Woodroffe Hotel Review: What It’s Like Staying At Southport’s 4-Star Hotel.

Privacy Policy

LOOKING FOR AN IN-DEPTH REVIEW OF SOUTHPORT’S WOODROFFE HOTEL?

The Gold Coast is a vibrant seaside city with a wide range of attractions for everyone. No wonder it’s one of Australia’s bucket list destinations. For as many things as it has to do, there are seemingly just as many hotels to stay at to complement your visit, which makes choosing the right one for you hard.

But if you’re looking for somewhere affordable to stay in the northern part of the city, the Woodroffe Hotel is a solid place worth considering.

Woodroffe Hotel Review
The Woodroffe Hotel.

Disclosure: This review is a non-sponsored post based on my stay at the Woodroffe Hotel in June 2021. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Location.

The Woodroffe Hotel is in an excellent location. It lies in Southport, which, while one of the Gold Coast’s best-known coastal suburbs, isn’t crazy busy like Surfers Paradise or even Broadbeach but is still close to the action and makes driving there significantly less challenging.

It’s also within walking distance of several modes of public transport, making it easy to get around the city and is within walking distance of a few other great attractions. (More on that in the Nearby Attractions and Public Transport and Accessibility To Other Attractions section of this post.

👉 Woodroffe Hotel Contact Information.
Tel: 07 5655 0465, E-mail: reservations@woodroffehotel.com.au.

Woodroffe Hotel Rooms.

Room Types.

There are 103 contemporary rooms at the Woodroffe Hotel. They can sleep up to 4 people each.

  • King Room. – Sleeps 2.
  • Twin Room. – Sleeps 2.
  • Deluxe Double Room. – Sleeps 2.
  • Deluxe Triple Room. – Sleeps 3.
  • King & Twin Room. – Sleeps 3.
  • Family Room/ Wheelchair-Accessible Room – Sleeps 4.
Booking.com

King Room With Ocean View. – 610.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10.

Room 610 was a king room with an ocean view and shared the building’s same colour exterior colour palette of white and soft grey in a beautifully presented and clean room.

While the modern styling of clean lines and neutral tones impressed, the size was noticeably absent of space. It was cramped and confining, especially between the bed and the opposite and adjacent left wall. There was more room on the other side of the bed for luggage, but moving around the room meant stepping over my stuff to get to other areas.

At first glance, there wasn’t even a bag chair that’s usually standard in a room, but upon further inspection, it was hiding behind the curtains. It was nice to have my backpack off the floor, but it meant even less space for my larger bag.

There was also no closet. Instead, there was a rack artfully placed across the top of the mirror, which for a short stay wasn’t too bothersome.

The full-length mirror was a good addition to the room, but because there was so little space between the bed and the wall, I had to lean across the side of the bed to see myself in it entirely.

Speaking of the bed, while it was comfortable, it was supposed to be a king-sized bed, but it ended up being two single beds put together. I didn’t notice at the beginning. It was only after I slept in them and they slightly came apart, did I realize.

Lastly, the TV said that there was no signal. Around the back, there were loose stripped wires and nothing I could see to fix it.

Woodroffe Hotel Review - 610
The room was nice but tiny.
Woodroffe Hotel Review - 610
There was no wardrobe, only this rack.
Woodroffe Hotel Review - 610
The most space was on the far side.
Woodroffe Hotel Review - 610
The TV had no signal. The mirror was in an awkward place.

Bathroom.

Rating: 7 out of 10.

The bathroom was a lovely modern space of reasonable size. The large mirror took up half the wall and made the room appear larger and the shelf extending across the bottom of it provided sufficient space for belongings.

Unfortunately, it has no lip and goes across the top of the toilet, so you need to be mindful of having the toilet lid closed so you wouldn’t accidentally knock anything into the drink.

The shower has a glaring design flaw. It has no door. That’s not always a problem, but because it’s not a big enough space and the glass only went halfway, a lot of water splashed into the other areas of the bathroom.

Woodroffe Hotel Review - 610 Bathroom
The bathroom was lovely,
Woodroffe Hotel Review - 610 Bathroom
But the glass for the doorless shower was way too small.

View.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

Room 610 has lovely distant views looking towards the ocean. And because it wasn’t right in the heart of sky-rise territory, it wasn’t looking at the sides of buildings or into neighbouring hotel rooms.

Instead, it looked over the low buildings of Southport, while to the right, were the Gold Coasts’ iconic highrises.

On the extreme left was the popular shopping centre, Australia Fair, which is easy to spot thanks to its unusual shape designed to resemble the bridge of a cruise ship.

Unfortunately, the window didn’t open, which was a downer.

However, a smaller window above the main one could be opened a small amount, but not enough to let the fresh sea breeze in, which would have been nice.

Woodroffe Hotel Review - View
Views looking towards the ocean.
Woodroffe Hotel Review - View
And towards the city.
Woodroffe Hotel Review - View
Australia Fair was visible on the far left.
Woodroffe Hotel Review - View
The skyrises could be seen from the window at the end of the hallway.

Woodroffe Facilities.

Reception.

Rating: 8 out of 10.

The reception at the Woodroffe Hotel had crisp, clean lines and modern stylings with warm beige wood tones giving the hotel a welcoming atmosphere.

While there were a handful of stairs to climb to reach the reception level, wheelchair users could utilize the small lift as there was no ramp, although anyone else who struggled for any other reason with their baggage was discouraged from using it as per the sign.

