*** Volvodriver Rating - 3 ***

This 4 star hotel, which also gets called a 5 star in many other reviews (so im not sure which it is) is situated in the heart of the Gold Coast in Australia was formerly known as the Grand Mecure and has been recently refurbished, however these refurbishments were still going on when we arrived...

The day we arrived, 2 of the 4 rooms we have booked are not ready, we get told that check-in is not guaranteed till 2pm, first time I've ever heard of a policy like this, even if it does exist I've never heard any other 5 star or even 3 star hotel say this to my face. So after having lunch and roaming around for a couple of hours we return at 2:10pm to find that still one of the rooms is unavailable, funnily enough it was mine. After mentioning it was 10 minutes past their guaranteed check-in time, I got a voucher, which had $2 dollar credit for the pokies at the bar and a free beer, wine or soft drink, this bar, the 'Treasure Cove' This whole experience was made worse by the girl behind the counter 'Alex' she was as rude as poison.

The Treasure Cove, this is the main bar, at the Sofitel Gold Coast, this bar, is unlike any other flagship bar I have ever seen at any hotel I have stayed at. The decor and carpet reminded me of an RSL, as did the rows and rows of pokie machines. Sitting at the tables trying to enjoy a drink couldn't help but be likened to sitting in class at school, the chairs were terrible and had as much padding on them as a deflated whoopie cushion.

Ahhh the pool, or pools? Unlike the website suggests, neither pool was ready for use on our arrival, with noisy construction going on around them even after they filled one with water it wasn't usable unless you like to relax in the water with construction work going on all around you. Anyway we thought we'd make the best of it and headed off.

At about 4pm I returned to the room to freshen up, I felt a bit peckish so headed to the minibar and opened a packet of kettle chips, they were completely stale with the crunch equivalent to that of ice cream. I'm starting to get pretty annoyed here, but the main thing to get to me was the room service we ordered that night. After ordering two burgers, one without bacon or egg and some mustard on the side, 30 minutes later both arrive, both have bacon and egg and there is of course no mustard, and to top it off a Big Mac would have tasted better.

The tennis court, lol, seriously, it was peeling with a totally uneven surface and really wasn't playable, even for fun, these things, coupled with little things like the concierge telling us that the taxi drivers would be the best people to ask on where to go out, the hotel operator not knowing what number you are calling from when you are in your room, the porters sending all of our luggage to one room rather than sorting it out between the 4 rooms has to mean this was the single worst experience I have had at a hotel anywhere in the world. Please, please don't stay there, this is the Gold Coast, there are so many, much better run hotels in the immediate vicinity all at the same price range. The only positive I will say about the experience is the egg chef at breakfast, he was fantastic and cooked the omlettes to perfection!