The luxurious St. Regis is opening its first Australian hotel on the Gold Coast.
The luxurious St. Regis is opening its first Australian hotel on the Gold Coast.
The GC has been dipping its toes in all kinds of fancy recently, with more bougee bars, buildings and bites than you can poke a magnum of Dom Perignon at. But right when you think we can’t possibly level up the grandeur any further, we do…quite literally in fact.
Ladies and gentleman, get ready to put your best designer footwear-clad hoof forward in 2025 when multi-billion-dollar developer GURNERTM and Marriott International launch Australia’s very first St Regis Hotel! But we’re not done yet because this iconic luxury hotel will form part of GURNERTM’s $1.7 billion dollar La Pelago project and YES PEOPLE WE SAID BILLION. With a B.
Ear-marked for our beautiful Budds Beach, this landmark development (and joint venture with investment house Wingate) means nothing but decadence and dollar bills ya’ll, and this is definitely something we can get behind. In addition to the lavish St Regis hotel, La Pelago will feature 12,000 square meters of A-lister lifestyle amenities including luxury residential residences, and our wellness coach tells us that if we visualize an outcome… #MovingHouseParty2025 #WeCanDream.
The premier lifestyle resort and destination will also boast 5,500 square meters of international hospitality and retail, all in a lush, private landscaped setting which will be all kinds of frothed over by the Insta set #LetMeTakeThreeHundredSelfies.
The prestigious St Regis which side note, should totally be its tagline, will be frequented by celebs, high-rollers, and well-heeled folk with triple-barreled surnames, but also us mere mortals (start saving now people). Featuring approximately 185 guest rooms and suites that offer sweeping ocean and hinterland views, the design will celebrate timeless glamour, but with just the right amount of contemporary sophistication.
An expansive porte cochere is planned, and for those of us who don’t speak fancy, this is a super swish way of saying grand entrance. Providing a glamorous sense of arrival, by golly we’ll be getting our VIP jollies here, and geez Louise our rhyme game is lit today. Plus guests will be privy to the brand’s signature Butler Service, conjuring up images of Niles from the Nanny and Alfred from Batman, only way more posh.
There are whispers of a specialty restaurant, a world class sky bar, a pool bar, a signature St. Regis bar and omg it’s one really big bougee bar and we just fainted!! Also potentially in the pipeline is an exquisite lounge, spa, and luxurious penthouse collection #ded. Plus, it’s rumored that the design plans have called for all the rooms and hotel amenities, including the bar and restaurant, to sit well above any of the other towers in the project. This would make them 50% taller than any other surrounding tower and we just fainted again, partly because we’re scared of heights, but mainly coz sunset drinks will be in said sunset #PowerMove.
In the interest of providing some fodder for your next dinner party goss sesh, St. Regis is actually Marriott International’s leading luxury hotel brand with over 56 hotels and resorts around the globe, the very first opening in New York in 1904. GURNER naturally deemed the esteemed brand the perfect fit for La Pelago, and srsly we’re launching a rhyme generator app stat.
A major coup for the Gold Coast, this is an epic win both from a national and international tourism perspective, and for us local folk. We can’t wait to watch this bespoke development come to fruition, as this calibre of project and the GC are like J-Lo and Ben Affleck. Meant to be.
Where: Budds Beach, 108 Ferny Avenue, Surfers Paradise
When: 2027
Words by Bianca Trathen.
Change is the name of the game in 2020 and some of it has been very exciting indeed. The latest good news to come out of the year is of the Gold Coast luxury accommodation variety and it involves a tropical retreat in the heart of the Gold Coast you already know and love.
The iconic Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa will by December of this year, undergo a $35million rebrand and renovation to become Australia’s flagship JW Marriott hotel. The already impressive resort and spa will be taken to a whole new level of luxury with a few new additions we’re very excited about.
Award winning Australian design studio, DBI, the architects and interior designers behind the existing property, will be reimagining the iconic resort and adding all the magical modern touches that will make visiting an experience you’ll never forget.
With a total of 223 rooms and suites, JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa has been designed with its natural surroundings in mind, to reflect the beauty and relaxed vibes of coastal Queensland.
The new-look guest rooms, with a choice of ocean or hinterland views, draw inspiration from the local landscapes and include locally sourced stone and soft curved forms to create a sophisticated coastal character. Book us in.
