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Surfers Paradise Accommodation
The original and still the best. Home to Indy, Schoolies and more Australian visitors than any other city in Australia, Surfers has accommodation to suit all tastes and budgets. It's the place where Australians go for their summer holidays.
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Main Beach Accommodation
The boutique hub of Gold Coast glamour, Main Beach has five star resorts and apartments galore, all within proximity to some of the best restaurants and boutiques in Queensland.
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Broadbeach Accommodation
Restaurant capital of the coast, Broadbeach has a wide range of beachfront accommodation and some of the newest, coolest high-rise buildings. There are also plenty of cheaper low-rise apartments a few blocks back from the ocean.
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Burleigh Heads Accommodation
A paradise for surfers and families, Burleigh has one of the most amazing little national parks in the country right on the headland, brilliant bushwalks and lots of holiday bargains, not to mention some great exclusive restaurants and fun cafes.
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Mermaid Beach Accommodation
Excellent value apartments tucked in between multi million dollar homes. Brilliant coffee shops, vibrant cafes and the exclusivity of being one of the only beach stretches not open to high rise buildings. What more do you want?
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Gold Coast Hinterland Accommodation
World Heritage-listed mountain rainforests less than an hour's drive from the beach. Marvel at ancient forests, magnificent views and play in the clouds in what they call 'the green behind the gold'.
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Other Gold Coast Accommodation
Search over 400 apartments, hotels, and resorts right up and down the entire length and breadth of the Gold Coast, book online now and find unbeatable prices - whether you want a five star room with air con and a butler or a bunk in a hostel .
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Gold Coast Accommodation — An overview of where it all started and what's available...
Whether you're staying for a day or a month Gold Coast accommodation rates are among the best in the world. As a guide, prices begin at about $20 for a bed in a backpacker hostel and go up to thousands of dollars a day to stay in a six star resort like Palazzo Versace. If your budget is somewhere in betweeen you can grab a self-contained apartment near the beach for around $80-$250 a night, depending on the season.
While most hotels and apartments on the Gold Coast are less than 20 years old, the local accommodation industry has roots stretching back to the late 1800s when tourists from Brisbane began looking for places to spend the weekend and entrepreneurs began building guesthouses to cater for them. As technology developed and horsepower was no longer a literal term the number of visitors increased steadily. In 1925, at the dawn of the motoring age, the Surfers Paradise Hotel was opened and when people heard they could get a beach, a beer and a bed in the one spot business started booming.
Hotels, motels, resorts and backpacker hostels have steadily grown in size and number since 1925 and the Gold Coast now boasts some of the world's finest five star resorts, including Palazzo Versace and the Sheraton Mirage in Main Beach, The Hyatt Regency in Sanctuary Cove and the Marriott and The Holiday Inn in Surfers Paradise — all of which will cost you anywhere between $400 and $4000 a night. For those with smaller wallets there are still plenty of old style pubs which will offer you a room from about $40. Bed and Breakfast style accommodation is plentiful in the hinterland mountain regions, but you won't find many B&Bs on the beach.
Hundreds of motels and caravan parks sprang up in the 1970s as Ford Falcons and Holden Kingswoods started flocking up from Sydney and while many of those are still standing, the most iconic ones (including the infamous Pink Poodle) have been pushed aside to make way for further development. Holiday makers with tents will find plenty of places to set up, from the relative remoteness of South Stradbroke Island and the Hinterland to downtown Main Beach.
While the Gold Coast boasts the complete range of accommodation options, self contained apartment accommodation (ie. a unit with a kitchen) is by far the most popular choice and often presents the best value family accommodation . The first hi-rise Surfers Paradise apartments and Surfers Paradise hotels began appearing in the 1960s and spread like bamboo in the 1980s and 1990s as jet travel became affordable and the number of visitors and families to the Coast began skyrocketing.
On any given day this century another 30 hi-rise apartments are being built or planned, and low-rise developments of townhouse units are just as abundant. The gigantic (and rather phallic) Q1 Tower in Surfers Paradise is currently the world's tallest residential building and there are half a dozen world standard five star hotels within a few minutes walk from the beach.
Other Useful Gold Coast accommodation information
- Use our Gold Coast maps to work out exactly where you want to stay
- Visit the Gold Coast Tourism Bureau for the official spin or check out their marketing site at VeryGC.com
- See the Gold Coast accommodation facts and stats at the Tourism Queensland website
- Visit the Gold Coast Tourism branch of the Gold Coast City Council for the lowdown on their strategies