Is the Gold Coast ready for a 24-karat makeover?
The opening of The Langham Gold Coast sets the stage for a new wave of ultra-luxe experiences on the Queensland strip.
Discover the world’s latest and greatest luxe lodgings in issue 8 of Travel + Luxury magazine, available online and in the newspaper on Friday, 26 August.
Back in 1865, when the original afternoon tea made its stately way out of the kitchen at The Langham, London – birthplace of this world-revered tradition – those responsible would never have dreamed that in 2022, on a sea-sprayed, sun-dazed afternoon on the other side of the world, a tower of similarly exquisite morsels would follow in its hallowed footsteps. At The Langham Gold Coast, the first luxe beachfront hotel to appear on this famed strip in more than 30 years, afternoon tea has been raised to sublime heights. Behold dainty gougères topped with crab, mango and prawn caviar, scones with velvety cream, strawberry-rhubarb preserves and lemon curd, and strawberry cheesecake with soft almond biscuit.
The Langham and Jewel Residences – 170 serviced apartments that form part of the hotel’s 339-room inventory – occupy the central tower in a trio of shimmering structures rising from the shoreline between Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach. The $1.4 billion project’s architecture was inspired by a crystal from the nearby hinterland, literally and figuratively mirroring its environs. The hotel’s opening in June, achieved amid the turmoil of the pandemic and other buffeting global forces, heralds a promising new era of high-end tourism for the region. While there have been rumblings of a tentative renaissance among some of Queensland’s cyclone-battered island resorts, Destination Gold Coast says $1 billion has been invested in tourism projects here, including a $500 million airport extension, and some 3,000 new accommodation rooms under construction or completed as pent-up demand for luxury travel surges.
But back to my table in The Langham’s elegant Palm Court. I’m seated by a window that offers a novel vista for The Langham brand, a far cry from the long-established properties in Sydney and Melbourne as it dips its pedicured toes into ocean waters. Flanked by palm trees and with pebble-shaped islands for perching in one’s finest resortwear – the kind you’d have typically held back for Saint Tropez or Positano – a sinuous sand-fringed pool reaches towards the Pacific with quite possibly the region’s poshest swim-up bar. This is “still Langham – it smells like, sounds like and acts like a Langham – but a very different, modern kind,” says general manager John O’Shea. It is, in other words, kind of a big deal.
The Studio Aria-designed interiors are perfectly pitched. Palm Court is a layer cake of cream and latte, marble and mirror. Soft swathes of blue and grey carpet, plush seating and steadying hints of rattan are crowned by a modern chandelier of light beams and metallic lines. A striking bronze sculpture, Path of a Meandering Soul, by Australian artist Camie Lyons, brings a lovely touch of organic lyricism to proceedings. Palm Court hives off from the lobby, which greets guests with a striking, pink-hued floral display before ushering them under a ceiling of hanging lights towards the reception desks and another large-scale work, Stars at the Edge of the Universe, by Brisbane-born artist Lindy Lee. It’s a grand, beautifully ethereal first impression.
The Langham Gold Coast’s combination of “British heritage sprinkled with Australian charm”, as communications director Victoria Peterson puts it, has been delicately calibrated. “I’m a firm believer that you need to be loved locally, and then internationally recognised and famous,” adds O’Shea. This means championing homegrown producers and welcoming locals to drink, dine and be merry alongside hotel guests; balancing the luxurious and the laid-back, while upholding the Langham’s impeccable standards.
Signature flourishes abound: the “service stylists”, whose job is to elevate your experience with personal touches (mine, Jojo, succeeds spectacularly with everything from sourcing hair-styling products I had neglected to pack to rustling up one of the hotel’s sports cars to take us to dinner); the Palm Court afternoon tea and forthcoming T’ang Court Cantonese restaurant, with its Michelin-starred counterparts in Hong Kong and Shanghai; the emphasis on wellness. But this vibrant, characterful coastal location is also celebrated in spades. At 26 & Sunny, for instance, the cute cafe slinging Little Marionette coffee to everyone from suits to sandy beachgoers, its yellow-accented interiors echo the iconic stilted surf lifesaver hut out the window on the sand. Come summer, thongs will await guests in rooms. The considered inclusion of familiar ingredients, from the minibars to the stunning Lobby Bar, where all house cocktails feature a local spirit, infusion or element, is executed with great care.
