Sofitel Broadbeach Review: Luxury 5-Star Gold Coast Accommodation.

CURIOUS TO KNOW WHAT THE 5-STAR SOFITEL BROADBEACH HOTEL IS LIKE?

Sofitel is a world-famous, 5-star hotel chain known for its French take on luxury accommodation and on the Gold Coast, it’s no different.

So if you’re looking for somewhere elegant to stay for a special birthday, anniversary or event, the alluring Parisian charm of Sofitel Broadbeach may just be the place for you.

Disclosure: This review is a non-sponsored post based on my stay at Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach in August 2022. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach is in an excellent location. It’s not quite in the heart of Surfers Paradise, the tourist mecca of the Gold Coast, but it is only a suburb over, so it’s close enough to it that accessing it is very easy. And because it is slightly away from the action, driving to the hotel is also less challenging.

It’s also within the Broadbeach town centre, meaning you needn’t walk far to go shopping, and it’s near the beach, a park and a tram and more, making it a fantastic place to base yourself for your trip, but more on that later.

Room Types.

Sofitel Broadbeach has a range of rooms and suites in configurations suitable for all manner of guests up to 6

• Classic River View Room.
• Superior Ocean View Room.
• Luxury Ocean View Room.
• Prestige Suite.
• Opera Suite.

Typical Room Features.

• Furnished Balcony.
• LED Smart TV.
• Marble bathroom with separate bathtub and shower
• Digital alarm clock with Bluetooth
• Coffee- & tea-making facilities
• Slippers & bathrobes
• In-room safe
• High-speed WiFi
• High-speed WiFi
• Writing desk & chair

Superior Ocean View Room. – 1606.

Our superior room with a king-sized bed was a reasonable size and inviting.

It featured white and soft grey-coloured walls and light-toned wooden furniture for a warm contemporary feel, and large floor-to-ceiling windows allowing some natural light to shine through.

While the room was a lovely space and immaculately clean, it doesn’t have the air of opulence or grandeur one would expect of a 5-Star hotel.

The colour palate of light greys and beige wood felt like a stylistically safe choice, and the furnishings weren’t bold or edgy either, except the downlights above the bed and the nooks built into the extended bedboard which, while creative, were functionally awkward.

In the inner corner, there was a bench-wardrobe furniture combo that provided adequate space for placing belongings. However, probably only a weekend’s worth of clothes could fit in the wardrobe, but that would be sufficient for most guests.

Concealed underneath were the minibar and a stocked drawer full of snacks, while above the bench was a narrow mirror and a glass shelf which was a nice touch.

Along the right-hand side was another combination piece, but this time it was for a desk, TV and an in-built seat.

It’s a complimentary slab of furniture, which provides more open and concealed space to put your stuff, but why does every hotel always seem to have the TV in a weird position?

All of this makes the room feel more like a 4-star hotel which was a bit disappointing given the cost of accommodating here per night.

Bathroom.

The bathroom was also spacious and prominently featured emerald green marble tiles along the walls and floors, which gave a luxuriously elegant feel befitting of a 5-star hotel.

The large wall-to-wall mirror above the sink added to the high-end feel and made the room appear larger, but at the same time, it felt a little out of place.

There wasn’t a lot of bench space to put toiletries and other belongings, but the built-in bath was a good size and had a safety rail to assist in getting in and out.

The shower, however, while of modest size and felt high-end thanks to those stunning tiles, had a small shower head, which was not befitting of the Sofitel’s upscale status. But the frosted door to enter the bathroom was a nice sophisticated touch.

View.

The room featured a cosy south-east-facing balcony that had gorgeous views overlooking the skyscrapers of downtown Broadbeach, including the Wave Resort and ULTIQUA Air On Broadbeach, and a sweeping panorama of the ocean.

