Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Gold Coast

“Higher-quality Sheraton!”

Easter this year took place during our trip to Australia. We spent three days on the Gold Coast, at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Gold Coast. It is located next to Main Beach and 2 km from Surfers Paradise Beach. Like its sister resort, the Grand Mirage in Port Douglas, this is an older property… more

Easter this year took place during our trip to Australia. We spent three days on the Gold Coast, at the Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort Gold Coast. It is located next to Main Beach and 2 km from Surfers Paradise Beach. Like its sister resort, the Grand Mirage in Port Douglas, this is an older property. However, it is much better maintained, with some areas such as rooms and corridors renovated, giving it a more luxurious, appealing, and modern feel. The pool areas, however, are in need of refurbishment. It is worth noting that during the Easter period the resort was full of entire families spending the holiday there, with many hyperactive children who seemed particularly fond of shouting… Check-in was quick and efficient, and we were assigned a larger room (#2026) with a partial ocean view. As loyal members, we were offered unlimited soft drinks, tea, and coffee throughout our stay. There was no welcome letter in the room. The room itself was spacious, with a comfortable king bed, although the sheets had to be straightened by us every night. The bathroom featured a old whirlpool bathtub, a single washbasin, and full bath amenities, including mouthwash and bath salts. The air conditioning worked well, and the sitting area within the room provided comfortable seating for two. There was complimentary coffee in the room, and water was available from dispensers located along the corridors leading to the rooms, similar to what we had experienced at the sister resort. We used the hotel pool, where there were sun loungers available. There was also access to the public beach, which is no longer managed by the resort. The pool area was consistently overcrowded (Easter holidays). The pool bar served food and drinks, and there was also a kiosk dedicated exclusively to Moët & Chandon champagne. However, on Good Friday, due to Queensland state law, access to alcoholic beverages was limited. From time to time, complimentary slices of watermelon and some ice creams were offered to guests—a nice touch. We had dinner once at the Terraces Restaurant, where the seafood buffet was worthwhile, although the restaurant felt more like a canteen and was completely full (Easter holidays). Nevertheless, the service was efficient and the seafood was of good quality and plentiful. The breakfast buffet at the same restaurant was also consistently overcrowded, with long queues, but offered a wide variety of good-quality food, as well as several types of juice, some freshly made. It was a pity that the experience was affected by the noise and the number of children. The experience at the Pearls Bar was less positive. Service was slow and inattentive. On one occasion, we waited about an hour for two Margaritas. We had to complain, and they eventually arrived and were offered on the house due to the inconvenience. Food and drink prices are high, and during holiday periods, as was the case, an additional 15% service charge was applied. In summary, this is a higher-quality Sheraton compared to the brand’s usual standard, with a few minor issues to resolve, but offering excellent value for money.

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“Great Points Stay--Bonvoy Does Proud”

We had an outstanding points redemption stay at this property. For context, we traveled with two large suitcases for a several week trip Down Under. This shaped our view of room sizes and bathroom counter space. Also, we stayed just after a major holiday and believe occupancy was fairly low. … more

We had an outstanding points redemption stay at this property. For context, we traveled with two large suitcases for a several week trip Down Under. This shaped our view of room sizes and bathroom counter space. Also, we stayed just after a major holiday and believe occupancy was fairly low. Nevertheless, every aspect of our stay was simply outstanding. Things we liked: - Breakfast buffet (free to Marriott Platinum or better)! We’ve stayed at a handful of big brand, 5-star hotels in Australia. This was the best of them all in both diverse offerings, and quality of the food. Just wonderful. And the property offers it as the breakfast perk for Marriott elites—none of the cheap games you see at USA Sheratons (we’re looking at you Sheraton in Hawaii). - Wonderful staff throughout. So friendly and helpful. - Great room. Pretty sure we were upgraded without the front desk making a big thing about it. Very large room and fancy bathroom with plenty of counter space. I would call ours a “partial ocean view”; objectively, maybe a few rooms on the third floor can see over the berm and shrubbery guarding the beach; most do not. Most rooms focus on the pool and pond areas of the resort, which are quite appealing. - An ice machine (which seems rare in Australia lodging)! And how about water dispensers for your water bottle with a choice of sparkling, cold, or ambient water. - Management has apparently trained about half a dozen Rainbow Lorikeets to hang out in the trees just beyond the back fenceline (OK, it’s just dumb luck), but so cool. - The property is fairly isolated by Gold Coast Standards and is definitely not among the high rises. Other notes: - We booked all of this on a 35k Bonvoy certificate with a small buy up. At that price range, it’s a bargain. - Parking is $25 AUD/day. - In addition to the hotel’s food service, there is a fairly high-end group of restaurants across the street. They appeared nice; we ate elsewhere. - Overall upkeep is good, not perfect. There are some bumps and bruises in some finishes. The team was working on those, probably since the busy season had just ended. Nothing that impacted our stay, yet some very picky clients might care. We loved this place. It reminded us of Sheraton pre-Marriott/Bonvoy—all the standards of the brand and top tier loyalty perks in the Starwood heyday.

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“Tired”

Ok resort. Rooms were big with lots of storage, big wardrobe, sideboard, drawers. The food was pretty good across the board with the exception of the coffee which was terrible. It's a little dated and need of an upgrade. Public areas and rooms both need work. There's a slightly damp smell in … more

Ok resort. Rooms were big with lots of storage, big wardrobe, sideboard, drawers. The food was pretty good across the board with the exception of the coffee which was terrible. It's a little dated and need of an upgrade. Public areas and rooms both need work. There's a slightly damp smell in the hallways. The to air conditioner rattled loudly during my stay, but not loud enough to keep me awake at night. Noise transfer between the rooms was quite bad ( there were times I was happy for the rattling air con to drown out the voices).

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