Gone are the days when a hotel bar meant over-priced ugly drinks, a seedy lounge and inept staff whose arses and elbows are easily confused. To put this in context, let’s look at a hotel bar that’s got it spot on: Stingray in QT Hotel Gold Coast in Surfer’s Paradise, Queensland.
Stingray, right around the corner from QT’s very cool lobby, has got to be one of the best ways to start a night out. Sophisticated, glamorous, unique, it ticks all the boxes for what you want in a bar when everyone’s still pretty much sober.
If hanging by the 360 bar or at the tables around it isn’t your cuppa, try The Lawn, Stingray’s ‘beer garden’. It’s not really a lawn but it’s decked out to make you feel like you’re at the coolest garden party ever to spring forth from a Jane Austin novel. If Jane Austin had written about cool city bars. In the 21st Century…
Anyway, I digress. The range of drinks on offer at Stingray is pretty extensive. To give you an idea, the menu’s 10 pages long – 8 of those are liquid focused. You can buy the wine by the glass, by the small OR large carafe, of by the bottle, of course.
For cocktails, my eye was drawn to their signature margarita – the Stingers Original: Sauza Gold Tequila, Triple Sec, caramelized fresh lime, agave syrup and a nice salty rim on the mason jar glass.
It’s a good margarita, though a little sweet for my liking.
The selection of rum and tequila is crazy, which perhaps reflects Stingray’s slight lean toward the Mexican theme. Make sure you’re here for Grito de Delores – Mexican Independence Day – on 26 September. The place goes off. And you might like to take advantage of their tight-arse Tuesday taco nights.
For other food options, the burgers look insane – I’m looking forward to my slow-cooked beef brisket burger arriving immensely – and their pizza range and sandwiches look good too.
The bar menu’s on the back of old LP jackets – there’s even a real vinyl record inside.
So if it’s a quick slick sip (try saying that after a couple of their Stingers Originals), you’ll find Stingray a fine establishment to keep you and yours entertained. Things get a lot noisier as the night goes on, and the bar is three deep at times, so it wouldn’t be our favourite place to finish the night up.
The music’s pretty good fun though and the DJ does a good job mixing classic tracks into his playlist. Mrs Romance enjoyed her night of dorky dancing – I just wish I’d taken a video!
Stingray at QT Gold Coast
7 Staghorn Avenue
Surfers Paradise
QLD
4217
Australia
Tel: +61 7 5584 1200
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