Are you going to travel to Australia? If so, you may consider going through the Gold Coast one of the most tourist destinations in the country. In this post, we recommend Where to stay in gold coast Australia and we explain how they are.
Gold Coast is an area of Australia that, as the name suggests, has its extension throughout the east coast of the continent. Its beaches are its main tourist attraction, due to the good waves for surfing and the many hours of light at any time of the year.
And it is not for less since the Gold Coast has been the chosen location to record numerous films, like the house of wax, Pirates of the Caribbean, Thor: Ragnarok or Aquaman among other super productions.
Where to stay in gold coast Australia?
Remember that Gold Coast is located in Australia, so the summer months are in December, January and February. The winter months are in July, August and September, just the reverse of the northern hemisphere, so that good weather may not go hand in hand with your annual vacation.
Gold Coast enjoys a humid subtropical climate, with little variation of temperatures, since they will always be warm. However, in the Australian summer, the rainfall is very abundant, which can ruin your itinerary if you choose the dates wrong.
In this destination, there is fun for all tastes, with casinos, shopping centers, water sports clubs, night parties, historic tourist sites, paradisiacal beaches and extensive nature reserves.
Public transport links most of the coast and suburbs by bus, train and tram. If you are renting a vehicle, you can use the extensive road network that connects the counties and the main localities through highways, which expands the range of possibilities when staying in Gold Coast.
The best areas to stay in Gold Coast
It is clear that staying in any of the areas in which the Gold Coast is divided will not leave you indifferent since the 70 kilometers of coastline have charming and interesting places.
But if you need to know more information to opt for an area to sleep in Gold Coast in particular, you can read below a detailed description of each location, with its advantages and disadvantages.
1. Surfer’s Paradise
The best-known area of the Australian Gold Coast is undoubtedly Surfers Paradise. The beach is always packed with tourists and surfers looking for varied leisure options. The whole area of Surfers Paradise is full of restaurants, nightclubs, nightclubs and bars.
In addition, different festivals and events such as Surf Life Saving are held here throughout the year. If you want to have a bird’s-eye view of the city, the roof of the Skydeck building is a must.
In Surfers Paradise you will also find different places to visit, such as the local market, with a wide variety of handicrafts, travel souvenirs and Australian food dishes. In this city, you will always see large crowds of people, which can be somewhat uncomfortable when it comes to local tourism.
Surfers Paradise is a highly developed area at the building level. The city is very extensive and, therefore, accommodation options are plentiful. Surfers Paradise is one of the most popular options when it comes to sleeping in Gold Coast, due to its central location and good communication by public transport.
Here you will find accommodation of all kinds, such as hotels, beach resorts, hotels, hostels, apartments, family homes or even boats to spend the night. The prices are very varied, always higher in the Australian summer and rarely without falling from 100 dollars per overnight stay.
2. Broad Beach
Right next to Surfers Paradise you will find Broad Beach. This beach has not received the impact of massive construction as severely as other beaches on the Gold Coast, so it still has well-preserved natural landscapes, where wild vegetation and pine forests predominate.
Broad Beach, like Surfers Paradise, has a very good connection with public transport, both from the city to the beach and towards other beaches. The restaurants, bars and cafes populate the whole area, so you will not have problems to try local food or to enjoy a little nightlife.
For those who love shopping, Broad Beach has several shopping centers and several streets that concentrate most of the fashion stores. Of course, on the beach, you will easily locate several places dedicated to the practice of water sports.
When it comes to staying in the Gold Coast, the Broad Beach area is another favorite among tourists. There are dozens of hotels along the coast and inland. Keep in mind that here you will find luxury hotels whose price can go out of your budget.
For tighter belts, there is a wide range of hotels, apartments, hostels, 3-star hotels and family houses for groups with prices over 60 dollars a night.
3. Mermaid Beach
If you prefer a quieter area without so many crowds, Mermaid Beach is a good place to sleep on the Gold Coast. The area is, for the most part, residential with less than 6000 inhabitants, so there is not as much traffic as in other cities on the coast.
As in other beaches of the Gold Coast, Mermaid Beach has a good connection by public transport to other beaches and areas of the coast. In addition, it is a place that has, in short distances, everything you may need in your stays, such as gift shops, supermarkets, restaurants and coffee shops.
Although Surfers Paradise is, as the name suggests, a paradise for surfers, Mermaid Beach is not far behind thanks to the excellent waves on the beach. In addition, its coasts are fully equipped with everything you need to spend a day of relaxation. The seafront is huge and has a very good infrastructure.
For visitors looking for a quiet place to stay in Gold Coast, Mermaid Beach is excellent. The prices in the hotels, like in all the Gold Coast, a rise in summer of considerable way, hovering the 250 dollars the night.
In spite of this, you can find a hostel and hostel rooms at cheaper prices per night, between 50 and 70 dollars. Of course, it is advisable that you book in advance to avoid your budget soaring or you run out of rooms.
