A Fatal Attraction to Cuteness

Palazzo Versace – Gold Coast

January 7, 2013 at 10:02 am 4 comments

On New Year’s Day I flew up to the Gold Coast for the first Mariah Carey concert and was very much looking forward to my stay at the Versace hotel at Broadbeach. I’ve wanted to stay there for quite some time but every time I am up that way I usually have to stay near Coolangatta, so I was very thankful for ‘needing’ to stay in this area of the Gold Coast.

I started off my visit with a Fashionista high tea in the Le Jardin bar. Long time readers of my blog will know how much I enjoy high tea (I’m off for another one this weekend, in fact) and I make a point of having high tea at each hotel I stay at, availability and time permitting.

I was extremely impressed with the Versace’s offering. For just $45 per person, the Fashionista high tea includes scones, sandwiches, cakes (macarons, pastries, cake pops, fruit tartlets and cupcakes) and savouries and I loved that instead of regular, potted tea I was able to substitute for an iced tea (mine was Turkish Apple). So many establishments will charge you extra for that, hot chocolate or iced coffee which I think is just rude – so that’s the first thumbs up from me.

The staff members were excellent. Very attentive but not at all in the way and it was most relaxing sitting in the coral-pink chairs bathed in sunlight from the floor to ceiling windows that overlooked the lagoon.

Aside from the Fashionista High Tea, Le Jardin also serves:

Sparkling High Tea
$55 per person
Includes a glass of Domaine Chandon Sparkling Wine

Champagne High Tea
$70 per person
Includes a glass of Veuve Clicquot Yellow Brut Champagne

Couture Champagne High Tea
$110 per person
Includes glass of Dom Perignon Champagne

from 11:00 am until 5:00 pm (booking required for parties of 8 or more) and a great selection of drinks and food from morning until late. We had a drink here again later in the day again.

The rest of Le Jardin and the surrounding lobby…

The room, of course, was incredible. I paid a little extra and opted for the Deluxe Suite which had a separate toilet and dining/lounge area.

The bed was SO comfortable and the couch transformed into a bed also. The parquet flooring and the mosaic-tiled bathroom floor gave the room a very summery feel.

We ordered room service for dinner and I was pleasantly surprised with the prices. Most hotels will rip you off, particularly on in-room dining, but while the food wasn’t *cheap* it was way less than what you would expect to pay in your luxury surrounds.

The next morning we enjoyed a huge buffet breakfast (this was included in the price of my package but please check when you book so there are no surprises!) and then wandered around the pool a bit more. The weather was stunning and the lagoon looks even more striking when the sky is clear and bright blue. I was so upset we didn’t have another night here because I could have easily spent all day swimming and sun baking. I only got to have a short time by the pool and one thing I noticed were that it was lovely and quiet – even despite having a number of kids in it. I think the sheer length of the lagoon (65m) means that it feels very private whether or not you’re sharing or in there alone. That’s a pretty valuable commodity when you read so many reviews of hotels where people complain that the pool area was too noisy.

Even without a day by the pool, though, I still felt extremely relaxed and after only spending one night away it was as if I had enjoyed at least a long weekend at the Versace hotel and for this, the reasonable pricing and lovely staff I will definitely be back!

Pricing varies greatly depending on room and the time of year you stay. I paid $829 for a deluxe suite (and breakfast for two) but if you wait until February or March you will see a big decrease in price. Bookings can be made via www.palazzoversace.com.au

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