Paradise Resort Gold Coast
     
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The moment you drive into Paradise Resort there is an instant fun, family warmth that immediately engulfs you. Only this time there is an additional feel – a touch of class that radiates as you enter the newly renovated lobby and are greeted by friendly staff. Paradise Resort boasts a multitude of awards and holds the title of Australia’s only family resort with a waterpark, ice-rink, kids club and multiple food options, giving you absolutely no reason to leave.
Paradise Resort is located in the vibrant Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, Australia and if you do happen to venture out of the resort, convenience and entertainment is on your doorstep! The family friendly resort is less than a kilometres walk to the renowned Cavill Avenue which boasts everything you need from restaurants to take away outlets, fashion retail stores to Australian souvenirs, supermarkets to chemists and a heap of bars, pubs and clubs which make it arguably Australia’s nightlife capital. It is also walking distance to the iconic Surfers Paradise beach and is a short 20 minute drive to the fun filled theme parks (the Village Roadshow Theme Parks is a personal favourite of ours).
STAY
Set on a massive 5 acres of land, Paradise Resort has 360 hotel style rooms across 3 levels that mostly surrounds the pool and waterpark. The building is sectioned into colourful themes named after it’s four characters; Dusty’s Digs, Cleo’s Castle, Astro’s Alley and Captain’s Quarter and caters for everyone from couples or small families to large families of up to 8! We must admit though, that whilst the accommodation is usually a critical component of any resort stay, this wasn’t the case for us. There are a couple of reasons why but the main one is because we hardly spent any time in our room, there’s just that much to do!
We ended up opting for the family room as it contains two bedrooms, one setup with a Queen bed and a single bed and the second bedroom with two single beds. You can upgrade to a Superior Family Room which contains a similar configuration just with bunkbeds (4 beds) in the second room however our boys choose to use the top bunk as a diving board so the two single bed option worked for us. The beds are also on wheels which allowed us to reconfigure the room so that the two singles were side by side. The Family room also contains a balcony, shower / bath and a mini kitchen with fridge and microwave. All rooms contain TV/s with individually controlled air-conditioning and a daily housekeeping service which includes removal of rubbish, fresh towels and your bed freshly made.
There are lifts from the basement car park to level 3 in each of the building sections, there is a communal laundry for all your washing needs and for the fitness fanatics there is cardio gym.
TIP: The Splashes Mini Mart sells holiday essentials such as nappies, toothpaste, sun cream, milk, beer and wine as well your usual grocery and snack items.
PLAY
For us the endless activities and play choices is a big part of what makes this resort the ultimate family stay and play. There are two waterparks, one larger waterpark for the older kids and a smaller waterpark for the younger kids. There is also a large round pool, a separate spa, two trampolines and an indoor and outdoor playground to keep the kids active. For a fee there is also an Ice skating rink (yes, you read that correctly), laser tag, a virtual reality roller coaster (VR Coaster) and an arcade games room.
When you check into the resort, make sure you get your hands on the A3 sized ‘WHAT’S ON IN PARADISE’ weekly activity programme. It provides a daily breakdown (every half hour!) of what activities are on, where they are being held and whether or not there is an activity cost. For the activities that require a booking, there are three barcodes below the programme that you can scan with your phone and book in electronically – its as simple as that!
TIP: Don’t throw your programmes away, as it conveniently doubles up as a resort map, just in case you have so much fun that you forget where you are!
We don’t want to ruin the surprise, but below are some of the activities we enjoyed across our 4 day stay – all were free except for the slime making which cost $10.
Slime Making Workshop, Captains Shark Tank, Aqua Hunt, Face Painting, Whipped Cream Madness, Jelly Eating Contest, Family Chess and Movie night by the pool. We also have to mention how incredible and friendly the entertainment staff were. Their energy and passion was infectious which makes the activities that much more fun.
In addition to the activities, one of the luxuries or ‘adult treat’ the resort offers is its Kids Club and more specifically, the daily complimentary kids club you receive when you book your accommodation directly through the resort (4 hours per child per day). As parents of three boys 4 and under, to get alone time together is a pleasure obtained only rarely and this was a huge selling point for us and I’m sure it will be for many of you too. Where other resort kids clubs start at age 4, Paradise Resort is the only resort in Australia that caters for children as young as 6 weeks all the way up to 12 years (another huge tick if you have kids under 4 😉). The Club is divided into two age group categories (0-2 and 3-12) with age-appropriate care, facilities and activities and if you are unsure if the kids club is for your kids, you can visit the kids club and their friendly staff for a test and try daily between 2.30 and 3.30pm.
