---

This post is one chapter on our trip to Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Melbourne with The Great Ocean Road, exploring The Yarra Valley and the beaches of The Gold Coast via Qantas First Class. This trip was booked using Alaska Airlines Mileage Plan. For more information on how this trip was booked, please see our trip introduction here. For other parts of the trip, please see this index.

If you enjoyed this post, please follow us here or on social media through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram for more travel tips and hacks on how to “Upgrade Your Travels”.

---

---

Review: Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa, Surfers Paradise, Queensland, Australia

“A great Marriott option in this area that is almost perfect for families”

We had a long 1 hour and 50 minute drive from the Brisbane Airport to the Gold Coast in stop and go traffic that stretched the whole way from Brisbane to Surfers’ Paradise. While it always showed between 50 min and 1 hr on google maps, the same drive during rush hour traffic on a weekday turned out to be much worse.

Arriving to the Marriott Surfer’s Paradise Resort and Spa:

On arrival to the resort, the initial first impressions were of quite a dated structure pulling up. It was dark and of course you can’t see everything when it’s dim outside. I rolled up to the friendly outdoor greeter and went inside to check in. Some photos from throughout our stay, including the next morning when it was light out.

The décor of the hotel is a bit dated. It reminded me of Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas with high ceilings. It had high ceiling fans reminiscent of the Long Bar at the Raffles Hotel in Singapore.

“We reviewed excellent treatment as a Marriott Bonvoy Platinum with staff and management that went well out of their way to make us feel special”

The manager on duty presented themselves and provided a very long list of Platinum amenities. They must not get a lot of platinum’s through there. . . There was a concerted effort to treat us well, something I hadn’t experienced in a Marriott property; if ever. The unpublished Platinum benefits included free valet parking, free in room movies, free breakfast, 20% discount on food and beverage through the hotel (except paid breakfast), 15% discount on laundry, upgrades to Premium rooms including a written commitment to move to a better room during your stay, complimentary Gold Coast Newspaper. I was actually quite impressed with the treatment as it was unexpected and nice to just leave the car with the valet and not have to worry about anything.

We were offered a welcome amenity of a glass of sparkling on check in, in addition to chocolates. I thought that they were just offering a glass when they offered some “sparkling”, but then about 10 minutes after we had checked into the room, there was a knock at the door and a cold bottle of sparkling wine was delivered. This was in lieu of the 1,000 Marriott Bonvoy points welcome bonus.

We were also offered a Platinum breakfast in the main restaurant daily as there is no resort lounge at this property. We had a fulsome welcome letter outlining all the Platinum Benefits.

The Room: An Executive Suite

I had applied Suite Night Awards to the room, which cleared at the usual 5 days mark. We led ourselves up to room #2601, which was an executive suite. The room is not quite as was advertised on the website, or at least it looked newer in the photographs. The usual Marriott browns and beiges of years past were present.

The room was large and had a proper separate sitting area, which a very comfortable couch.

The bathroom had a retro soaker tub. Despite that, it was pretty large in size in an unusual almost hexagon shape.

A Room with an Ocean View of the Coast:

The best part was that there were 270 degree views of water from the room, which was totally cool. The surrounding area of the Marriott Gold Coast has waterways around the towers which leads to a bit of a Fort Lauderdale, Florida vibe.

With a view from the balcony to the hotel sandy pool below…

Food and Beverage including a Platinum Breakfast:

The breakfast was a large mass Las Vegas-y affair consistent with a medium to high volume operation with lots of people and many kids. Having said that, the buffet was huge and there was something for everyone. There was an egg station for omelets. Surprisingly, when I asked for two fresh fried eggs, the chef wouldn’t make them for me; pointing me to the pre-made eggs that had been out under the heat lamps for who knows how long. Denied at the egg station made for a good running joke for the rest of the holiday.

Around the Resort:

We did check out the hotel resort and pool. The pool was large and lagoon-y; perfect for families. It offered a sandy salt water bottom which was great for kids learning how to swim.

As usual in Australia, there can always be found some interesting wildlife… even in the pool areas within the city.

An enjoyable stay at the Surfers’ Paradise Marriott Resort:

Overall, we had a great stay at this property. It was reasonably priced, and it had all the fit and features of a Marriott Resort. The property was about 10 minutes walk from everything and close to the beach itself being about 2 block away away from the hotel. The platinum treatment was also excellent by Marriott standards. The hotel manager really went out of her way to treat us well.

---