We decided to go away for a long weekend down the Coast to the Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort and Spa.

When we arrived we were greeted by a friendly porter who warmly welcomed us to the resort.

We then checked in - the service from the lady on reception was second to none! She was friendly and helpful. She even offered a nice cold glass of apple and guava juice each!

We stayed in Room 805 - it was a lovely room (with a nice big bathtub!). The view from our balcony was great - to the right we could see the houses on the canal, directly in front down below we could see the pool area and to the right the ocean!

The bed was large and comfortable.

The first night we dined at Benihana - the teppanyaki restaurant in the resort! The food was amazing! The first time I had tried teppanyaki and I cannot wait to go back. You sit at a communal dining table with 6 other people with the chef cooking your order fresh in front of you! We even attempted to catch a prawn in our mouths (I failed that one miserably!). The service staff were amazing.

Before and after our dinner at Benihana, we enjoyed cocktails in the Lobby Bar. HINT: On Friday and Saturday nights they offer 3 special cocktails which aren't on their usual menu. The Rocky Road cocktail and the one with the passionfruit and celery (don't knock it until you try it!) were great.

The second night we ate at MooMoo Bar and Grill - if you like steak then this is the place for you! The wine list was extensive. The entrees were delicious and the main course (eye fillet) was melt in your mouth. I can thoroughly recommend the garlic potato mash and the MooMoo jus. For dessert try the chocolate pudding! YUMMY!

Each morning we had breakfast in the main area. The buffet was extensive. If you want to get a buffet breakfast on a Sunday morning I highly recommend getting there early as it is really busy after about 830am.

The only criticism is, if it can really be called that, is we paid an additional $10 each day for valet parking. The second night, when we returned from MooMoo at around 930pm, we noticed our car was still on the driveway. When we questioned this, we were advised that the carpark was full due to dinner and reception guests. By 11pm the car had been safely and securely parked in the undercover carpark.

When we arrived at front desk we were offered fresh juice while we checked in, a very nice touch. We were impressed by the lobby and gardens, 5 star. The room had a very musty smell when we arrived, and soon realized why. The shower stall was covered in mold. I would expect more from a 5 star rated hotel. Other than that, the bathroom and bathtub were huge and bath products were nice. Beds were comfy and the ac worked quite well.
We enjoyed the lunch buffet, the food was excellent, lots of choices. The price was well worth it, and if you like wine for $15 you could include a wine buffet as well. The wine choices were quite good, and we took full advantage of the choices.
The weather wasn't the best during our stay, but it was still about 20 celsius, good enough for swimming I thought. I found the pools down right cold, perhaps they could adjust the heating through the year. The pools were quite beautiful though and we enjoyed all the tropical fish in the salt water pool..The block and a half to the beach was very easy to reach, and not a bother at all.
All and all, we had a very nice stay here. A little tlc on the bathrooms would do a world of good.

This is THE best hotel on the Coast. The rooms were good size, beds were sooo comfortable. Bathrooms were fine - was told they are spending a fortune renovating them with new grouting, shower screens, taps, shower roses, etc (dual flush toilets already installed). Still much more luxurious than your bathroom at home! Staff were really friendly and couldn't do enough for us and our children. We will definately be back.

We stayed 3 nights at this hotel and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Parking was available at the hotel at no cost ($10 for valet parking). The lobby area was very impressive. Check-in was speedy, a welcome drink was provided and our bags were taken to our room immediately. All staff that we came across throughout our stay were friendly and efficient.

The room was clean, spacious and well appointed. The bed was very comfortable and there was also a desk, tv, small table & chairs, in room safe, mini-bar and tea & coffee making facilities. Internet connection was available in the room for a fee. The balcony had a couple of chairs and provided views of the lovely pool area and the ocean. The mini-bar and the air conditioner were both noisy - the weather was mild so we hardly used the air conditioner, but we had to turn off the mini-bar at night time to get to sleep. The bathroom was large and clean, apart from some mould above the tiles in the shower and there were hairs stuck on the bathroom ceiling.

The pool areas are a real feature of this hotel. There were 2 heated pools plus an artificial lagoon with coral reef, fish and a waterfall - great for snorkelling. There was also a water slide and a couple of spas.

The meals that we had at the hotel were good quality. Both the a la carte and buffet breakfast at the Lagoon Restaurant were excellent (but a bit pricey - $35 for full buffet breakfast). The Japanese restaurant (Benihama) was a highlight - make sure to book as they are usually very busy. The tepanyaki chefs were very entertaining and the meal was fresh and delicious. We also had room service on one occasion - the meal arrived within half an hour and was excellent value and tasty.

I would stay at this hotel again.