Where to stay on the Gold Coast – QT Hotel

Queensland’s Gold Coast is one of those places where people visit to find fun, relaxation, something a little different and to cut a little loose. There’s plenty of all of these things here, but to find them all in one place? Impossible, I hear you say… but is it really?

The QT Gold Coast at the northern end of Surfers Paradise is a great option if you’re staying in the Gold Coast. The best thing about this hotel is it’s very much design oriented.

Unlike lots of hotels that all look and feel identical once you’re inside, QT has worked really hard to stand out. You no longer feel like a clone in a generic anonymous hotel here. It’s very refreshing.

And it’s the little details that make the biggest difference.

Starting with the lobby, as soon as you walk in you notice the staff uniforms are very cute. The ladies are in sleek grey and red jumpsuits with rockabilly hair and makeup while the guys all don Hawaiian shirts.

Help yourself to a free cup of ‘hotel-made’ lemonade while you’re waiting to check in.

The rooms are all beautifully decked out in similar detail. Things like the white cockatoo lamp and the pineapple candle holder – all of which you can buy in the gift shop ‘QTique’ downstairs – give the rooms a friendly, even homely appeal.

The minibar is surprisingly affordable and the beds are extremely comfortable.

All rooms are either given a view of the Narang River and the mountains or the ocean. Obviously the ocean view is more desirable, but sunset over the mountains is pretty good too.

For relaxation, there’s obviously the hotel pool. It even has a swim-up bar, but be warned, it’s only available in the summer. We were there in winter (still warm enough to swim) but we and our friend Carly from Smaggle were disappointed not to be able to ‘aqua-drink’.

There’s also the in-house spa ‘spaQ’ (pronounced ‘spar-cue’ not ‘spack’ as I first thought). Go get a full body massage, a mani, pedi, or a full-on 2-½-hour treatment package and come out floating.

If you want to cut loose, get stuck into the bar at Stingray. Things get a little wild on a Friday and Saturday night so brace yourself for that. Here’s our review on Stingray.

For food, make sure you get room service at least once while you’re at QT Gold Coast. Their burgers are sensational.

Otherwise go with a very empty belly to Bazaar. It’s in the same spot as that amazing breakfast is served. Bazaar is the QT’s ‘interactive marketplace’ where you can pretty much eat however much of whatever you can find!

There’s everything from cooked-to-order steamed dumplings to slow-cooked beef cheeks and a million things in between. The drinks menu’s not bad either… but a word to the wise: the bar’s very small and often under-staffed. If the restaurant’s busy, be prepared to wait a bit for your drinks.

But what really makes the QT a great place to stay is its staff. Everyone’s really helpful, super friendly and they really go out of their way to make your time there as good as it possibly can be.

A quick note on room choices:

Most of the time, you’d want the highest possible room, right? Well, yes and no. Anything under about level 7 and you’ll hear air con units 24/7 even with the windows closed. But go to the top 4 floors and you won’t have access to a balcony or be able to open the windows. Just so you know.

Travel tip:

Join the free QT Guest Rewards Program when you book your stay and you’ll get 1o% off the room rates you’ll see advertised. The membership also gives you cool stuff like 10% discounts on food and drinks, and money off spa treatments while you’re staying there.

QT Gold Coast

7 Staghorn Avenue,
Surfers Paradise Queensland

W: QTgoldcoast.com.au
Fb: @qtgoldcoast
T: @QTHotelsResorts
Ig: @qt_hotels

There are a number of other QT hotels around the country now (though the Gold Coast was the first), so keep your eyes peeled if you’re travelling interstate around Australia.

Have you ever stayed in a QT hotel? What did you think? Tell us in the comments!

Images by Mrs Romance & courtesy of QT Gold Coast.