QT Gold Coast, Surfers Paradise review: Tiny house trend inspires luxe hotel cabin concept

Inspired by the tiny house trend, qtQT is like a motel within a hotel.

CHECK-IN

Proving the QT Gold Coast – opened in 2011 with a recent refurbishment – remains one of the liveliest hotels in Surfers Paradise, the lobby is awash with black-and-beanie-wearing rock 'n' roll types clacking on MacBooks, talking concert logistics. The Spilt Milk festival is in town and several acts, including Sydney-born superstar Flume are staying.

They're joined by plenty of parties enjoying the QT's Fixx Cafe high tea. Beyond, through floor-to-ceiling windows, I can see the pool deck scene is pumping. But I soon leave all that behind for something serene, taking the lift to the quiet second floor and walking a long, art photography-lined corridor past events rooms and the gym.

The grand The Terrace features a row of six qtQT cabins, packed with five-star hotel mod-cons.Credit: Lauren Gray

At the end of the hall, I use my cute little plywood electronic room key to open a door that leads to the rooftop above the hotel's ground floor ballroom and first floor spa. When the brutalist building used to be the Gold Coast International, there were squash courts here. Now, the door opens to The Terrace, a glam piazza with landscape garden beds and a gas firepit at its centre. And along the Gold Coast Highway perimeter of The Terrace lies the row of six qtQT cabins, their room numbers displayed in natty monochrome on surfboards that lean against their exterior walls.

Inspired by the tiny house trend, qtQT is like a motel within a hotel (though without the drive-up access). It's also a bit like glamping with the secluded, fresh-air elements it affords, but it's got all the five-star hotel mod-cons of the adjacent tower, like room service and close access to the QT's excellent spaQ. Via the dedicated "Concierge of Sunshine", qtQT guests can also book dedicated extra-cost activities such as sunrise yoga, sunset drinks, or picnics on The Terrace.

THE LOOK

The qtQT cabins feel a bit like glamping with the secluded, fresh-air elements it affords.Credit: Lauren Gray

Rustic but chic, bohemian but orderly, QT long-time collaborator, designer Nic Graham of Nicholas Graham and Associates has instilled warmth and cosiness with plywood walls, oodles of cushions and autumn hues against a monochrome base that keeps the small space visually tidy.

THE ROOM

One end of the rectangular cabin is taken up by a king-sized bed playfully positioned on a platform accessed by a wee staircase. It abuts a window frame set with a large picture pane and smaller one that opens to fresh air. The view is of the greenery flanking the QT's tennis courts below. Those courts do more than provide a pleasant outlook – they're a buffer between the accommodation and the busy Gold Coast Highway – traffic noise is barely noticeable.

There's no TV – but QT have put the electrics in place in the bed space just in case it becomes a point of complaint (I didn't miss having one). Elsewhere in the room, there's a sofa, big enough to recline on and a bureau containing the mini fridge; atop is a coffee machine and basket full of complimentary goodies, including generous jars of moreish cookies made in the QT's onsite bakery. The bathroom is small, but the shower is roomy, the toiletries luxurious and a skylight is a great touch. Just outside it is a little dressing space with full length mirror and open wardrobe.

There's a place for everything and everything is in its place – but remarkably, there's still plenty of places for guests' things. Shelves under the sofa and bedside console take luggage and shoes. A drawer at the base of the wardrobe is ideal for wash bags as it's within reaching distance of the basin. Cabins are accessed by a sliding glass door with flyscreen from a private and breezy covered patio with a table for two and a hanging egg chair.

FOOD + DRINK

Order room service from the limited but reasonably varied menu accessed via a tablet. Head downstairs to the QT's Fixx Cafe or the Bazaar restaurant, renowned for its sumptuous buffets.

OUT + ABOUT

It might not feel like it, but you are part of a 239-room hotel and right in the middle of Surfers Paradise. The beach is a two-minute walk, Cavill Avenue 10 minutes. On Sunday mornings, catch a ride to the GC's lively arts precinct, HOTA, Home of the Arts, for the HOTA Farmers and Artisan Markets, providing yummy brunch options, fresh produce, and artisan goods.

THE VERDICT

The qtQT experience is wonderfully fun, stylish and unique and it gives the best of both worlds: enjoy the quiet cosiness of the cabin, then engage with the buzz of the hotel and the Goldie beyond.

ESSENTIALS

Rooms from $359 a night. QT Gold Coast qtQT, 7 Staghorn Avenue, Surfers Paradise Queensland. See qtgoldcoast.com

OUR RATING OUT OF FIVE

★★★★★

HIGHLIGHT

That bed – an incredible gel mattress and lovely bed clothes made of soft linen, plus fabulous pillows. It rained torrentially during my stay – feeling cosily ensconced while listening to it pelt the cabin roof was bliss.

LOWLIGHT

The bed again – no top sheet. It's Queensland. Some of us don't like sleeping with aircon and a big fluffy Doona would have been too hot were it not for the unseasonably cool weekend I stayed.

Julietta Jameson stayed as a guest of Qt Hotels & Resorts.