At first, I felt a little out of place. When I pulled up the opulent driveaway to the front doors of the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa, I came to a stop besides a shiny, new, red Ferrari. I looked down on the flashy vehicle from the seat of my beat-up old Toyota Prado, still caked with red dirt from its last bush voyage. But any fears I wasn’t welcome were soon put to rest.
The concierge opened the car door with a big smile, allowing the kids to spill out from their compressed positions in the back row. Soon he was unpacking our bags onto a trolley and racing them inside, keen to beat us to our room. Meanwhile, his compatriot happily stored our surfboards, soaked with rain from the trip north, in a space where they could safely drip dry.
Entering the JW Marriott Gold Coast is like a warm embrace. The double overhead foyer’s litany of art, sculptures and comfortable couches are overpowered by a magnificent staircase that twists its way towards the second floor. Families, couples and visitors from afar either hustle and bustle about swapping stories of theme parks and beaches, or they sit relaxed in the foyer bar.
It feels grand. It feels luxury. And it feels fun: a rare balance achieved so beautifully.
A welcome drink alongside an informative – if slightly lengthy – check-in later and it’s up to our interconnecting ocean view rooms overlooking Surfers Paradise. The adventure, in what turns out to be a fantastic luxury Gold Coast hotel resort, had only just begun.
Room With Fantastic View
The JW Marriott Gold Coast is situated at the far north end of the Surfers Paradise strip, on the river side. Potentially this location is one of the hotel’s few weak points. It’s a little out of the action, although the tram is nearby, and it’s not beachfront. But on the flip side, it’s not surrounded by other skyscrapers. As a result, every room gets a view! And while the “mountain” view rooms bring a spectacular sunset over the river, I was more than happy with the vantage from our “ocean” view room.
Not only did I get a little balcony with a table and chairs looking out over the river towards the waves, but a bird’s eye view of the brilliant pool. (More on that later!)
The room is generously sized, housing a king bed, wardrobe, sofa, table and a dresser. The latter hiding, amongst other things, a fridge. This with plenty of room still to spare for getting changed or stretching on the carpet. The well-provisioned bathroom is also sizeable, as well as opulent. I loved the backlit mirrors, floor-to-ceiling tiles, bathtub and large shower with rainmaker.
The bed and pillows were good without being amazing, but with the quiet and effective air-conditioning and tight soundproofing, I slept soundly.
As a family of five, I also welcomed the interconnecting room design, with the kids getting two double beds to fight over in the neighbouring abode. It’s always fantastic to be granted some parent privacy. Indeed, the JW Marriott Gold Coast was fantastic at catering not just to couples, but couples with kids.
The legendary JW Marriot Gold Coast pool
That’s most evident in the brilliant JW Marriott lagoon pool, which is surrounded by a heated water park. It’s one of the best pools I’ve ever seen in an Australian hotel – at least, one in a city.
The lagoon is a deep (over 3m) salt water pool surrounded by boulders, a towering waterfall, sandy beaches and sunlounges. It’s great for snorkelling, with interesting underwater rock formations and plenty of fish, which congregate at feeding time. I loved standing under the waterfall and letting it massage my shoulders, then diving after fish while swimming through underwater archways.
The lagoon pool is separated by a large cave network from a secondary pool, which has its own waterfall, a long lazy river, two spas and even a fun water slide. The latter winds through the rock – or pseudo rock – itself, offering quite a thrill. There’s plenty more sunlounges and towel stations here, as well as a bar.
This massive space is how the JW Marriott Gold Coast earns the right to call itself a resort, and you can happily spend a full day just rejoicing in this space. Especially if you have kids.
While the pool is the main show, there’s plenty of other facilities to enjoy. There’s a large gym filled with modern equipment, two tennis courts, a day spa and a jetty by the river, where additional motorised water sports can be enjoyed.
Delicious food
You can order food from the Chapter & Verse foyer bar, including a high tea. Plus, there’s an on-site teppanyaki restaurant called Misono to tickle your oriental cravings. But I stuck with the main restaurant, Citrique. This is where you’ll find the buffet breakfast, and on Sundays, the long lunch seafood buffet.
Citrique is an airy, large and bright space with double storey floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a healthy mix of tables and booths. These encircle a relatively narrow buffet area, which can get a little crowded in peak times.
I was very happy with the variety and quality of the breakfast buffet. A vast selection of cold meats, cheeses, salads, pastries, cereals, yogurts and breads are joined by the classic Western staples. There are a few Asian cuisines joining in the fun, as well as a jars of lollies and an ice-cream station for the kids.
Café coffee costs extra, but they do have a coffee machine pumping out decent caffeine anyway. There’s even a make your own juice fruit bar, as well as chocolate milk. You can make eggs to order, too, and I love a good omelette or eggs benedict. But you can only order through your waiter – not direct with the chef – and the wait was considerable.
As for the long lunch, if you’re lucky enough to be there on a Sunday it was epic. Two hours of endless seafood and champagne! Prawns, oysters, scallops, muscles and the like were just the start. There was also sushi and sashimi, some great salads, your classic Sunday roast items, some delicious Sri Lanka fare as part of a promotion, and delicious deserts.
Needless to say, I ate very, very well at JW Marriott Gold Coast and it’s a highlight of the experience.
Is the JW Marriott Gold Coast any good?
I was expecting plenty from the JW Marriott, a brand that has a reputation for quality. It certainly delivers on that front. There’s a sense of scale and opulence to the foyer that takes your breath away. The spacious, well-appointed rooms offer great views and pure comfort. The staff are fantastic. While the facilities, in particular the pool, will stick long in the memory.
What I wasn’t expecting was the sense of fun. Luxury is lovely, but often it comes at the cost of adventure and spirit. However, by embracing families and plenty of open spaces for people to come together and connect during their holidays, the JW Marriot Gold Coast manages to avoid this pitfall. This is, in truth, is its biggest success.
FIVE STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
Chris Stead and his family stayed as guests of JW Marriott for the purposes of this review. Bookings can be made on the JW Marriott website.
