By Mitch Gaynor
THE Sunshine Coast’s newest, and first full-service hotel in 40 years, has embraced all the trappings of modern hotel cool.
Rooftop pool, slick bars, open-plan rooms, gym, spa and promotional pictures that perhaps flatter some of the views.
We went for the offer to “upgrade” to an Ocean King room after initially choosing the cheapest option.
After a positive and seamless start with the genuinely friendly staff at check-in, it was disappointing to open the door to our seventh-floor room and look directly out at a block of weathered apartments. You could certainly hear the surf and, looking right from the balcony (below right), there was an ocean. But there was no shaking the feeling that looking back towards the hinterland would have been perfectly fine.
The room itself is perfectly acceptable.
I note in reviews that people have strong opinions about modern open-plan hotel bathrooms, but here the seamless connection with the bedroom works and adds to the sense of space. There’s a five-star gloss to what is essentially a very solid four-star hotel, and the bedding is exceptionally comfortable.
We stayed midweek and I got the sense things could become noisy outside on weekends. Balcony neighbours and loud vehicles echoing between apartment blocks were noticeable, but hardly dealbreakers.
Room service and the minibar are also reasonably priced. The rooftop pool and bar live up to the photos, with fantastic views.
Let me also use the opportunity to call on hotel developers everywhere to scrap the obligatory gym.
Exhibit A is Avani’s so-called “high performance gym”. All the floor-to-ceiling mirrors in the world won’t change the fact it feels like a poky afterthought. Turn it into a sauna, for goodness sake. Or, given its size, a cloakroom.
It comes at a price, but Avani raises the standard for the Sunshine Coast hotel scene. Rooms were about $350 a night when we looked, rising beyond $500 for midweek school holiday stays. For that you get stylish accommodation, solid service and a prime location metres from Mooloolaba Beach.
Just don’t believe every picture.
This stay was booked and paid for independently.