4. Burleigh Heads
If the other beaches of the Gold Coast seemed like a paradise, Burleigh Heads is on another level. The whole area is a huge National Park, where hundreds of plant species and native fauna are concentrated. The park has several viewpoints that allow the visitor to enjoy the views.
Burleigh Heads beach hosts several pine forests, camping areas and natural areas with picnic tables. When staying in the Gold Coast, the area of Burleigh Heads is not one of the most demanded, so the accommodations do not run out so slowly?
In addition, here there is not as much concentration of tourists as in the neighboring Surfers Paradise, something that you will appreciate if you want to rest.
Along the coast, there are many hotels focused on family tourism, as well as several luxury resorts. The prices per hotel night are very similar to those of the adjoining beaches, between 60 and 200 dollars per night depending on the category. Higher in summer and with a wide range of possibilities depending on the type of accommodation.
5. Hope Island
Hope Island, in Queensland, is a suburb of the Gold Coast that many tourists come to shop and enjoy their favorite sports such as tennis or golf. Here you will find an open shopping center with numerous restaurants, top brand stores and several useful services.
When looking for accommodation, Hope Island is a problem, since the accommodation offer is practically nil, with only a couple of hotels and resorts available. The prices per night of these accommodations are around 200 dollars in high season.
Not bad for hotels that offer luxurious services. But since it is mostly a residential area, look for accommodation outside the area and, basically, leave Hope Island for a punctual visit and to make purchases.
6. Coolangatta
Another of the quieter areas of the Gold Coast is Coolangatta, near Palm Beach. It is mostly a residential area but with all the useful services at hand, such as supermarkets, travel agencies, bars, restaurants.
If you like to surf, you should know that Coolangatta, despite being a quiet area, attracts the best surfers in the world due to the great waves of its beaches.
In addition, if you pass through the town of Tweed Heads, you can cross from the state of Queensland to the state of New South Wales by simply walking down a street, so the prices of products or services can vary greatly from one place to another.
Here the prices of the accommodations are somewhat cheaper than in other areas of Gold Coast. However, you may need to rent a vehicle to move, since Coolangatta does not have a highly recommended public transport network, with irregular schedules and infrequent frequency.
Of course, if you are looking for beachfront resorts and yacht clubs less crowded than those of other areas of the Gold Coast, Coolangatta is ideal to stay in Gold Coast.
7. Sanctuary Cove
Within the aforementioned Hope Island, there is another closed community called Sanctuary Cove. Here the neighborhoods have luxury homes and all the facilities with the latest technologies. It is curious to see how Sanctuary Cove has its own shopping center and several sports facilities.
As in Hope Island, accommodation in Sanctuary Cove is very scarce, if not nil. There are a couple of resorts that offer lodging, pool and spa services. Prices range between 150 and 250 dollars per night. However, if you are lucky, you may be able to rent a boat for a couple of nights to sleep in the huge port of Sanctuary Cove.
8. Main Beach – South Port
South Port and Main Beach are two areas north of Macintosh Island. Here you will find the huge natural park of Broadwater Parklands and the Sea World theme park, ideal if you are traveling with children. South Port is, mostly, a business area, so it does not attract as many visitors as Main Beach, which has good beaches and more leisure offer.
However, if you like to shop, in South Port you will find the Australia Fair shopping center, very complete and with many shops. In addition, both areas are very well connected by public transport, something that is appreciated when visiting the surrounding areas.
Accommodation in Gold Coast is cheaper if you travel to South Port and Main Beach and if you compare it with Surfers Paradise, so it is a place to consider when staying in Gold Coast. You can find a room in high season with prices between 150 dollars in a hotel or 25 dollars in a hostel.
Although South Port has a reputation for not very pleasant neighborhood, just walk through its streets to see that it is a fairly quiet area and take into account if you want to save when booking accommodation.
9. Palm Beach – Currumbin
If you are looking for accommodation in Gold Coast, one of the beaches with more natural spaces and fewer buildings are the coasts of Palm Beach and Currumbin. They are located south of the Gold Coast, very close to the main airport.
Both beaches are famous for surfing and its excellent condition. Here there is also the possibility of fishing and other water sports.
Close to Palm Beach is the Burleigh Head National Park, an essential visit if you want to know more about the native fauna and flora. For its part, Currumbin hosts the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary, a nature reserve with tropical forests and jungles that shelters more than 1400 Australian animals, many of them in danger of extinction.
In Currumbin, you can buy some excursions that are made to this natural reserve, including night excursions and educational shows for the little ones.
As the airport is so close to Palm Beach and Currumbin, stay in one of these areas if you are going to take a plane to other locations. Both areas have a variety of accommodation, from hotels to hostels, through luxury resorts, cabins on the coast, apartments and guesthouses.
The prices are also varied in high season, ranging from 30 dollars night hostel or 300 dollars for a luxury hotel. Without a doubt, it is one of the areas where you can save more money in your accommodation.
You have already seen that virtually all areas of the Gold Coast offer budget accommodation. At the time of staying in Gold Coast there are also luxury options, with higher prices, according to the exquisite services offered.