Hilton Surfers Paradise, Gold Coast – Queensland, Australia
We recently travelled up to Queensland to stay at the Hilton Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast. This Hilton has a range of different accommodation options suitable for both business and leisure travellers. There are the normal Hilton Hotel guest rooms and suites or you also have the option of staying  in the one, two, three or four bedroom self-contained Hilton Residences which are perfect for travelling families. Check in for us was nice and easy, staff were very friendly and helpful and there was lovely welcome treats waiting for us when we arrived in our apartment.
We stayed in a two bedroom deluxe residence (got upgraded to an ocean view) on the 27th floor and the highlights of this type of accommodation were;
- Two separate bedrooms – one king and one double (with two separate bathrooms)
- Separate living and dining areas
- Kitchen equipped with a fridge, freezer, electric stove top and dishwasher (plenty of pots and pans, dishes, glasses and cutlery available too)
- Laundry with washing machine and dryGold CoastGold Co
- Private balcony
- Views of the Surfers Paradise beach and ocean
The pool area on level two at the Hilton Surfers Paradise is called The Deck and boasts four different pools – a 40 metre feature pool, a kids pool, a plunge pool and an indoor pool with spa and sauna. There are plenty of sun beds and lounges available all throughout this huge area. While there you can grab a cocktail or a bite to eat by the Deck Bar – while we didn’t eat there, the menu is created by Luke Mangan so the menu should be of excellent quality. If you prefer to self cater by the pool, there is quite a few BBQ huts around the pool area if you want to cook up a storm yourself.
Other features are two gymnasiums – one next to the indoor pool and one on the Mezzanine level. There is the eforea spa for some pampering if required. The day spa is open from Wed-Sun from 10.00am – 6.00pm and after having a facial and massage could highly recommend it.
There was a variety of dining options here at the Hilton Surfers Paradise. In the lobby area is the Food Store which offers all day cafe dining as well as a take away section of snacks and beverages similar to a convenience store at reasonable prices. On level one is Salt Grill by Luke Mangan which serves dinner from 6.00pm – due to its popularity, bookings are essential here. Opposite Salt Grill is Fix Bar, so if you are looking for a cocktail or two to try be sure to stop by.
As Diamond HHonor members we also had access to the executive lounge which is located on the 15th floor. The staff here are excellent and always happy to help. Continental breakfast is available in the lounge from 6.30am to 10.30am. Light refreshments are available throughout the day and afternoon tea is served between 3.00pm and 5.00pm. Evening drinks consists of self pour wine, beer and soft drinks (staff will bring spirits if requested) and accompanied with a selection of antipasti and 2 hot canapés. For the sweet tooth’s there is also a selections of cakes, biscuits, smarties and lollies! Times for the evening drinks are 6.00pm to 8.30pm Monday to Friday and 6.00pm to 8.00pm on Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.
We opted for the buffet breakfast at Salt Grill instead of the lounge as our Diamond status gets us free continental breakfast there. For Diamond members you can upgrade to the full buffet for $10 which we would recommend as the food is of very high quality.
We used the Concierge team a fair bit while we were here and they were excellent and extremely helpful for organising tour bookings, directions or recommendations. We emailed them before our arrival to organise airport transfers (cost for a sedan was $77 each way from Gold Coast airport). The hotel has a shuttle tour company that they use for the theme parks which we booked when we went to Movieworld and they were very prompt and reliable – return cost was $57 for a family of four. Departure times from the hotel were 8.45am, 10.00am and 11.20am. The return times from Movieworld were 3.45pm or 5.10pm. We also visited Sea World but it was cheaper to catch a taxi (around $15 each way) than to use the shuttle for four people.  You can read our Movie World review here and our Sea World review here.
The only negative thing we could come up to say about this hotel was that we found the housekeeping a little inconsistent. Some days we didn’t get the amenities replenished and we had pre ordered an extra towel which was never left for us. We did get a call from a staff member on our second day to check if everything was ok with our stay and we mentioned that we wanted an extra towel left for us and she assured us it would get organised. The next day we received four bath robes on or beds but no extra towel – after that we pretty much gave up trying, but it wasn’t a big issue. We did however still get a turn down service staying in the residences where we were left chocolates and water bottles at night which was appreciated.
This hotel is located right in the heart of Surfers Paradise with so many nearby restaurants, bars, shops and just a short walk to the beach. There is so much to do for families on the Gold Coast, from the theme parks to the beautiful beaches and with the Hilton in a such a great location and with friendly helpful staff, we will definitely be returning.
For more information you can go to www.hiltonsurfersparadise.com.au