Changes will also be made to the existing food and beverage venues, making them even more coveted than they are right now. Chapter & Verse will be transformed into an indoor-outdoor lounge and bar experience connecting the resort space with the external lagoons and swimming area to become a tranquil lounge by day and a sophisticated craft cocktail bar in the evening. PERFECT.
Citrique will receive a refresh to feature a new interactive show kitchen with fresh local produce and seafood at the heart of its daily menu. Forming part of Citrique, JW Marketplace will be the hotel’s café and in-house provedore, serving freshly ground coffees, local produce and healthy and tasty grab-and-go bites while Misono, the resort’s teppanyaki restaurant, will expand to incorporate an ‘avenue’ of new Japanese dining experiences including an intimate Izakaya, tearoom and sushi bar.
A Japanese whisky bar with an outdoor terrace will be the very best of new additions, allowing us to indulge in an extensive array of quality sips we love most.
The resort’s beloved outdoor swimming pools are some of the most beautiful you’ve ever seen featuring a saltwater lagoon with over 300 tropical fish. The changes will see new poolside dining options and a lounge area for cocktails, light bites and family snacks. The ultimate in sophisticated relaxation.
All of that, plus plenty more exciting surprises are in store for Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa and we can’t wait to see (and spend all our time in) the new JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa.
LOCATION: 158 Ferny Avenue, Surfers Paradise
WHEN: December 2020
Ho Ho Ho-ooooold the phone. The silly season is almost here and seriously, wasn’t it March, like, yesterday?! This means we need to start thinking about all things celebratory (aren’t we always), especially booking our Christmas and New Year’s soirees stat.
Speaking of, our ‘presents’ is requested at the many festive season events hosted by the ever sleigh-ing InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort. With Executive Chef Hamish Watt at the helm serving up the highest quality cuisine, nothing says happy holidays like a Christmas or New Year’s celebration InterContinental style.
Christmas Eve Seafood Buffet Dinner
If you’re a buffet fan (same), the Cove Café puts on the Balenciaga of buffets. From 6pm – 9pm on Saturday 24th December, start your feasting with a worldly selection of hot and cold dishes and fresh seafood. Then move into the traditional roast carvery with an assortment of festive condiments, plus in-house Pastry Chef, Chef Dee’s, decadent dessert collection featuring a traditional Bûche de Noël. $169 per adult, $69 per child (aged 5 – 12), and children under 4 are complimentary with a paying adult. Book here.
Christmas Day Degustation Lunch
Umm, you had us at degustation! Kicking off at 12:30pm on Sunday 25th December in the showstopping Fireplace restaurant, this adults-only affair is THE most exclusive dining experience of the season. You’ll be treated to the ultimate in elegant festive theming, and start with decadent canapés like Oysters with Champagne Jelly and Caviar and sparkling wine on arrival. Your five-star four-course menu includes the likes of Gin-cured Kingfish with beetroot gel, sea bean, avocado mousse, olive tuile and French radish, and Woodfire Smoked Beef Tenderloin with foie gras, potato gratin, cherries, root vegetables and pepperberry jus. We’re drooling just writing about the sumptuous offerings!
There’s intermezzo prepared by the Fireplace pastry chef, and your choice of two desserts including a Warm Christmas Pudding and no, this is unlike any pud you have ever tasted before #sorrygran. Wash it all down with a Yuzo vodka truffle shot (if you insist…) and of course a platinum beverage package. For the vegetarians, there’s an equally luxe menu, and to level things up another notch, all guests receive a customised gift. How tree-mendous! $449 per person with limited seats available. Book here.
Christmas Day Seafood Buffet Dinner
Once again, the Cove Café will flex its seafood buffet greatness, this time on Christmas Day! Explore an extensive array of dishes, expertly prepared by a dedicated culinary team using the finest seasonal Australian produce. The menu is different to Christmas Eve’s, so why not go two nights in a row #tistheseason?! From seafood to traditional Christmas meats with modern flare, antipasto, salads, pizzas, pastas and desserts, what’s not to love? $199 per adult, $69 per child (aged 5 – 12), and children under 4 are complimentary with a paying adult. Book here.
