This is the first Langham property in Queensland and brings 330 ultra-luxe rooms’ worth inventory to this neighbourhood between Broadbeach and Surfer’s Paradise. If the recent opening of the brand new Langham is anything to go by, the demand and supply of high-value hotel rooms is growing exponentially. This city has, in recent times, emerged as Australia’s luxury travel hotspot. Book a VIP booth here for a relaxed, exclusive soirée. And finally, the most panoramic bar in town–Nineteen at The Star, where cocktails are magically crafted to complement the gleaming city skyline and ruler-straight coastline. For mains, you can ask for the daily catch like swordfish and trout, which are prepared right in front of you in the open-plan kitchen. At this nautical-themed waterfront restaurant, the menu is dominated by local fish and crustaceans, done to perfection on the charcoal grill. My hunt for other gourmet havens brings me to the interestingly christened Gods of the Sea, a family run, all-Australian seafood restaurant situated on the marina that docks only super yachts. If you’re here on a Sunday, the HOTA market is a great place to discover local produce and enjoy live music. One stroll through the HOTA complex and you will see its massive outdoor amphitheatre, the futuristic pop-coloured gallery building and the sculpture park. An acronym for Home of the Arts, this is Gold Coast’s ‘lockdown baby’ and most recent addition–a district that hosts all sorts of cultural and artistic events, exhibitions and also features a healthy roster of performing arts as well. While it does wear its surf culture on its sleeve, drawing surfing enthusiasts from across the world to its Surfer’s Paradise strip, Gold Coast coasts on so much more than its surf life. As a regular visitor, I’ve noticed the stark and dramatic evolution. Much like the bar’s name, the city skyline exhibits itself, with vertiginous Manhattan-esque towers that toy with the blue Pacific Ocean for a backdrop. At The Exhibitionist, the curiously named rooftop bar in Gold Coast’s trendiest new arts district–HOTA–the terrace looks out at the admirably massive urban sprawl.

The gold coast hotel and casino