First look: Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel

The Sunshine Coast’s first international hotel in four decades transforms Mooloolaba into its brightest beach break.

‘Key to the good life,’ my room key card reads. As waves crash just steps away and a delicate breeze sends remnants of a taxing morning out to sea, I couldn’t agree more with you, card. Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel has just officially opened its doors on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast, lifting the notoriously laidback beach town onto a global map. I check in among the hotel’s first guests to demystify the hype.

Where is Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel?

Ocean views from the rooms at Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel — Let the ocean views soothe. (Credit: Rhiannon Taylor)

Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel is located across the road from Mooloolaba Beach, one of the best Sunshine Coast beaches, and within walking distance to the esplanade’s buzzing dining and bar scene. It’s roughly 100 kilometres north of Brisbane and 170 kilometres north of the Gold Coast.

What is the design and style of Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel?

The lobby of Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel — The Japandi-style spherical paper lanterns in the lobby caught the writer’s attention. (Credit: Rhiannon Taylor)

I’d seen photos of Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel prior to checking in, yet I still uttered “wow" walking into the lobby. Abstract sage and cream rugs, caramel-cushioned timber seating, Japandi-style spherical paper lanterns, stone-look hexagon tiling and a consistent palette of terracotta and custard are warmed to perfection through dim lighting, natural sunlight and subtle greenery. It’s floor-to-ceiling tactile, reflecting the varied natural beauty of this region, while soft finishes and curved lines keep things contemporary. Saying it’s Instagram-perfect really doesn’t do these design decisions justice — it’s most certainly Mooloolaba’s most elevated hospitality experience.

Layering that gorgeous glow is an exceptionally experienced and approachable team. From the concierge and floor staff to the day spa team (more on AvaniSpa below) and bartenders, I detect an intentional focus on remaining calm, friendly and cheerful amid all guest interactions. In turn, I feel calm, friendly and cheerful. It is a literal personality that they’ve developed as a business here, and as a guest, switching into holiday mode is effortless.

What are the rooms like at Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel?

The balcony dining set and views at Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel — Watch the waves roll in from the privacy of your room. (Credit: Rhiannon Taylor)

I’m given room 607, which offers a southern aspect instead of full beach frontage, but I can still marvel at sand and surf from bed. There are plenty of elements to love about staying in one of Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel’s 180 rooms, but I think my favourite is the jumbo-sized freestanding bathtub that drew another audible cheer when I first entered. Even better, a jar of Ikkari Relaxation Soak was placed on a stool right beside it.

Extending the hotel’s exuberant coastal signature through open-plan living in the rooms and suites, my room is a knock-out. ABI Interiors elevates my double vanity tapware, a rain shower and a separate toilet are both hidden behind translucent glass, and a vanity kit is peppered with personality, like a small comb wrapped with recyclable packaging and emblazoned with the text “Comb on over". Too cute.

Inside the room at Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel — Colour is used cleverly to add a burst of energy to an otherwise soothing colour palette. (Credit: Rhiannon Taylor)

I’m also smuggling home the bathrobe and matching slippers in powder blue, hands down the prettiest colours I’ve seen in the world of hotel loungewear. Multiple T2 varieties, a confectionery and spirits tier stocked with locally sourced treats, Malin + Goetz bath products, a Dometic fridge featuring Mumm, a Mars bar and more, and a bold pop colour artwork created by an in-house designer (they’ve got one of those, too), court likeminded joy.

The bed I’m lazing in is cloudlike but there’s also a pillow menu offering Dream, Latex or Buckwheat options via the dial of a phone button. I’ll never grow bored with hotel pillow menus.

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What facilities does Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel have?

A rooftop infinity pool

Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel's rooftop infinity pool — The hotel’s rooftop infinity pool. (Credit: Rhiannon Taylor)

The infinity rooftop pool, accessible via level 12 and located on its own level 13, puts you on top of the world as it’s the highest rooftop pool in town. When I wasn’t staring mindlessly into the Pacific Ocean from under one of P&R Styling’s orange and white market umbrellas (a gorgeous Gold Coast furniture brand I love), I was marvelling at the curvature of Mooloolaba beach’s southern tip with Point Cartwright headland poking out from behind. There are four enclosed cabanas to also stake a claim on, each fitted with small side tables and striped daybeds, while a food and cocktail menu with evolving ‘Sully’s Slushie’ concoctions guarantees you’ll lose track of time.