New Year’s Eve Seafood Buffet Dinner
The Cove Café is doing it all again on New Year’s Eve with yet another ah-mazing buffet menu, and two seatings available from 5pm – 7pm and 8pm – 10pm. With meze, salads, seafood, hot dishes and esteemed Pastry Chef, Chef Dee’s, delicious desserts, what a way to say hooray (as in farewell) to 2022 and hooray (as in YAY) to 2023! $199 per adult, $69 per child (aged 5 – 12), and children under 4 are complimentary with a paying adult. Book here.
New Year’s Eve All That Glitters VIP Event
If your New Year’s Eve resolution is to spoil yourself a little more, what better way to start than with a dashing New Year’s Eve event in the grand MacArthur’s Ballroom. Book your babysitter from 6pm on Saturday 31st December, don your finest disco-chic attire, and settle in for an evening of opulent eats, dreamy drinks, and live entertainment. Indulge in a finely curated plated menu paired expertly with a five-hour premium beverage package and yes, we did say f.i.v.e hours.
Take those designer sequins for a spin on the dancefloor, party like it’s 1999 2022, and soak up all the glamour and good times. The garnish on top (cherries are a bit naf for this one) is a special celebration lagoon-side at the Resort’s exclusive beach for the countdown, and yes, we likey! $349 per person (adults only) and bookings plus prepayments are essential. Book here.
So there you have it. Your big three festive season heavy weights (Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve) are all going off like a fancy firecracker at the idyllic InterContinental Resort Sanctuary Cove. For bookings and more information, click here.
Where: InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort, Sanctuary Cove, Manor Circle, Hope Island
When: Various activations on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve 2022
Words by Bianca Trathen.
STORY SPONSORED BY INTERCONTINENTAL SANCTUARY COVE RESORT
Amongst the roster of incredible new opens and revamps across the Gold Coast in the last 12 months; there are a handful that stand out. JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa’s five-star makeover in December 2020 is one of those destinations. The extensive refurbishment was much more than just a name change and a lick of paint. Whether it’s fabulous seafood, lip-smacking meat dishes, decadent desserts, or seducing cocktails — each aspect has been refreshed in faultless fashion.
If you aren’t familiar with the exceptional restaurants on offer at JW Marriott Gold Coast, then let us give you a run-down…
Citrique Restaurant
The sumptuous buffet. Citrique is famous for its breakfast, brunch and seafood market offerings, so the restaurant entices locals and guests with its fresh and contemporary Australian cuisine for the definitive ocean/paddock to plate occasion. The venue includes the elevated addition of JW Market, a café and marketplace that nurtures customers to connect with the carefully curated products sourced from local farmers and producers.
For a weekend long-lunch and dinner, you are seriously hard pushed to look past this outstanding seafood buffet. Prepare to stack your plates high with Mooloolaba tiger prawns, Moreton Bay bugs, and Pacific oysters to name a few ocean treasure delicacies to sink your teeth into.
Misono Japanese
The teppanyaki grill experience. Embracing the vitality of Japanese creativity with local flavours is the backbone of this vibrant, communal teppanyaki restaurant. For those who haven’t been in a while (side note: where have you been?), a new live Sushi table and secret Whisky bar were unveiled and it’s everything you dreamed of and better!
Teppanyaki is a fun family favourite with all the flying food and antics. At Misono, you can even opt to have an elevated teppan dining experience in a private room, with (of course) sake, sophisticated flavours and an entertaining performance. And for those eager to learn a new skill, there are Mini Misono sushi-making classes! Talk about interactive!
Chapter & Verse
The next-level lobby bar. No hotel of this calibre is quite complete without an unforgettable lobby bar, and Chapter & Verse hits this mark effortlessly. Famous cocktails and unmatched high-tea experiences, blended with food choices designed to share, are the highlights of this central and welcoming space.
Transitioning from café during the day to craft cocktail bar at night, lunch is the time where the food offering is at its pinnacle. Mix classic and signature cocktails with dishes like Yellowtail Kingfish Ceviche, truffle fries or their Cheese and Charcuterie board stacked with locally sourced cheeses and cold cuts. The venue also features a robust regular music program of attention-grabbing live performers.
For five-star levels of service, incredible food and drinks at every turn, JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa’s venues of distinction are prime for the picking!
Where: JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa, 158 Ferny Avenue, Surfers Paradise
Words by Alex Mitcheson.
STORY SPONSORED BY JW MARRIOTT GOLD COAST RESORT & SPA
