Eat, Play, Stay at the JW Marriott Gold Coast

If you’re looking for the ultimate place to stay in the Gold Coast, look no further than the JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa. Last weekend we checked into the resort for a little family getaway. It’s been a crazy few months, and things are just going to get crazier for us, so this stay was exactly what we needed for a little bit of time out to rest and relax.

The five star, luxury resort is perfectly placed in the heart of Surfers Paradise, putting you within walking distance of the beach and all the action. It’s without a doubt our favourite place we have ever stayed on the Gold Coast.

The first thing to mention about the JW Marriott is that the service was beyond exceptional. Not only was everyone we encountered super helpful and friendly, but they always had the answers we were looking for, knew exactly what we were asking about, and were able to suggest a dining itinerary for us to make sure we didn’t miss out on anything. It was absolutely amazing.

We were greeted on check in with the JW signature welcome drink, a sweet lavender iced tea, that changed from blue to purple with a few drops of lemon juice. Not only was it delicious, but Macey was so entranced by the colours mixing and changed, she loved it too. Check in was so quick and easy, and before we knew it we were heading up to our room, high above the Gold Coast.

Choose your view

The rooms at the JW Marriott Gold Coast are not only stunning, but will make you feel instantly at home. They are beyond comfortable, beautifully designed, and offer epic views of either the ocean or the mountains.

We checked into a King Ocean View room on the 24th floor. The views were incredible, overlooking the impressive pools of the resort, the rivers that run through the Gold Coast, and out to the ocean. I had my fingers crossed that we would be able to see the resort pools from our room, so I was so happy when I stepped out onto the balcony to see the pools glittering down below.

Hot tip: if you want a birds eye view of the pools from your room, make sure you choose an ocean view room.

Our bed was huge and so comfortable, which was so great when Macey wanted to come and sleep in our bed during the night. All three of us could sleep so comfortably and had a great sleep, which doesn’t happen very often while we’re travelling. You can also organise a portacot for your room if you’re travelling with an infant – which we had done. Macey would start the night sleeping in her cot, but always ended up in our bed by the morning!

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What to do at the resort

As soon as the sun came out, our first stop was to the resorts iconic pools. We had been dreaming about these pools for months, I mean, look how incredible they are! Winning the award for Australia’s Best Hotel Pool in 2021, the JW Marriott Gold Coast have thought of everything in this beautiful area. There’s a saltwater lagoon, full of tropical fish that you can snorkel amongst, a fresh water pool with a kids water slide and all different depths for every kind of swimmer, there’s poolside cabanas, a waterfall and a cute little pavilion in the middle that serves delicious cocktails.

If you’ve come to the Gold Coast to get your adrenaline pumping, the resorts private marina on the Nerang River offers water activities including kayaking, jet boating, parasailing and jetskiing. Or if you feel like being a little active during your stay there is a fitness centre on level 3, as well as a rooftop sports court and tennis court. You can borrow equipment from the reception desk from 9am to 5pm.

Family by JW

The JW Marriott Gold Coast also have an incredible family program, created for both kids and adults to really make the most out of your little getaway. Most activities run over the weekend, so it’s a good idea to check the Family by JW schedule before you make your booking if there’s something you really want to get to!

The program offers pizza and chocolate making classes on Fridays, mermaid hair braiding and wraps throughout the day on Saturdays (we saw so many kids in the resort and even on our flight home with these mermaid braids!), as well as a mini Misono sushi class, and junior mixology classes creating delicious juice and mocktail recipes on Sundays.

They also have daily fish feeding each morning at 9:30am, tours of the JW Garden hosted by the culinary team, and self guided scavenger hunts that you can take from the reception.

You can find more info and book your spot on a Family by JW experience here.

Dining Experiences

If you’re looking for a good meal during your stay you are going to be spoiled for choice. There are three main restaurants at the JW Marriott Gold Coast, each offering a unique menu and dining experience. And OMG, every meal we ate during our stay was so delicious.

Citrique

Citrique is the main restaurant, and it’s probably where you will start the day with their epic breakfast buffet. With possibly every single option you could ever want, the breakfast buffet offers everything from fresh fruit, cereal and house baked pastries to omelettes, eggs benedict, pancakes, waffles, a full salad bar and even cheeses. Make sure you get there early enough to check out their donut wall, what a delicious way to start the day.

During the week, from Monday to Thursday, Citrique offers an a la cart dining menu for dinner, as well as an incredible five-course degustation menu to try some of the very best of the unique menu.

Our orders: natural oysters entrée, pan roasted barramundi for Emma, roasted venison for Thom, a side of green beans and baby carrots for Macey.

Chapter & Verse

Right in the middle of the resort, Chapter & Verse is truly such a beautiful spot for lunch, high tea, or just a cocktail before dinner. With indoor and outdoor seating options, it’s just so cute we absolutely had to have lunch here. Order the pork bao and a margarita, you will not be disappointed. They also have high chairs here if you’re dining with little ones.

Chapter & Verse also offer a delicious high tea experience if you’re looking to indulge a little bit more. Each dish is thoughtfully created with local ingredients and produce, with both sweet and savory dishes on the menu. They also have a super cute teeny tiny tea experience, created just for kids, so the whole family can enjoy together. Think ham and cheese finger sandwiches, chocolate candy lollipops and babycinos. SO cute.

Misono

For the most incredible dining experience during your stay, make sure you book a night at Misono. This was our first time having teppanyaki and it absolutely lived up to the hype. The restaurant is so cute, making you feel like you’re dining in the heart of Japan, with chefs cooking right at your table, pulling out all the tricks.

There are lots of different teppanyaki banquets to choose from, with wagyu, seafood, chicken and vegetarian options, as well as a sushi and sashimi menu, cocktails, desserts and kids banquet options. Our chef was absolutely incredible, so entertaining all the while he was cooking 9 meals. It was amazing. I even managed to catch a garlic shrimp in my mouth that was tossed at me, which I was quite proud of!

Macey absolutely loved the teppanyaki experience as well. She is the best eater and tried anything we put in front of her – zucchini, edamame, wagyu steak and even some lobster tail. She was slightly suspicious of the fire at the beginning of the evening, but once the cooking started even she was loving the show.

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This was our first luxury hotel stay with Macey, and to be honest I was a little bit nervous before we got there. Such a beautiful resort with incredible menus and dining experiences, I wasn’t sure if there would be enough options for Macey. And if I’m being honest, I was also nervous that Macey would be a bit too messy for such a luxury resort.

But the JW Marriott Gold Coast have created everything at the resort with families in mind. They are so welcoming to babies, with high chairs available at every restaurant, kids menus on offer, plenty of fun activities for kids and of course, plenty of fun in the water. We couldn’t recommend a stay here highly enough, every minute of our stay was truly a wonderful experience.

Explore more of the resort and book your stay at JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa.

We stayed at the JW Marriott Gold Coast as guests of the hotel. All opinions are, as always, our own.