Details matter at The Langham. To sketch just a few: the gentle swoosh of the impeccably tailored staff skirts, their swirling pattern suggesting underwater coral. The abundant lobster and cooked-to-order eye fillet at Akoya, the seafront buffet restaurant. The balance of sweetness and botanicals in The Grand Jewel cocktail, featuring Brookie’s gin from Byron Bay, rosella syrup, Italicus (a citrusy, bergamot-spiked Italian aperitivo) and Champagne, topped with a smoky bubble that wafts dreamily as you take your first sip. Diptyque room amenities. The sustainable room-key cards, tested to see whether they would warp if absent-mindedly taken into that beckoning pool, or the sprawling indoor version upstairs next to the incredibly well-kitted-out gym. The way the sculptural surface of my bedhead captures the morning light bouncing skyward off the ever-changing ocean below, evoking the interior of a pearlescent seashell.
I’m staying in one of the junior ocean suites, which feature an enormous eggcup-shaped bath. Floating delightedly in mine, I decide I must return to try the decadent in-room Chuan bath ritual menu when it launches later in the year. This heavenly-sounding offering will involve a spa staffer running your choice of five baths before leaving you to luxuriate in your selected self-care ritual. The room palette is a sun-washed spectrum of oceanic hues, the restrained decor whispering sophisticated seaside sanctuary. This is not about ostentatious luxury, or layering eclectic textures and painstakingly sourced objets d’art. Clothes are hung in the spa-like bathrooms, relegating unnecessary clutter away from centre stage, where a deeply comfortable bed, generous lounge and dining zone are set behind automatic curtains that reveal the true star: those views. I watch mesmerised as a group of surfers gracefully ride the rippling waves, peeling off towards the shore. Other rooms boast hinterland views with diffused-light sunsets and sparkling evening vistas. Mini-bars offer a cocktail menu accessed via your Chromecast TV for sundowners to enjoy on your balcony, be it open, enclosed with opening windows, or partially enclosed, according to the splice of these line-led towers. These are rooms that encourage reverie.
The hotel will soon roll the metaphorical pink carpet out onto the sand (without disrupting public access), with bespoke cabanas available to be set up on the beachfront for luxe lounging. The stretch of the Oceanway, a 36-kilometre seafront promenade that links The Spit to Point Danger, beyond the pool is set to open in December, so guests will be able to bike along the coastline. Meanwhile, anyone who has experienced The Langham’s Chuan Spa in other outposts can confidently assume this rendition will be spectacularly good when it opens come spring, along with Coral Moon, a rooftop bar dishing up Asian-inspired cocktails.
The Langham is not the only Gold Coast player brimming with opportunities to indulge. JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa unveiled its extensive rebrand in December 2020, flicking the design switch to reflect the hinterland’s jewel-toned hues with a laid-back luxe vibe. The final piece of the puzzle, the hotel’s spa, is slated to open early next year. I’m swept up by the tropical grandeur of its enormous lobby, leading to the emerald-tiled Chapter & Verse bar (and another fabulous Champagne afternoon tea) and Citrique restaurant, which hosts a seriously impressive buffet and seasonal menu. The famed lagoon pool, heaven for families, now includes an outdoor bar and Airstream trailer dishing up poolside plates. My sweeping executive suite here offers beach and mountain views – momentary panic over where best to take in the sunset is resolved in the bath, with huge windows framing the sparkling scene below.
