This year our family spent Christmas a little differently and flew to the Gold Coast to stay at Paradise Resort!
After many years of hosting Christmas and it often becoming stressful and overwhelming we felt this year would be a great opportunity to escape the chaos and have it as just the four of us.
I had my eye on Paradise Resort for some time after seeing it flash across Instagram and also when doing general research of great places to visit with kids. It looked amazing from the photos and the reviews were great and I felt like it would be the perfect place for my kids age group, 6 & 2 because there was so much to entertain them. PLUS, the kids club was obviously a huge draw-card because Chance and I never get a minute alone and what better way to do it than whilst on holiday.
Accommodation:
I booked a few months in advance on their website as they often have deals of 25% off for more than 2 or 3 nights as well as other special offers. Our deal came with a complimentary kid’s club session per day (bonus!) and I think most offers on the website will give you this but not if you book externally. I actually misread and thought it was only one complimentary session for our entire stay but it is actually per day which is awesome.
We booked the standard resort room which came with a Queen bed, single bed and a porta-cot for Leo. However, next time we will definitely book a bigger apartment/second room as Leo just did not sleep having us in all in together. The rooms are small and basic but clean with a lovely little balcony looking out to giant skyscrapers. They don’t have a microwave or any cooking utensils in the kitchen aside from the kettle, some drinking glasses and some tea and coffee sachets which is standard with a lot of accommodation but just so you’re prepared! You can hire a microwave from reception though and we have included more hire items below.
We arrived to a box of Cadbury Roses on our bed and a cute card thanking us for our stay which I felt was such a great touch and something that should be done more often.
They are also building new apartments right next door with access to the resort so there’ll be more options for rooms soon.
Activities:
Upon checking in, the lady gave us some brochures of things that were happening at the resort whilst on our stay. The list of activities, times and where they were happening was extremely helpful for planning out our days. From 8am in the morning in to late at night there was always something going on which made it so exciting for the kids. Some of the things we got to do were watch magic shows, make cookies, do aqua-classes in the pool, meet Santa and heaps more. In the evening they had “adults only” sessions which included cocktail tasting and quizzes, live music and other trivia fun. Most of the activities were free of charge whilst some had a small charge if you wanted to do things a bit more advanced like teddy-bear making or ice-skating (yes, they have an ice-skating rink!!).
I would look over the list with Finn the night before and we would decide what he was interested in and then go the next day. On Christmas Eve they put on Christmas carols which I loved followed by an outdoor Christmas movie and on Christmas Day they had lots to make it special for the kids including cookie decorating, a colouring competition, trivia and meeting Santa and his elf.
Food & Drink:
To be honest we could have eaten at the resort our entire stay but we went out exploring a bit and ate out. You can charge everything back to your room which is what we did (it may give you a fright at the end) but was much easier when pool-side and without your wallet or cash on hand.
The resort has a great Poolside bar & cafe that is open from early morning until late and offers a full breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks menu (dine-in & takeaway) as well as a juice bar where you can get all sorts of healthy smoothies & juices and Acai bowls! (my favourite). There’s also a cabinet with sandwich options, salads, fresh fruit and cakes.
There is also The Bistro which is open for breakfast and dinner and serves a more extensive dining menu set in a retro 50’s style atmosphere. They have a great cocktail menu (even kid’s cocktails!) and plenty of other alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverage options.
Aside from these two main eating options there is a Splashes Mini-Mart which is stocked with grocery items that you often need or forget like milk, cheese, bread as well as things like nappies, sunscreen, hats, towels and alcohol. It is open from 8.30am until 5.30pm.
Lastly, if you’re wanting to really make it a home away from home you can cook your own food in Dusty’s BBQ area near the playground and watch the kids play as you prepare your feast (this was popular on Christmas Day).
The food was all well-priced and tasted great. There are so many options available that cater to everyone’s preference so no-one will be left out.
Some options we had and loved: big breakfast, Acai bowl, crunchy beer-battered chips ( my favourite), the pizzas and trio of dips. Midori Slice cocktail & Toblerone were the absolute bomb and the daiquiris (especially the mango) were delicious as well and perfect for the hot days by the pool.
Facilities:
There is so much on site to entertain the kids from outdoor to indoor activities that you really don’t have to leave your entire stay.
We visited in summer and I would say it is the best time as we spent most of our time outdoors in the pools and water-parks.
There are two water-parks. The main one is for kids aged 5+ and features a heap of slides, water cannons, climbing frames and a huge giant buckets that empties every few minutes covering everyone one in 600 litres of water. There is also a smaller water-park for the little ones which is a bit more gentle.
The main pool is a decent size but does get quite busy as that’s where the adults usually go to cool down and then there’s a spa right beside it that you are able to take the kids in to as well up until 7pm. There is also an “adults only” spa down the back behind the main water-park which is quite secluded and peaceful and the perfect opportunity for some quiet time with your other half while the kiddies are in kid’s club.
Surrounding the pools are sun-beds which are mostly shaded and you’ll need to pick your spot early in the busy times of year as they fill up quickly as people spend most of their day poolside.
Kid’s Club:
We used it twice and would have done more if we stayed longer because it is a great opportunity for us to have a rare moment together whilst they kids are having a blast. There is two areas, one for the older kids and one for the under two’s which Leo went too. Finn took a while to warm up but loved it by his second time there and wanted to go back and Leo had tonnes of fun in the ball pit and playing outside. You book in your sessions on an iPad outside of the club prior and your complimentary session is either over lunch or from 4pm-8pm which is the one we used. This gave us a chance to have dinner together and a few cheeky drinks. We always picked the kids up early because we are big sooks and missed them and also didn’t want them to sleep too late but they also offer late night sessions until 11pm which would be a great chance to go out and explore the Gold Coast a bit as well (for next time 😉
Other facilities include an indoor jungle gym, a games room with Pinball machines and Mario Kart, an outside playground and upstairs a ice-skating rink!
Overall. we had such a wonderful stay at Paradise Resort and loved how well thought out the place is in terms of keeping kids entertained but also looking after those tired parents. It is not a 5 star hotel so you can’t expect it to be extravagant but it is a load of fun and a great way to spend a holiday with your family without having to go anywhere.
We look forward to returning one day again soon and making even more use of that kid’s club 😉
Some top tips/info for your stay:
-There is underground car-parking for $15 per day or outdoor parking about a 3 minute walk away for $5 a day which is what we did.
-You all have to wear a wristband your entire stay to show that you are a part of the resort.
-You can hire items like strollers, microwaves, high chairs and car seats all from reception at a great price.
-The resort has laundry services, but you do pay $5 for each thing you use so for washing, drying and then laundry powder also (essentially $15 per wash)
-There is an ATM on site at reception and a machine that changes your notes to coins for the games machines & laundry.
-Paradise Resort is super close to Surfers Paradise main beach front and not far at all from supermarkets and shopping areas.
For more information, head to their website at www.paradiseresort.com.au.
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