Queensland · Australia
Where to stay in Gold Coast
Gold Coast is a city in Queensland, Australia, home to about 608,000 people. This guide covers 3 aparthotels in Gold Coast.
- Places to stay in this guide
- 3
- Best months
- July to September
- Nearest airport
- OOL20 km · Gold Coast Airport
- Currency
- AUDAustralian dollar
- Time zone
- Australia/Brisbane
- Language
- Auslan, Australian English, English
About
About Gold Coast
The Gold Coast, also known by its initials, GC, is a coastal city and region in the state of Queensland, Australia, located approximately 66 kilometres (41 mi) south-southeast of the centre of the state capital, Brisbane. It is on the central eastern coast of Australia adjoining the Pacific Ocean.
The Gold Coast is a large urban area with a population of 720,000, the largest non-state capital in Australia. Most visitors perceive the Gold Coast as a long thin strip of modern high-rise buildings next to seemingly endless beaches, although the city itself extends far inland to the hills of the Scenic Rim. Surfers Paradise, towards the northern end, is the main hub of the leisure activity. There is a huge choice of hotels, restaurants, tourist shops and tourist experiences to be found.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Gold Coast
See
There are over 52 km of ocean beaches maintained by the local council. In addition to this there are (largely un-patrolled) ocean beaches in the Tweed Shire of Northern NSW and numerous waterway beaches.
Do
The Gold Coast region is big on theme parks. During peak season expect them all to be quite busy. Before you go, investigate ticket discounts for combined travel and entry, multi-park and multi-day passes. Members of Australian motoring associations can purchase discounted tickets from them before you travel.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Places to stay in Gold Coast
3 places to stay from the chains this guide covers, each linked to its own website.
| Place to stay |
|---|
| Meriton Suites Broadbeach aparthotel |
| Meriton Suites Southport aparthotel |
| Meriton Suites Surfers Paradise aparthotel |
When to go
The best time to visit Gold Coast
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Gold Coast are July to September. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 28 °C; February is the wettest, with about 208 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Gold Coast: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Gold Coast Airport (OOL), about 20 km from the city centre in a straight line; Brisbane International Airport (BNE, 76 km) and Lismore Airport (LSY, 92 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Gold Coast Airport (OOL) is widely known as Coolangatta Airport, even though it is in Bilinga. It may be unique in the world in that, because it straddles the NSW and Queensland borders, you land in one state and arrive in another. It is a fairly small terminal but handles around 3.5 million passengers per year with frequent connections from major Australian cities and some international flights from New Zealand and Asia. It is not a 24-hour airport and closes at night, so don't plan on spending the night before an early morning flight. It is around 30 minutes drive to Surfers Paradise.
Getting around
Translink is responsible for all trains, buses, ferries and trams in South East Queensland and regional urban buses. The website and app can be used to plan a journey, including full navigation and real time updates. Apple Maps and Google Maps provide a similar experience. A 50-cent flat fare applies to any journey, regardless of mode or distance, with a limit of 3 transfers. The only exception is an Airtrain journey to or from Brisbane Airport which costs $22.30 (June 2025), with a 15% discount for booking online. Refer to the website for other discounted fares.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
OOL · Gold Coast Airport
BNE · Brisbane International Airport
LSY · Lismore Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Gold Coast
Eat
The back arcades of Surfers Paradise have dozens of cheap Japanese and Korean "lunchbox" style restaurants and the quality is usually excellent, not to mention the price (less than $15 for a large main meal). A variety of quick eats is available in the mall off Cavill Avenue. A highlight for vegetarians is Govinda's Veg-O-Rama in the mall. Tedder Avenue in Main Beach and the Broadbeach area have the largest concentration of restaurants and cafés with food ranging from gourmet seafood to pub fare. Expect to pay $20–50 for a main meal. At most of the restaurants, you can bring your own alcohol.
Drink
Try a local surf club for a cheap beer with a great view, you'll find one or two in every beachside suburb of the Gold Coast. They're generally right in front of the beach their members patrol and serve deliciously affordable food and drinks. The fish doesn't actually get much fresher. Broadbeach and Surfers Paradise offer the biggest choice of bars, clubs, and cafes, and you can order almost anything you can dream up. Further south, Kirra Surf Lifesaving Club, Coolangatta Surf Lifesaving Club, Tweed Heads & Coolangatta Surf Lifesaving Club and Rainbow Bay Surf Lifesaving Club have spectacular decks, good food and entertainment and friendly welcomes. Just sign in as a guest.
Stay safe
Almost all beaches between the Gold Coast Seaway and Coolangatta are patrolled by volunteer and professional lifesavers. The patrolled areas are marked by red and yellow flags. Signs on the beaches will show you the closest patrolled beaches at any particular time of year. Always swim between the flags. The flags have been lined up with the safest parts of the beach and are patrolled by lifesavers. If you do get into trouble or feel yourself being pulled out of your depth by a "rip", don't try to swim against the water. Swim parallel to the beach and raise your hand to attract the attention of a lifesaver.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Gold Coast: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Gold Coast?
The most comfortable months for a city stay in Gold Coast are July to September. January is the warmest month, with average highs of 28 °C; February is the wettest, with about 208 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Gold Coast?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Gold Coast Airport (OOL), about 20 km from the city centre in a straight line; Brisbane International Airport (BNE, 76 km) and Lismore Airport (LSY, 92 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Gold Coast?
Australian dollar (AUD).
Nearby
Destinations near Gold Coast
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.