauna, and a pool, and you’re walking distance to one of the region’s best surf breaks too. Added bonus for Aussie film fans? Much of the 1994 classic Muriel’s Wedding was shot here.

What used to be The Islander, a 1980s two-star hotel in Surfers Paradise popular with partying school leavers, or ‘schoolies’, was remodelled as The Island, a boutique hotel aimed at a more sophisticated guest. With light wood panelling and black metal beds and wardrobes, a cocktail bar on the roof and a big, breezy restaurant downstairs, it’s now one of Surfers Paradise’s best budget hotels – albeit one that has thankfully retained a touch of its ’80s cool. It’s a block from the beach too, though if you don’t fancy braving the waves, there’s a small pool.