It’s been voted Australia’s best family resort 10 years in a row – and for good reason. Catering for babies through to teens, this is the only family resort in Australia with its own waterpark, ice-rink and kids’ club all under the one roof in the heart of Surfers Paradise.
Paradise Resort has just undergone an $8 million upgrade to make the experience for families even more amazing. Be prepared for some meltdowns on departure – it’s likely the kids will never want to go home!
ACCOMMODATION
Choose between 360 rooms that sleep up to eight people. Dusty’s Deluxe Rooms were renovated as part of the resort’s upgrade during Covid-19. They sleep up to four in luxury and style, with two queen-sized beds, private ensuites and a kitchenette so you can dine in when you feel like it.
Or opt for a Junior Bunkhouse which sleeps up to four. The bunkhouses have a kids’ first philosophy – the bunk beds are painted in bright colours and there’s a gaming console and an extra TV for the kids (plus a queen-sized bed for parents). It’s a unique accommodation option which adds a lot of fun to family stays, keeping the kids happy day and night.
The brand new Deluxe Family Room sleeps up to six guests in a queen-sized bed and two sets of single bunks in a second room.
All rooms are hotel-style, but kids are always the priority at Paradise Resort, with little extras like footstools for the bathroom, bed rails for extra safety and porta-cots.
WATER PARK
It’s worth a visit for the water park alone! This is an absolute highlight of the resort for kids and adults alike – it’s a giant water playground complete with a lagoon pool, large heated spa and two enormous aqua play areas. There’s also an activity program for kids, and pools and spas are heated.
This isn’t any old resort pool play area – the Z4K Water Park is three storeys high and has a huge offering of slides, water cannons and climbing frames suitable for every age (adults too). There’s also a giant 600 litre bucket above it all that fills up and empties out over guests every few minutes in a gigantic splash.
Smaller kids have their very own bite-sized water park where older kids won’t bother them – it has slippery slides, water cannons and a giant tipping bucket, but also has a paddling area where you can enter by beach, and it’s heated year-round.
DINING
No matter what kind of food you fancy -or how fussy your kids are! – there’s plenty of dining options to keep the whole family happy. Try brand-new Jerry’s Burger Bar, with its iconic Hoagie Burger – slow cooked brisket with pickles, black onion, cheddar cheese, jus and signature Hoagie sauce. They also serve breakfast wraps, bacon and egg burgers, chicken Parmis and much more.
Penguins Restaurant is also a brand-new addition to Paradise Resort located right above the ice-skating rink. It’s the perfect spot for sit-down family meals. The Poolside Café & Bar overlooks the water park, so you can sit at a table on the terrace with a view of the fun while you eat breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can also take your meals to the pool, or back to your room.
Or mix and match from an extensive pizza menu at brand-new Deb’s Pizza Shack. Stick with old faves like Margarita or Hawaiian, or go gourmet with smoked salmon, tandoori chicken and more.
You can grab essential grocery items at the upgraded Splashes Boutique and Mini-Mart located poolside and on the ground floor for extra convenience.
ACTIVITIES
It may seem strange lacing up your ice-skates in tropical temperatures but Paradise Resort lays claim to the only ice-skating rink in Surfers Paradise. It’s suitable for all children over three – smaller children or less confident skaters can hold on to fibreglass penguins that move across the ice with them to steady themselves. There’s always music playing, a disco ball and under-ice lighting so there’s it’s non-stop party for little people.
Kids Club
Drop the kids off, then go spend some time with your partner. Enjoy the novelty of eating a meal interrupted, or going to the beach for a quiet drink alone. The kids club is a paradise for kids – there are fully supervised sessions every day (many packages include a complimentary kids club session).
Paradise Resort is the only resort in Australia with a kids club available to children as young as six weeks old and accommodates kids up to 12. There’s a Kids Zone mini fun park inside where kids can explore the galaxy in Astro’s Space Station, pedal space buggies, find buried treasure in Underwater World or explore the jungles of Asia in Dusty’s Safari Room. The club has an extensive activities program, and also hosts pyjama parties, disco nights, arts and crafts and carnival activity.
Laser Tag
If sibling rivalry rears its ugly head during your holiday, sign your kids up for laser tag so they can battle it out with no contact. After a briefing in the mission room they must conquer box jellyfish who have invaded Underwater World and taken control. It’s up to them to save the world, and who knows? They might even start acting like team mates!
Dusty’s Jungle Gym
The fun starts the moment you check in with a massive jungle gym in the lobby. There’s a multi-level climbing frame to jump right into and new indoor soft play area full of slides and mazes.
Games Room and Advanced Playground
All ages – including adults – will love the range of coin-operated arcade games in here, while there’s also climbing equipment, suspension bridges, slides and much more.
The dunk tank allows you to send friends and family members plunging into a tank of water. They sit on plank above the water while you throw balls at a target. Hit a bullseye and in they go! You get an excellent view of every dunking through the underwater window and the kids will perfect their aim trying to get parents in the tank.
This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the activities, entertainment and family fun to be had at Paradise Resort. Live aerial and dance shows, fancy dress parades, a magician, karaoke and outdoor movie nights are the tip of the iceberg and the roster of workshops, activities and special events is always being updated.
Their motto is “Heaven for kids, paradise for parents..” – and it’s 100% accurate!
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF COUNTRY
Destination Gold Coast acknowledges the Traditional Custodians of the land on which we are situated, the Kombumerri families of the Yugambeh Language Region.
We pay our respects to their Elders past, present and emerging, and recognise their continuing connections to the lands, waters and their extended communities throughout Southeast Queensland.