Also in the reception area was a small cafe and lounging area where you could read up on the tourist attractions around town.

Woodroffe Hotel Parking.

The Woodroffe Hotel has secure underground parking which has an additional fee.

Alternatively, guests can park their cars on the street. Green Street has free all-day parking, whereas White Street is paid during the day, but free at night.

It can get busy around the hotel at night as people head back to rest, so come late, parking is typically slightly more difficult, but you can usually get a parking spot a little further away.

Just be sure to check the times so you know when to move your vehicle if you are on a street that has paid daytime parking.

Staff.

The staff were lovely. Checking in and out was smooth and fast.

One of the only issues I had was understanding the receptionist who spoke softly and had a slight accent which made understanding them a little challenging.

While I was out, I received a text from the hotel letting me know a kind stranger found my key card and handed it back in.

Notifying them of my gratitude and that I’d be back late they replied, “No problem. Your key card will be in the safe.”

When I got back, the hotel door wasn’t open. Fair enough, but the safe wasn’t on the outside and I couldn’t see a telecom device or anything either.

Thankfully, some other folks staying at the hotel came back before long and I was able to get back inside with them and retrieve my keycard from the safe at reception. I don’t know what I would have done if those people didn’t come when they did but that needs fixing.

Nearby Attractions.

An easy 1km walk east from the Woodroffe Hotel is the Broadwater Parklands, a large park that lines the Gold Coast Seaway and is perfect for splashing around in the sheltered waters of the Nerang River in the warmer months.

If you want to level up your aquatic activities, there is the GC Aqua Park, an inflatable world full of slides and other obstacles, which is great fun for the whole family.

The parklands also have a fantastic playground perfect for days when the kids don’t want to get wet, and shallow rockpools for when they do.

It’s also a fantastic spot to enjoy a picnic, making it an excellent place to burn a few hours.

Nearby Shops.

There are plenty of shops near the Woodroffe Hotel. The most notable is the large shopping centre Australia Fair, less than a 700m walk away and its smaller neighbour Australia Fair Metro, so guests can access a fantastic variety of shops if they want some retail therapy.

Nearby Restaurants.

The Woodroffe Hotel has numerous restaurants within a short walking or driving distance thanks to its proximity to Australia Fair, Australia Metro and Chinatown.

My favourite restaurant nearby is the Kuan Yin Tea House which provides a delicious array of predominantly Taiwanese food. Chef’s kiss.

For even more food offerings, the Vegan Markets are often held at the Great Lawn at Broadwater Parklands or across the road on Nerang Street.

They are typically at either location once a month, so if you’re in town when they are on, they have amazing plant-based eats. The Caloundra Tacos from Holy Taco are particularly divine. I want them every time I go.

👉 Follow this link to see when the Vegan Markets are in Southport Next.

Public Transport & Accessibility To Other Attractions.

The Woodroffe Hotel is in an excellent location for public transport.

It’s a 300m walk to the Broadbeach South tram stop providing excellent access to many of the city’s major attractions, including Australia Fair, Cavill Mall, Q1, the Star Casino, the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre and Dracula’s Cabaret, to name a few.

The tram also goes to Helensvale, where it meets with the Gold Coast railway line, making access to and from Brisbane a breeze. The train also stops near the theme parks: MovieWorld, Wet ‘n’ Wild, Dreamworld and White Water World.

Buses also stop at the Broadbeach South stop making getting to more parts of the city even easier.

Furthermore, at the Broadwater Parklands, you can catch a HOPO ferry, a water service that takes passengers across the northern parts of the Gold Coast Seaway to several popular destinations, including Surfers Paradise and SeaWorld.

Note: The trains, trams (G:Link) and buses are government services and all use GoCards, whereas HOPO is a private company so you’ll have to purchase a separate ticket to cruise with them.

👉 Click here for a map of the G:Link Tram Route or here for the HOPO service.

Overall Impressions/ Value For Money.

Staying at the Woodroffe Hotel was satisfactory. It was modern, clean and aesthetically pleasing, but sizewise, it was confining.

For a short time, it was tolerable, but for staying longer, I think the lack of space would be bothersome, especially if you have larger bags. There’s just very little space to put them.

People who travel light and are used to smaller spaces won’t be so concerned by the room’s size, but I think most people would be as it’s always nice to come back at the end of the day and have room to spread out.

Overall, despite the small size of the room, the value for money is reasonable given that it’s a hotel in one of the most popular suburbs of the Gold Coast and the accessibility to public transport is fantastic.

Woodroffe Hotel Review
The hotel was reasonably priced but small.

Who Would The Woodroffe Hotel Appeal To?

The Woodroffe Hotel is most suitable for light packers looking for an affordable place to stay without all the frills but close to public transport.

Woodroffe Hotel Review
The hotel is great for people who don’t have much baggage and want easy access to the city.

Conclusion: Woodroffe Hotel Review.

The Woodroffe Hotel has had several things that may be problematic for some people. But it’s also got some great things going for it, such as its location and closeness to public transport.

It all depends on what you value more for your stay. Do you prefer somewhere that’s convenient and has sufficient access to the city, or would you rather have a spacious place that is roomy and functional?

If it’s the former, the Woodroffe Hotel is an excellent option for your Gold Coast adventure.

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

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

    We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe at anytime.