From here I can see Home of the Arts (HOTA), an ambitious new arts precinct solidifying the Coast’s cultural cred. The award-winning building is truly something else, the kaleidoscope of colour signalling the confidence of the endeavour. Its central inspiration – The Rainforest, William Robinson’s expansive meditation on nature – is on permanent display, alongside nostalgic, playful Gold Coast homages, visiting exhibitions and rotating highlights from the city’s 4500-strong collection of artworks. Beautifully conceived eatery Palette changes its tasting menu to winkingly reference major exhibitions. The Australian Bay lobster Thermidor, for instance, is a terrific play on the classic, showcasing sustainably sourced lobster, local cheddar in place of the Gruyère, and Burleigh Brewing beer replacing the Cognac. Dessert brings a tempered chocolate collar mimicking the gallery’s prismatic exterior, and animated with the textures of bright strawberries and cream.
Aside from sophisticated new stays and cultural landmarks, the Gold Coast is also shaking up its top-notch drinking and dining offerings. At La Bella Cellar, a white-walled Burleigh Heads bolthole, I’m greeted by Sydney Alguire, the beaming venue manager. The tiny, almost religiously spare space is rendered in warm cream and dotted with pops of cactus green. Locals impress visiting friends with this “hidden gem”, says Alguire, coming in for small plates such as scallop with pancetta, macadamia and caper butter, paired beautifully with organic Matho Prosecco Rosé from Italy’s Veneto region, or perhaps an excellent Tuscan Sour cocktail starring Amaretto and peach puree. In a lovely synchronicity, Alguire’s partner, Aaron Howard, is head of bar operations at The Langham.
Those looking for slick bites in a bustling environment should set course for Kiyomi at The Star in Broadbeach, which recently unveiled a 20-course omakase experience (from Tuesday to Thursday). I’m here on a Friday, trying the chef’s set menu. My waitress gives nuanced drinks suggestions, from a mellow Houraisen Kanjuku umeshu to an aromatic 2020 Marc Brédif Vouvray. Standout dishes include heavenly hiramasa kingfish ceviche with miso and crisp potato, knockout seared scampi with foie gras, its richness cut through by matchsticks of apple, and a lamb cutlet that’s reason enough to book immediately. If you’re staying at a hotel in The Star network, such as newcomer Dorsett Gold Coast, try the Isoletto Pool Club. Among a raft of pool and beach clubs cropping up around the Gold Coast, Isoletto is arguably the most impressive, with skyline views enlivened by flashes of citrus and melon in the poolside furnishings and a menu that veers from panzanella salad to snapper burgers.
Down on Currumbin’s Pacific Parade, meanwhile, Tommy’s Italian is all red-and-white-striped beachside chic. It’s pumping more than the surf when I stop by for a sunset-hued Pomelo Negroni and zesty salad of watermelon, cucumber, fat parsley leaves, goat’s cheese and honey. The fit-out is sizzling hot, like the puffed breads chefs hustle out to long tables of tanned revellers enjoying ocean views spiked with pandanus trees.
The region’s retail ventures have been dialled up a notch, too. For a considered edit with a local flavour, Cornerstone Stores, a red-brick, greenery-draped complex of boutiques, cafe, providore and exercise studio in Tugun is the antithesis of a sprawling mall. Kind Curations stocks cool-girl (and guy) beach-vibe threads and accoutrements, while Quince Fromagerie Cellar is an Aladdin’s cave of elusive cheeses such as truffle burrata from Mount Tamborine, and wines. For a stylish take on coastal bohemian interiors, head to St Barts HQ, worth the drive to its unassuming location in Burleigh Heads, and recharge at Next Door Espresso, where bougainvillea climbs the whitewashed walls.
My languid farewell is spent on the deck of the recently opened Siblings Kirra, on the foreshore at the sleepier southern end of the Coast. Its interiors chime with the location more fittingly than the Pizza Hut it replaced in the heritage Kirra Pavilion. Archival surf photos line the wall under rattan roofing, and the food matches the stunning vistas, including a damn-near-perfect prawn cocktail. Looking northward towards the famed skyline, I feel inspired by everywhere I’ve visited in the past few days. These are golden and special places: confident, not brash; relaxed, yet refined. A new glow is being cast across this holiday Mecca.
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