We opted to utilise the kids club twice – the first 4-8pm session we stayed on site at the resort, grabbed a pizza and booked ourselves into the Kahoot Trivia Cocktail Tasting. We took part in a few of the Khoot trivia’s activities across our stay but this was by far our favourite and most interactive. For $15pp you get to taste 4 different cocktails which are accompanied by questions testing your knowledge on the cocktails ingredients, origin and other fun facts. We had a laugh with the staff other participants and very quickly learnt that we aren’t cocktail connoisseurs! The second 4-8pm kids club session we opted to go out for dinner at the House Of Brews on Orchid Avenue in Surfers Paradise and the food, atmosphere and selection of boutique drinks didn’t disappoint.
TIP: If the 1kg nachos are too big, even though it isn’t on the menu, ask for a half size, it will allow you to fit an extra drink or to in 🍻.
EAT
After smashing the waterslides, trampolines and activities all day, the kids are going to get hungry and the resort food options don’t disappoint! In fact its more than that, the options have been meticulously planned with a family’s’ convenience in mind so that you don’t have to go back to your room or pack the kids up (who are now screaming because they don’t want to leave) and head down the street! Penguins Restaurant, Jerry’s Burger Bar, the Poolside Café / Bar and Deb’s Pizza Shack all ensure the resort has something for everyone, caters for all budgets and nutritional or dietary requirements. .
Included in our stay was the Continental Buffet Breakfast at Penguins Restaurant and is something we absolutely recommend including in your stay. On offer is plenty of cereals, toast selections with spreads, sliced meat, cheeses, yoghurts, fresh fruits and for the sweet tooth there is a variety of breakfast cakes, croissants and fruit toast. If an Eggs Benedict is your holiday go to, you can upgrade to a variety of hot meals at a discounted rate. We tried the veggie omelette with hash-browns and it was 👌🏽
The restaurant also offers lunch and dinner and has a bar that serves coffee, soft drink and alcohol with TV’s showing the daily news and sports in the background. The new layout of the restaurant has again been thought through as there is now a gated ‘kids’ nook’ for the youngans as well as plenty of space between tables where the kids can run around without being too disruptive. Small freebies such as coloured crayons and a small squeezy penguin are a nice touch and kept the kids entertained at the table, whilst at various times across our stay, we had visits from resort characters and a balloon twister who made balloon swords for our boys (much to their delight!). We did try dinner at the restaurant which had bistro / pub style meals on offer. The food was well sized, tasty and we walked away with a bill of about $90 for the five us – pricey but in line with other resort style restaurant dining or your local pub, tavern or surf club.
Lunches were spent by the pool so sushi, fresh sandwiches, fruit salad cups and green juice from the Poolside Cafe were our daily go-to – quick, refreshing an healthy 😁.
We felt that come dinner time, the boys were knackered and ready for bed, so we generally opted for either burgers from Jerry’s Burger Bar or pizza from Deb’s Pizza Shack. Both have kids sizes, are very reasonably priced, can be taken away and most importantly are yum! The margarita pizza with added pineapple and a side of the shoestring fries was definitely a favourite for us.
TIP: Keep an eye out for the BBQ by the Pool and Movie Night! An awesome family night, you won’t regret it!
We are super excited to be invited back to Paradise Resort to review the brand new Lounge Bar and Pool Deck due to be completed early 2021. The Adult only Zone 4 will have a new swimming pool and lounge bar where you can unwind while your kids enjoy the free Kids Club. As mentioned above, there are plenty of activities and lounge areas that adults can enjoy now but this added feature will really complete the resort.
Thank you @paradiseresortgc for inviting us to share our experience at your newly renovated resort, we had such a great time and the kids are still talking about it three weeks later. We will see you all again in a few months 🤗
The Wannabe Nomads 🌸
Stop dreaming, start planning and escape to Paradise where its school holidays every day. Visit www.paradiseresort.com.au
If you find any of this helpful or you have any questions please comment below, and if you stay at any of our recommended holiday spots PLEASE tag us @wannabe.nomads we would love to hear all about your family travels!!