Jupiters Hotel & Casino, Gold Coast

Chances are this is the place for chilling.

Relazed vibe: poolside bungalow with spa.

Every day is a new day and maybe today I'll get lucky.

Zig-zagging across the casino floor with its geometrically busy carpet, past the poker machines and that blackjack table where I bet I could make a million dollars, I burst out into brilliant sunshine and feel like I've hit the jackpot. The coveted poolside lounge pod is free. Softly yielding, like a person-sized nest, it's made of waterproof rattan and, apart from a scattering of voluptuous yellow cushions, it's empty.

Of course, there are many places to recline around the pool, recently given a luxurious makeover as part of the $345 million redevelopment of Jupiters Hotel and Casino on the Gold Coast. Deluxe chaise lounges abound; there are also nine discreet cabanas and two white-louvred VIP bungalows, each with its own spa and deck. But my chosen place of repose is equidistant from the fountain pool and spa, with direct line of sight to the poolside bar.

The dining options include the Japanese restaurant Kiyomi and the expansive Garden Kitchen and Bar.

I bet that today, three resident water dragons will rustle out of the Megan Lehmann Winner's pool chances are This is the place for chilling Jupiters Hotel & Casino, Gold Coast bushes to sun themselves on the sand-coloured tiles. I bet four chapters of my book will be scanned before lunch. And I'll wager the water in the inviting central pool will be pleasantly warm. Jupiters' gaming floor provides the fizz and glitz around which the resort orbits, but I plan to amuse myself running these low-stakes flutters in my head, in the sun, rather than betting against the house. It's a no-risk strategy.

In the three decades since Jupiters opened the Gold Coast has shot further skyward.

Casinos worldwide have been remodelled as resorts with casinos, rather than the other way round, and Jupiters is the latest to catch the wave. Built in big-hair, big-fun 1985, when casinos were designed to keep customers indoors, the Broadbeach icon had lately been looking a bit tired and frumpy. (Although the neon rainbow "Casino" sign arcing over the entrance to the gaming room is a little slice of retro-glam heaven.) Enter Star Entertainment Group, which began overhauling the property in 2014, introducing a bright and breezy look with a focus on restaurants and bars, relaxation and entertainment. It was goodbye to the fusty, English-style Prince Albert pub and the Spinners faux-outdoor cafe; hello to Amalfi-inspired Italian restaurant Cucina Vivo, cutting-edge Japanese restaurant Kiyomi and the expansive Garden Kitchen and Bar, designed by locals DBI Design to bring the outdoors in with walls of greenery and plenty of natural light.

A refurbished hotel room.

A curvilinear six-star all-suite hotel tower taking shape at the front of the property is scheduled to be ready in time for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games, while the refurbishment of Jupiters' existing 592 hotel rooms is due to be finished by the end of the year, when the site will be rebranded The Star Gold Coast. The vibe in the new-look rooms is one of coastal elegance, with Turkish marble, textured wallpaper, bespoke furniture and locally commissioned artworks.

In the three decades since Jupiters opened the Gold Coast has shot further skyward and a new sophistication has been folded into the glitter of the strip. If you have any doubts, head to the Garden Kitchen and Bar on a lazy Sunday afternoon. Locals and guests lounge across the stylish, sunsplashed space that stretches out to a deck, a "conservatory" with vaulted ceilings and an adjacent lawn where kids are doing joyful cartwheels. Grab a pitcher of something fruity, kick back on one of the beanbags and drink in the blue eternity of the Gold Coast sky.

I bet you won't regret it.

The poolside bar.

Perfect for: Responsible gamblers, sunseekers, foodies.

Must do: Hire a poolside cabana ($95 for the day) or a bungalow ($395). For a time-warp trip to the beach, hop aboard the monorail ($4 each way; kids free).

Dining: You don't need to leave the resort, with a number of superb restaurants on site. Make sure you try Kiyomi's grilled king prawn with Peruvian glaze.

Getting there: Broadbeach is a 30-minute drive north from Gold Coast Airport or just over an hour from Brisbane Airport.

Bottom line: Rooms from $698 per night, including buffet breakfast.

jupitersgoldcoast.com.au