A restaurant and bar

The Lobby Bar at Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel — The Lobby Bar is one of two dining and drink venues in the hotel. (Credit: Rhiannon Taylor)

A sundowner at Sully’s Rooftop Restaurant & Bar is mandatory but make time for a dedicated meal. Serving a la carte breakfast, lunch and dinner, this is the gastronomic superstar of not only this show but the wider region. The obligatory Mooloolaba king prawn is “charcoal-kissed" and dressed in coconut and lime butter, while additional seafood dishes sing.

But it’s the 24-hour woodfired, melt-on-the-fork Margra Lamb shoulder dolloped with goat curd, fresh peas and mint that demands attention. Australian culinary royalty Marky Godbeer (formerly at Brisbane’s The Calile, the Daintree’s Silky Oaks and Uluṟu’s Longitude 131°) is executive chef and he’s never been slicker, unleashed here with surging creativity.

His Smoked Wagyu Beef Snag salutes the humble Bunnings sausage sanga, while the Pig’s Head & Aged Comté Donuts are best dunked in accompanying apple caramel sauce. Furthermore, the restaurant’s wraparound rooftop terrace is destined to be the place to be seen this year when wine o’clock strikes.

Elsewhere, Lobby Bar on the ground level extends Marky’s kitchen marvelousness with one heck of a spanner crab doughnut, sweetly glazed before a dusting of sea salt, while also offering coffee, tipples, newspapers and magazines.

A wellness spa and gym

Sweat it out in the onsite sauna — Feel the heat in the onsite sauna. (Credit: Rhiannon Taylor)

Speaking of local industry bar raisers, Mooloolaba’s wellness cred is entirely illuminated with the arrival of AvaniSpa on level 3. The space is heavenly, all scallop-dished, olive-tree’d and curvalicious from top to toe, while the treatment rooms are soft and spacious, and the team is trained with precision.

Naoise, my therapist, offers beautiful, intuitive techniques while performing a Muscle Melt across my body and a lymphatic facial massage with a jade Gua Sha rather than a jade roller. As a result, I’m currently shopping around for my own to use at home. For beauty addicts, these guys lean into Ikkari’s full range, including their tonics spritzed into water post-treatment, and also Organic Spa products.

Right next to AvaniSpa, there’s also AvaniFit gym, which is impressively stocked with free weights, bikes, treadmills, pull-down machines, fluffy towels and cold water.

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Does Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel cater to guests with access needs?

Absolutely. For starters, there are 18 accessible rooms with considered doorway clearances and roll-in showers with grab bars. Up on the roof, a pool hoist is available upon request, while the floor itself — one level up from Sully’s — is reachable via an elevator. There’s also an accessible bathroom right by the pool, and other accessible bathrooms within the property, which notably flow with wide corridors and level flooring. I also love how the lobby’s three service counters are low, each paired with two guest seats that can shift to make way for wheelchairs.

Is Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel family-friendly?

Inside the room with twin beds at Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel — Twin beds and connecting rooms make this a family-friendly stay. (Credit: Rhiannon Taylor)

While I loved soaking up my me-time, I know my kids would’ve delighted in joining me. From the minibar’s sprinkle-frosted gingerbread man and that suburb-sized bathtub to the option of a two-bedroom connecting room, family-friendly features encourage everyone-in escapes. You’ll also find five dedicated kids’ dishes on the in-room dining menu (I only narrowly avoided the mac and cheese myself) and more kids’ meals in the Lobby Bar.

I also highly recommend booking one of those cabanas during your stay (visit the front desks for details) to ensure your little ones secure a shaded pool break — this is the Sunshine Coast in the Sunshine State, after all.

The details

Best for: design-minded couples and families looking for an elevated beachfront escape

Address: 10 Brisbane Road, Mooloolaba, Queensland 4557

Price: Opening rates start from $319 per night, which includes breakfast and off-street parking

Extras: There’s also undercover parking, 24-hour in-room dining and complimentary wi-fi available

How to book: Visit the Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel website

From the moment you arrive in Moreton Bay, stunning natural vistas, fresh and tasty dining, history and more invite you to stay and play.

Untouched national park, mirror-like lagoons and endless stretches of beaches all make Moreton Bay experiences feel like you’ve stumbled across a secret Queenslanders collectively vowed not to tell. Yet it’s easily accessible. Explore further and discover hinterland farms, ancient rainforest, fresh seafood and more: there’s something on offer for every pace, interest and generation.

Just 20 minutes from Brisbane Airport, it’s hard to believe how underrated this Queensland getaway is. Here’s your ultimate guide to rediscover play with unmissable experiences in Moreton Bay.

