The Best Family-Friendly Hotels to Book on the Gold Coast, Australia

With the beach one block away from the Island, the best time to visit the Gold Coast is whenever you can get your kids to put their phones down long enough to jump in the waves. Your normally unimpressed children will think that this boutique hotel is actually cool – thanks to the gaming lounge, kids activities and mocktails available at the rooftop bar. Score a few extra points by letting them order popcorn chicken through room service and have full reign of the TV.

Sea World Resort is primed to reel in a boatload of fond memories for your family. Sleep right next door to the park so you can be first in line for the Vortex. After you close down the park, splash into all of the family-friendly activities at the resort – including a SpongeBob Light Show, games and movies at the kids centre and meet and greets with your favourite Bikini Bottom residents.

You know your high schooler is serious about sports when they packed their jersey and ball on vacation. Thankfully, ULTIQA Air is right next to the beachside soccer and rugby facilities at Pratten Park. They can run drills while you watch from the balcony. Then, you can drop their sweaty clothes right in your private laundry machines so they don’t stink up the joint. Remember, just because they’re going full speed doesn’t mean you need to. The hotel has a sauna and fishing jetty for a reason.

The little ones will stare with their jaws dropped to the floor when they see that they’re staying at the tallest residential tower in Australia. They’ll be giddy watching the elevator numbers go up, up, up, before opening to an apartment with their own rooms. The glass-enclosed balcony lets them safely enjoy playtime with a view while you get laundry, dishes and other chores done. Tired from a long day at the beach? Rent out the private cinema room, and doze off while they watch the film about the animated rabbit for the millionth time.

When the day comes for your big kid to ride their first wave, the two-bedroom ocean-view suite at Hilton will let you watch the swell from above. Surfers Paradise Beach is a 10-minute walk from this accommodation on the Gold Coast – and a concierge wake-up call will ensure you both get out there early enough to make memories that’ll last a lifetime.

Staying at one of the hotels on the Gold Coast with state-of-the-art technology integrated into its suites, you’ll be glad you brought your tech-savvy kids with you to the Star Grand. It may be just a “touch of a button”, but the kids will ensure that you aren’t opening the blinds when you mean to adjust the temperature or playing music – when all you want to do is dim the lights. Let them fiddle with the remotes and get your phone all squared away with the wifi while you disconnect with a skincare treatment down at the spa.

The Grand Mirage Resort is one of the family-friendly hotels on the Gold Coast that gets it: it delivers the five-star experience parents want and the must-haves kids need. You can dive into Tasmanian oysters and Moreton Bay bugs at Terraces while the joeys order hot dogs and fries from the children’s menu. They’ll splash with glee playing Marco Polo in the pool – while you wade over to the swim-up bar trying to shout “Polo” with a pina colada straw in your mouth.

Peppers Broadbeach is one way to keep your budget tight with cheap accommodation on the Gold Coast. Your ocean-view suite has a fully equipped kitchen, where a loaf of bread, a jar of peanut butter, a few cans of soup and a little cheese can stretch 10 Australian dollars (£5.50) pretty far. Not only is the beach within walking distance – minimising the need for a rental car – but there are two playgrounds right there as well for all-day fun that’s free.

You’ll get mega cool points when you book a room at the Darling for you and your teens. They’ll feel like true VIPs when they saunter down to the guests-only pool. Will they care that they can’t accompany you down to the casino floor? Probably not. Your little influencers will be too busy taking photos against the wide city-view windows and pool table in the Penthouse Deluxe Billiards Suite to notice.

How’s the view from Vue? It depends on who you ask. Ocean, city, park or hinterland views out of the floor-to-ceiling windows will spoil any adult who appreciates a blue sky, white clouds and a bright yellow sun. These two- and three-bedroom units can fit families large and small. As for the kids? They’ll appreciate the Nikiforides Family Park 500m (1,640ft) away, but they might be a little less captivated by the views – it’s the same sky they have at home, after all.