Something I liked about the balcony was that it was angled in such a way that the late afternoon sunlight was just out of eyeshot so as not to hinder the spectacular visual of the Gold Coast skyline and coastline, but was also in a great position so that we could enjoy watching the sun rise over the ocean and do some whale watching.

Sofitel Broadbeach Restaurants & Menu.

Bistro On3.

Sofitel Broadbeach has two restaurants, Bistro On3 and Room 81 as well as TC’s Bar and Gaming Lounge.

It has a wide range of typically western brekky food such as toast, croissants, fermented animal secretions, muesli, strips of pig flesh, scrap muscle and fat in intestinal casings and a selection of fruit.

So while it does have a selection that accommodates different culinary diets, there are no signs to help people distinguish what is suitable for them without asking, so for people with allergies and restrictions beware.

The restaurant itself is spacious and has large floor-to-ceiling windows allowing plenty of natural light into the area. It also overlooks the luxurious pool deck.

Room 81.

Room 81 is Sofitel’s high-end dining establishment featuring classic French cuisines with a modern twist and using local ingredients where possible. 

It also hosts specialty dinners such as for Valentine’s Day.

I did not personally eat at Room 81, but the Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach restaurant doesn’t include a menu that I could see where you can see what they are serving and whether they are suitable for you if you have allergies or special dietary requirements.

TC’s Bar & Gaming Lounge.

Last is TC’s Bar and Gaming Lounge located on the ground floor of the hotel.

The overall design of the space was upscale and sophisticated and with spectacular blue panels featured as a splashback behind the bottles and lining the underside of the bar, it was not unlike something you’d see out of a film.

Although my partner and I don’t have a lot of alcohol, as ALL – Accor Live Limitless Members, we receive a free drink each at hotels that have a bar to get a beer, wine or soft drink

When we went there, there were not many people even though it was a Saturday night and I enjoyed that it was quieter and I could savour the experience more as that is what I have a tendency to enjoy more.

Sofitel Broadbeach Pool & Spa.

Sofitel Broadbeach’s pool deck is a luxurious, open-aired resort-style space that was befitting of its 5-star status.

It featured two sizeable, split-level, side-by-side pools, one built-in triangular spa and several deck chairs under white canopies and looked modern, and sophisticated and had a fantastic wow factor. That was before we knew the pools lit up blue at night, which made it even more impressive.

Visiting in August on a lightly overcast day, the pool’s temperature can best be described as refreshing. It was on the cold side, and not pleasant enough to stay for more than a few minutes, but that time of year is usually a bit cold for swimming.

The spa however was perfection. It was suitably hot, but never scoldingly so. And it stayed that way. A peeve of mine is that oftentimes the spa feels like it goes cold after a few minutes, but not this one. We were in there for a long time and were never cold. It also has a switch for bubbles and jets which were well utilised. The only thing we didn’t like was the cigarette butt that was floating in it.

Parking At Sofitel Broadbeach.

Sofitel has secure underground parking that comes at an additional cost.

You can opt to self-park, which is $25 a night, or have a valet park your car for $55 a night.

We chose to self-park and found the layout of the car park to be very peculiar. It’s hard to describe but it doesn’t have the typical layout of any other parking place we’ve seen where the spaces are side by side. These are, in places, more random.

Like there’s one area where there are parking spaces in the middle with a low-angled ceiling and cars going to the lower levels go on one side and vehicles coming up go on the other.

It’s very odd and it’s obvious they had to work around the building, but it was never so bizarre we couldn’t figure it out at any point.

And I also can’t recall correctly as we drive conventional cars if the ceiling is low in some places. But if you have, or are hiring a taller vehicle, you may want to phone the hotel and ask to make sure they can accommodate you in that regard.

Another thing to note is that the hotel’s porte cochere is only accessible by driving south along Surf Parade due to an unbroken island separating the different directions of traffic. Luckily there’s a roundabout both north and south of the hotel as well as on the eastern side of Charles Avenue if you miss it.

Staff.

