Surfers Hilton, Qld

One block back from the beach, the view from this sky-high apartment is world-beating.

Hilton, Surfers Paradise.

South Africa for the safaris, Moorea for its Insta-fabulous backdrops; Egypt for the chicken shawarma and Estonia because, well, why not? Our family is usually a picture of harmony and merry accord. But a casual what-if posed before a wall of framed photos in the Surfers Paradise Hilton Hotel lobby has divided us: which of these far-flung sister Hiltons would make our Top Three? Helsinki? No, Athens. Frankfurt over Santa Barbara. New York, of course, but we can’t leave out Barbados. Debate has grown heated.

Luckily this collection has been curated; as the storied Hilton chain approaches its 100th anniversary next month, the number of flagship hotels has sailed past 570 across 104 countries and territories. That’s a brain-frying, happy-home-life-endangering smorgasbord of choice.

Before a fight breaks out, we head up to the 45th floor, to the one destination we can all agree on, and our collective wanderlust ebbs out with the tide. Gold Coast, Australia, you are magnificent.

Hilton, Surfers Paradise.

The Surfers Hilton is set just one block back from the beach and the view from our sky-high three-bedroom apartment is world-beating. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame sand, surf and sky south to Coolangatta, a thousand gradations of blue shifting with the light. Our gaze swings from the towering Soul residential building over a thicket of skyscrapers winking in the sun, past inland canals and out to the ranges of the hinterland. There is something to see from every room, untold tiny narratives unfolding below. When a spectacular electrical storm rolls in that night, it’s better than TV.

On top of its 169 guest rooms and suites, the Hilton offers 220 spacious one, two, three and four-bedroom “residences”, self-contained apartments featuring a separate living and dining area, laundry and fully equipped kitchen. Our south-east-facing apartment boasts 115sqm of floor space, with two-and-a-half bathrooms and a large balcony. Décor is modern and tasteful, everything reliably comfortable and convenient, just as Conrad Hilton envisaged it when he first entered the hotel business in 1919 with the purchase of a flophouse-slash-goldmine in Cisco, Texas.

Hilton, Surfers Paradise.

The Hilton brand has since catered to five generations of guests – three billion of them, according to a press release marking the brand’s big birthday – and has been responsible for a number of firsts. The concept of room service was introduced in 1930 at the Hilton’s Waldorf Astoria; in 1947, New York’s Roosevelt Hilton was the first to put televisions in guest rooms; the San Francisco Airport Hilton pioneered the concept of airport hotels; and it was a Hilton employee – clearly, an unjustly unheralded genius – who dreamed up the minibar.

The Caribe Hilton in Puerto Rico was the birthplace of the pina colada, so I have one at the Surfers Hilton’s art deco Fix bar, thinking to close some kind of cosmic circle from half a world away. That didn’t happen (or did it?) but I certainly enjoyed my Popcorn Pina Colada with a movie-night twist: a blend of coconut and pineapple rums, pineapple juice, coconut, and butter popcorn syrup.

Hilton, Surfers Paradise.

The neon nightclubs of the glitter strip are just steps from the Hilton’s discreet entrance on Orchid Avenue, and nearby Cavill Avenue has all the arcade games and kebab shops you could want. But apart from a dip and a sunbake on Surfers Paradise Beach, we barely leave the hotel. When on-site attractions include a 40m outdoor pool, a heated indoor pool with sauna and hot tub, a kids’ splash pool and a plunge pool lined with cabanas, as well as picnic and play areas, a gym and Eforea day spa for ironing out those big-city kinks, there’s just one question left to ask: Why would you?

• Perfect for: Families and sunseekers.

• Must do: Surfers is the poster child but the pick of the Gold Coast’s beaches is at your disposal: Kirra and Burleigh for surfing, the fitspo hub of Mermaid, or opt for the sheltered, family-friendly beauty of Rainbow Bay and Greenmount.

• Dining: In-house, Catch Restaurant specialises in seafood with an Asian twist. Newly opened Asian street-food hub Chop Chop is right next door in Cavill Lane, or the sophisticated Greek cuisine at Hellenika is worth the 15-minute trip to Nobby Beach.

• Getting there: The Surfers Paradise Hilton is a 40-minute drive from Gold Coast airport, and an hour from Brisbane.

• Bottom line: Rooms from $205 a night. Three-bedroom residences from $529.

hiltonsurfersparadise.com.au