Marriott Vacation Club At Surfers Paradise

“Pluses and minuses”

Great location—very near tram which takes you to many choices of stores, eateries, etc. Staff was great; polite and responsive to needs. Resort is beautiful but I do question how well it’s being maintained. We were in a studio which is one of the smallest units we’ve ever stayed in. There was no… more

Great location—very near tram which takes you to many choices of stores, eateries, etc. Staff was great; polite and responsive to needs. Resort is beautiful but I do question how well it’s being maintained. We were in a studio which is one of the smallest units we’ve ever stayed in. There was no dresser & only three tiny drawers in the wardrobe. You could probably hang 8 items or so in the closet/wardrobe so we pretty much lived out of our suitcases while there. With a sofa bed, this room in theory sleeps 4, but I don’t see how! The “kitchenette” consisted of a fridge, small microwave, dishwasher, & sink. They also provided a coffee maker & toaster as well as silverware and place settings. There is virtually no workspace & the two person table is at the other end of the room. It’s almost impossible to do more than warm up leftovers or do microwave popcorn. The first night the phone in our room did not work, making it impossible to communicate with the front desk or anyone else. They resolved that issue with a new phone, which solved the problem. The light in our refrigerator didn’t work. They also replaced that, but it was burned out again the next day. Engineering said there was a short and that nothing could be done about it so we lived with no overhead lighting in the kitchen area & a dark refrigerator. Not good! The next day our dishwasher wouldn’t work, but engineering was able to fix it. No paper towels were provided. When I asked for some, I was told they were out! Unbelievable! My final complaint is with the laundry room, and I use the word “room” loosely! The space is so small a person can’t go in it & shut the door! I had to stand in the doorway to put clothes in or out of the stackable washer and dryer. It was nice to have the free laundry facilities, but what a ridiculous set up! As I said previously, this is a beautiful hotel, but just not up to the standards one would expect.

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“Great rooms and facilities but some shortcomings”

We loved the newly renovated rooms - they are nicer than official pictures on the hotel website, and they look more like a luxury hotel room than a vacation club unit. Actually, the whole hotel is renovated so the facilities are all nice, including the gym with all new equipment and the common area… more

We loved the newly renovated rooms - they are nicer than official pictures on the hotel website, and they look more like a luxury hotel room than a vacation club unit. Actually, the whole hotel is renovated so the facilities are all nice, including the gym with all new equipment and the common areas which are modern and upscale. The pools are great as everyone knows. You can expect a very good hard product here. Some shortcomings with the soft products though -first, we did not like the food. Breakfast was chaotic and I felt the quality of the offerings could be better (also, real coffees are not included in the price). Dinner was disappointing too. High prices and pretty looking dishes but somehow a letdown. Service at the hotel could have been better - for example there was a duplicate charge on our folio which we had to bring to the front desk's attention to get removed. Also, we called for help with the baggage but after 30 min no one showed up so we just dragged the stuff down ourselves. If anyone is wondering whether to choose the JW side or the vacation club side - can't see any reason to pay more for the JW! If anything, the mini kitchen in the vacation club rooms make them better.

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“Great Hotel - Terrible Restaurants”

While the property itself was beautiful and our room very nice with a great view of the amazing pool and incredible ocean. The restaurant options in the hotel, the pool bar excluded, were absolutely terrible. Beyond bad in fact, so much so that many people were heard complaining. And, yes with us… more

While the property itself was beautiful and our room very nice with a great view of the amazing pool and incredible ocean. The restaurant options in the hotel, the pool bar excluded, were absolutely terrible. Beyond bad in fact, so much so that many people were heard complaining. And, yes with us complaining also. Other than. The food however a really great place with friendly staff and a great cocktail bar.

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