Hope Island Hotels with Bars

In Brisbane, we chose 3 nights at InterContinental and 2 nights at Crowne Plaza. They were completely different experiences. InterContinental is a self-catering type of hotel. The hotel is large and well-equipped. The swimming pool is a beach salt pool, which is very unique and has a rich breakfast.

Booked a standard room with two double beds as a room for our family of 3 (2 adults and a teen), to sleep at after an event on the Gold Coast. Whilst not their issue our navigation app couldn't locate the property and when I called, I was told to use google maps. Reception was polite and on check in provided a physical room key and an electronic tag, and directions for parking. Our room was 1010, which is on the ground floor. A corridor left of the main foyer winds around, going outside and having a more motel vibe, outdoor corridors were tiled and wet and slippery. Struggled to open the door to our room with the key, unpacked and left for our function The room was very basic as expected, with shower, bath, toilet, kitchenette and tv. A sliding door to access a shared grass courtyard by the pool. We did not use any of the room or hotel facilities, beyond the bed and bathroom. After attending our event, we retuned around 9.30pm, and could not open the room door. Bar staff directed us to Mae, she was considerate, she and my husband could not get the lock to open. We ended up accessing the room via the sliding door at the rear, the screen door was unlocked (which was on us, as we opened the glass door to air the room out - it smelled stale - and assumed the screen was locked), Mae was apologetic i am thankful we returned early enough that staff were still on-site. Beds were ok, corridor was noisy especially luggage carts being wheeler through. Was fit for purpose, but the lock/security was concerning. It appeared the lock had been replaced by a handyman vs a locksmith. I wouldn't return

Needed to book a place fairly quickly in the area, so checking accommodation online and found a place but seen another at a cheaper price. Called the property and the lady said she would match the price if I sent her the advertisement. Did this, she called back and kindly matched the price. There are obviously different managers of these various apartments. Directions to reception were a little sketchy but found the place only to be told the apartment was in another location a short drive away. Was given a map and managed to find the place with not too much trouble, only went astray once. The two-bedroom apartment was located in a gated community in a quite location. From my experience, I think the cleaners don’t do a good enough job in any rental accommodation as there is not much attention to detail, and this place was no exception. The lounge cushions were in serious need of a wash (they actually smelt) and there was a previous guests octopus strap under the tv unit (couldn’t miss it really). Rubbish under the bed as well. But in the main it was reasonably neat, clean and tidy. However, like a lot of these places there were a few maintenance issues. The furniture was a bit dated. The tv unit had a missing drawer. The bed squeaked and the joints moved a bit if you turned over (not because of any ‘over enthusiastic activity’ I might add). The joints seriously needed tightening up. Shower had no caddy to put soap/shampoo on etc. There was some sort of bracket there but obviously the assembly had broken some time ago and not replaced. The TV didn’t work so I called reception and luckily, I caught the lady before she finished for the day. She sent around the maintenance man who quickly sorted the problem, the TV remote had been stolen by some previous guest. Not surprisingly either, the cleaners had not reported it. Anyway, he went away and later came back with a suitable remote and it was after hours as well. This guy was very friendly, professional, and really went out of his way to help us. For this part, he provided exceptional customer service. The outdoor furniture on the balcony had also seen better days. Apartment was on the second floor and looked out over busy Oxenford Southport Road, but noise inside the apartment was very minimal. Was within comfortable walking distance of Hope Island Shopping Centre but be careful of golf carts whizzing around. Wifi was good. Bit of a mixed feeling about this place. Would I stay here again. Maybe, but I would do a bit more research first. If you are thinking of staying here, I strongly advise you do your research as well, because it depends on what apartment you get as to how good and well maintained it is and of course, how good your stay is. My welcome email read ‘At The Peninsula we strive to achieve high standards and always aim to exceed your expectations’. All I can say is more ‘striving’ is needed.