Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Gold Coast — Hotel in Gold Coast City

Firstly, I write reviews for people like me, so here are the things we loved about this hotel. We stayed in a King Bed, Mirage Resort Guest Room, number 2007. So not a suite and not an ocean view. We looked out onto a tropical garden setting with the pool area in the distance. The room was extremely quiet and restful. The bed was super comfortable, I actually slept for hours at a time which was wonderful and we both found it excellent, which can be tricky cause my husband is tall and I’m panda-shaped. The bar fridge in the room is a good size if you’re bringing your own supplies. Didn’t have to remove all the other mini-bar items to fit our many bottles in! The room was pretty big with plenty of cupboard and drawer space for us both. There are two full length mirrors and you could get up close to these to do your makeup. Plenty of space too in the bathroom and shower area for all your toiletries, plus there were the usual provisions supplied by the hotel like shampoo. There was Foxtel with all the sports channels on the very large tv that rotated on a swivel so you could watch it in bed. The housekeeping was excellent and all the staff without exception were helpful and friendly. The buffet breakfast was great and they made your eggs to order. The pool was heated to 26 degrees and we swam every day early in the morning during the end of winter (late August) and it was lovely. Pool towels were provided and there were numerous sun lounges situated on grassy areas which was nice. The pool bar was open daily and the staff there were great too - special mention to Jack who was super helpful. The food and drink on offer was just want you want - cocktails, hotdogs, club sandwiches etc. It only takes a few minutes to walk directly from the hotel to a patrolled beach which looks down the impressive Gold Coast shoreline. You will need your room pass to get back in, and then wash your feet at the handy tap provided and dive into the extremely large pool. So very relaxing. There were lots of tables under umbrellas around the pool area too and we played games and relaxed here too. Whilst we were there for five nights there were three weddings and two massive conferences and yet we experienced no inconvenience except a queue on a Sunday morning for the buffet breakfast. We dined in the buffet seafood restaurant one night, however unless you really enjoy seafood I wouldn’t think it was good value. The wine list was very limited too and it’s the same room as the breakfast is in, so not terribly romantic or intimate. We didn’t have room service so can’t comment on that. The position was great - we ate across the road at the marina and there’s a variety of restaurants within easy walking distance, with offerings from fresh seafood and cooked fish and chips at Peter’s takeaway literally across the road or fine dining at the wonderful Omeros Brothers, a Greek seafood restaurant that’s been operating for forty years. We drove and the car park was large and secure and easy to get in and out of and at $20 self parking per night very reasonable. An Uber to the Casino was at peak $25 and as low as $16. There were a couple of minuses. If you’re staying in a cheaper room like we were and you don’t like stairs or walking a long way to the lifts (which were very quick thank goodness) then request a room on level three or level one. Level two is the pits unless you’re next to the lift. And the only other gripe was the bathroom. I had tried to book a mobility room however the resort only has two in total and the shower is located in a corner bath which you have to step in and out of and it’s quite nerve wracking. Fortunately we didn’t fall or slip but it’s really not ideal. Also there is no hand held attachment on the shower which would be really good and easy to do, even if the bathrooms don’t get renovated. And the hairdryer, as others have mentioned, was archaic. Overall we had the best time and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and most importantly relaxed and we would definitely...

The resort has been on the map for a while and could do with a make over, but outside of that, it still is a place where you can “Stay in Style”.

The Marriot Bonvoy app makes checking in and asking for extras a breeze. It’s super easy! We were granted an early check in and room upgrade, which proved to be a blessing. We could see and hear the ocean nearby, had perfect privacy, a flatscreen TV mounted on an arm so we could watch footy finals from the window sill, an ice machine two steps outside our room and same for a water fountain with sparkling, chilled and room temperature filtered water.

Our package included a $50 voucher for each day of our stay and we opted to convert it for a bottle of AIX at the pool side. There were plenty of towels and stretchers available and the pool temperature was pleasant. A quick visit to the beach, literally seconds away, topped things up.

Time for showers and change of clothes to stroll in less than a minute to the Marina Mirage. I found a great Armani sweater for ½ price and a pair of pants. Once finished browsing the shops we decided to check out the latest addition of a floating restaurant come bar come club: La Luna Beach Club. We had a complementary voucher good for two cocktails in our package and were seriously wowed by this place. The staff were very friendly and helpful just as back at the resort. We made up our mind and booked a table at the restaurant Mare for later that evening.