The staff at Sofitel Gold Coast were excellent, friendly and courteous and we have no complaints about them.

Nearby Attractions.

The Sofitel hotel in Broadbeach is conveniently located within walking distance of numerous tourist attractions.

For starters, the Kurrawa Beach/ Broadbeach is just 500m away and goes through Kurrawa Park, which is a great place to have a picnic, BBQ or play.

In the other direction, the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre is only 450m away, The Star Casino is 600m away, and Dracula’s, the home of the famous adult cabaret, is a mere 750m away.

Nearby Shops.

Sofitel is on the same block as the Oasis Shopping Centre, which has Woolworths (grocery store), Priceline Pharmacy and a BWS (Liquor Store).

It makes it very easy to get ingredients if you want to use the kitchen if you booked a suite or want to have a BBQ or picnic at Kurrawa Park, or grab some bottles of alcohol for some adult fun and a few painkillers for the hangover after.

Nearby Restaurants.

There are numerous restaurants featuring various cuisines from around the world within short walking distance of the Sofitel Hotel.

My boyfriend and I particularly enjoyed the Asian offerings at Siam Purity inside the Pacific Fair Shopping Centre and not just because our food was delivered by a robot. But it certainly made it more interesting and unique!

Public Transport & Accessibility To Other Attractions.

The Sofitel hotel is very accessible to other attractions in the city thanks to its proximity to two forms of public transport.

The Surf Parade at Broadbeach Mall bus stop is opposite the hotel’s porte cochere.

A bit further away, the Gold Coast’s tram service, the G:Link stops at the North Broadbeach station right outside the Convention and Exhibition Centre 350m down the road.

From there, you can reach plenty of the city’s other iconic attractions, including the tourist hotspot Cavill Mall and Skypoint (the Surfers Paradise Tram stop is right in front of it.) and Broadwater Parklands.

The G:Link also meets up with the train service at Helensvale, making getting to and from Brisbane a breeze.

Our overall impressions of staying at Sofitel Broadbeach were that it has an air of elegance, but was lacking in some areas, most notably the bedroom, which felt more in line with a 4-star hotel rather than the grandeur one would expect from 5-star accommodation.

However, the bathroom was lovely, and the view of Broadbeach and the ocean was amazing. But the best part of the hotel was the pool and spa, especially at night, where the blue lighting illuminated the space and felt so sensual and romantic.

As it is rated the highest level of luxury afforded to hotels, it has a high price point per night and is, therefore, the most worthwhile if you stay there from the moment check-in is available to the latest you can check out.

But as ALL – Accor Live Limitless Members, we get member discounts making it a little more affordable.

Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach is a romantic 5-star French-inspired hotel that is most suitable for couples looking for a romantic weekend away.

It’s also a great place to stay for special occasions, such as Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, wedding nights and honeymoons as they have spacious grand rooms and suites and feature large wall-to-wall windows that capitalise on that epic ocean view.

They also have larger rooms that sleep up to six, making it appeal to those looking for luxury accommodation for a bachelor or bachelorette party or for wedding guests.

Sofitel Gold Coast Broadbeach is a luxurious 5-star hotel located close to the heart of the Gold Coast and is a great place for couples looking to enjoy a romantic weekend together.

If you plan to visit the Gold Coast, consider looking at these other posts.

• Best Gold Coast Beaches To Discover. (Family, Hidden & Dog Friendly.)
• Best Gold Coast Lookouts In The City & Hinterland.
• Best Springbrook National Park Walks, Lookouts & Waterfalls.
• Best Things To Do On The Gold Coast.
• Best Gold Coast Adrenaline Adventures.
• When Is The Best Time To Visit The Gold Coast?
• Tallebudgera Creek Beach: Everything About The Gold Coast’s Favourite Beach.

Make getting ready for your next trip easy with an everyday packing list.

Send it to me!

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.

Built with ConvertKit