Any hotel that has its own lolly bar is okay in my book. If it has a breakfast buffet with T2 chai and jam-pumped doughnuts, I'll book an extra night. If it has a cocktail called the Lavender Mojito, I might never check-out. Redirect my mail to QT at Surfers Paradise, please.
Dessert for breakfast? Don't mind if I do...
QT at Surfers is a Gen Y dream. 'Nostalgic surfer chic meets Miami catwalk cool', it claims. From a cursory Google search, Millennials are already sold on a stay here. There are rubber duckie logos. It's on Instagram. It offers free Wi-Fi. Be still, my beating hipster heart.
Step into the light-washed atrium and you'll be greeted by a brilliant assault of colours. Everything at QT has been hit with the Swinging Sixties stick and it's totally groovy, baby.
Round wicker chairs appear as though whisked from the beaches of Malibu; the Pop Art palette is so vibrant you expect Andy Warhol to be in a corner surveying his latest installation. You could easily keep the kids busy playing an impromptu game of 'spot the pineapples'.
Space to play in the twin room, and look! Another pineapple!
When it comes to the rooms – all 297 of them – it's the little touches that truly make your stay. You would never list 'thongs in a bag' or 'vintage pin-up postcards' as prerequisites but after staying at QT, you'll be crossing your fingers that such quirky inclusions await at your next hotel.
If you're completely enraptured with the zany furnishings and simply MUST have those votive candle holders, there's a pricelist. Behind every sign is a story, and one wonders how many ceramic cockatoo lamps were flogged before the decor menu was added to each room.
Forget your run-of-the-mill mini bar; instead you'll find travel-sized games, an underwater camera, post-gym snacks, emergency bow-tie, instant beach ball and a Nespresso machine with complimentary coffee pods.
A hooded robe for lounging / entering a boxing ring
Your rooming options are king or twin mountain view, king or twin ocean view, or the opulent king suite ocean view with its separate lounge, bar and full-sized powder room. Gel mattresses and podgy pillows make it a mission to roll out of bed for breakfast, but you must.
Bazaar is one of four food spots at the hotel. Like others in the QT family (Sydney, Port Douglas, Falls Creek and Canberra), QT at the Gold Coast is also something of a dining destination.
Breakfast at Bazaar. You'll be wanting seconds. And thirds.
Bazaar is your base for breakfast from 6.30-10.30am, offering an incredible array of eats: pastries, cold meats, hot meals, clean-eating, carb-fuelled, sugar-free, sugar-laden. To say this is the best hotel breakfast I have ever had the pleasure of inhaling is no exaggeration.
Also on site are the stylish Stingray Bar – open from midday until midnight with a Mexican-inspired menu – Yamagen sushi and teppanyaki restaurant, and the aforementioned sweets lounge, which goes by the name of Fixx.
If you're lucky enough to score an east-facing room, you can survey the surf conditions from your balcony before grabbing your in-room beach towel and paddling out. Better yet, borrow one of the adorable retro bikes from reception.
This is what the kids call a 'hotelfie' (hotel selfie)
There's an outdoor pool, spa and pseudo-lawn area with complimentary lime soda on tap, as well as two tennis courts, an award-winning day spa (spaQ) and impressive conference facilities.
The latter isn't a concern for leisure guests but business travellers shouldn't skip past QT when considering options for their next Gold Coast networking event. A power-lunch involving rocky road is destined for success.
Finish things off on a sweet note at Fixx
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Fast Facts on QT Gold Coast
7 Staghorn Ave, Gold Coast QLD
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- Prices from around $209 a night
- Onsite wining & dining at four venues
- Quirky gift shop & designer spa
- Free Wi-Fi throughout the hotel
- Undercover & valet parking
- 24-hour reception
- Downloadable QT Hotels & Resorts Concierge app