Back to our room where we chilled a nice bottle of champers. Glasses are provided in the room which has a generous sized mini fridge as well. The setting with the sound of the surf, birds and Mother Nature combined with a pleasant 25 degrees and a toast with my wifie ( it was our 35th anniversary) was more than perfect.

Off to the restaurant Mare at the marina for a super fantastic evening made possible by a brilliant backdrop of yots and the high rises from the strip; and after an amazing sunset a clear sky full of stars. Our hostess and her team were out of this world and we had a slow four course dinner with all plates to share.

Since the day had been that special, we ordered a second bottle of AIX on room service and streamed our favourite show via chrome cast.

Failing asleep with the sound of the ocean: Gold!

Day 2: Buffet breakfast with yoghurt, walnuts, goji berries, fruit ( especially watermelon ) eggs, croissants and more. Ready for a long beach walk and getting a tan whilst doing it. Showers, a good book, lazing for a couple of hours and off to La Luna Restaurant for a slow late lunch. The restaurant is a stones throw away from the Beach Club and just as great as the club’s restaurant Mare. We had lots of courses and a great vermentino to pair. Finished with a glass of rose sparkling and walked back to the resort. Called room service for a night cap and enjoyed our last evening with the windows wide open inhaling the fresh air and negative ions.

Unfortunately, for the price, we expected more. It was the La Luna restuarant and beach club that blew us away and not so much the resort. The floors of the lagoon were damaged and had a brownish/yellow hue over the once blue colour. The landscaping needs an uplift and the $48 p/p buffet breakfast didn't include a barista coffee, we were charged an additional $13 for a machiato and a cappucino. We ordered drinks at the Pearl bar and couldn't get them on the rocks. "Sorry" the bar person told us, "I'm out...

The Sheraton was nice. The layout was very pretty and we were comfortable in our Villa. We had originally booked a regular twin share room but then upgraded to a Villa after seeing lots of sub-par reviews for the standard rooms. After walking past and looking inside some of the twin share rooms, I was so glad we upgraded! The twin share rooms looked very dated and dark, and we would have felt a little cramped sharing a room with two busy boys over a whole week.

The Villa was spacious and we had everything we needed. The lounge area and beds were comfortable, we really appreciated having a washer/dryer and large fridge, and my husband's birthday surprise was a nice touch.

I'll be honest, for the cost of the rooms/hotel I was a little underwhelmed by the Sheraton. The hotel had a nice layout and the Villa was lovely and modern, and the staff were helpful and friendly, however we were disappointed in a few things that you might like to be aware of if travelling with a family:

There were a few things in the Villa that weren't quite right. 3 lamps didn't work, the hot water tap in the kitchen didn't work, and the air-conditioning unit was so loud that we had to keep it off. We did inform concierge and someone came out to look at all of the things, but only one lamp was fixed in that time.

The pool was very cold, which was a shame (I know it's winter, but we were anticipating a heated pool). We only went in twice, and only very briefly. The average daily temperature was 19 degrees, and I'd say the pool was about the same. The pool remained consistently empty for most of the week. For comparison, we popped into SeaWorld resort for dinner, and their pool must have been much warmer as it was a hive of activity! We ended up not spending as much time at the resort as we had intended as a result.

The kids were so thrilled to find out the hotel had a games room. It's important to note that only one activity (table tennis) is free of charge, which is a bit of a bummer. The school holiday movie nights with hot chocolates were a nice touch.

There were limited evening dining options for families/children nearby. The restaurant on site, while delicious, was expensive and understaffed (wait time for meals was 1+ hours) and there wasn't much on offer at the shopping centre across the road, except for a few $$$ fine dining options. If other families are looking for tips, we ended up eating out at Surfers Paradise, Sea World Resort, the Southport Surf Life saving Club and the fish and chip shop across the road 🙂.

We were eager to ride bikes along the promenade, which the Sheraton promote. Bike hire is available at the Sheraton, however it is incredibly expensive. Hiring bikes for 4 people would have cost us $100. There were lots of U-bikes available, which are cheaper but too big and heavy for children to ride.

The TVs only had free-to-air TV. First world problems, I know, but we travelled a lot and Netflix (or similar) is a pretty standard inclusion these days.

All in all, it's a nice resort and the breakfast buffet is excellent. Was it worth the price though? Well, let's just say, by upgrading to the Villa (at extra cost) we lost all of our meal and drinks inclusions that came with the standard room. That, with the sub-par pool experience and lack of family friendly dining options, I don't feel like we got the easy, relaxing resort experience we...