1. G’Day Adventure Tours, Bribie Island

G’Day Adventure Tours’ Sea to Table Experience should be your first agenda item in Moreton Bay. Take a 4WD journey through the sandy tracks of Bribie Island’s beaches to the still, glassy waters of the island’s lagoons. Glide over perfect replicas of paperbarks and fluffy blue clouds mirrored in the lagoon waters in your kayak. Listen as native birdsong echoes around you.

Then, it’s on to Fort Bribie. During the Second World War, these concrete bunkers – now slowly being enveloped by the dunes – were the last line of defence for Moreton Bay.

End the day with a sun-dappled beach picnic of locally caught Queensland prawns and famous Moreton Bay bugs. As you head home, watch the dolphins playfully dart in and out of the surf.

2. Morgan’s Seafood at Scarborough

Right on the Scarborough Boat Harbour, you’ll find Morgan’s Seafood. Between the luxury yachts, you’ll also spot trawlers and fishermen delivering their day’s catch right to Morgan’s. The family-owned and operated spot is one of the best places to try the region’s eponymous Moreton Bay bug. Or, sample more of the area’s direct-from-the-boat seafood fresh at their oyster and sushi bar. If you’re lucky, your visit might coincide with a day they’ve caught tuna.

Picture fish caught that day, prepared and then served to you as fresh sashimi as the sun sets over the unique silhouette of the Glasshouse Mountains.

3. Woorim Beach, Bribie Island

On Bribie’s eastern coastline, you’ll find Woorim Beach: aka the closest surf beach to Brisbane. Find a place on the sand by the patrolled area or wander further south to find a quiet spot and while the day away between the shaded dunes, the pages of your book and the peaceful sound of rolling waves.

Ask any local where to grab lunch, and they’ll direct you to Bribie Island Surf Club Bistro. Tuck into a fresh, local seafood platter, just metres from the beach.

4. D’Aguilar National Park

D’Aguilar National Park is a 40,000-hectare slice of greenery that stretches from urban Brisbane right up to Woodford (home of the Woodford Folk Festival). The vast expanse of park is home to ancient rainforests, eucalypt forests and shaded swimming spots hidden within gorges and under waterfalls. The area is significant for the Jinibara and Turrbal people, with ceremonial bora rings and dreaming trails all found within the park.

Carve out some time in your itinerary to explore the park’s many trails. The Maiala day-use area is the perfect starting point for walks for all levels of ability.

5. Arcade Wine Bar

arcade wine bar moreton bay — Sit down to a menu inspired by Italy.

Opposite the Redcliffe Jetty and down a laneway, you’ll find an unassuming wine bar. Venture inside and quickly fall in love with Arcade Wine Bar, one of the region’s most beloved local haunts.

Owners Danilo and Matt have a combined 50 years of sommelier experience, which they have poured into the menu, styling and wine list. More than just a hole-in-the-wall wine bar, Arcade Wine is an enoteca (a wine repository), whose walls are lined with bottles upon bottles of Italian wine varietals from every corner of Italy.

Settle in with a wine and work your way through the menu inspired by Danilo’s native Italy: traditional meatballs, their quick-to-sell-out terrine, or a selection of Italian cheeses, charcuterie and arancini.

6. Wamuran & Loop Rail Trail

Away from the ocean, tucked in the hinterland, is the Wamuran & Loop Rail Trail. Perfect for cyclists or walkers, the trail was built to showcase the history of the Caboolture to Kilcoy rail corridor (last operating in 1964) and makes for the perfect family day out. The trail runs for 10.5km and connects Wamuran and Caboolture via an accessible path.

Pass through former railroad, bridges and shaded bushland as you cut from A to B. Plus, visit in winter for a detour along the way to one of the many pick-your-own strawberry farms.

7. Farm Visits

Beaches, mountains and history make an enticing combination. But Moreton Bay also brings hinterland, family-friendly farms to the table. Trevena Glen is one of the area’s most loved, with bunnies, ponies, sheep, alpacas (and more) available to visit for the kids. For the adults, book a horse-riding session and be treated to a grazing platter as you watch the sun set over the mountains of D’Aguilar National Park.

At White Ridge Farm, find camels, putt-putt, train and tractor rides and all kinds of animals. The entire farm is paved, making it accessible for all.

8. Miss Sprinkles

Miss Sprinkles Gelato moreton bay — Pick your scoop at Miss Sprinkles Gelato.

An ice cream at the beach is one of life’s most perfect pleasures. While in town, stop by Miss Sprinkles for the locals’ pick of homemade gelato on the Scarborough foreshore.

The gelato here is made the authentic Italian way and scooped up just across from the beach. Or, settle in at their kitschy pink wooden tables for traditional gelato in the sunshine. Aside from the homemade gelato, you’ll also find tarts, pies and even doggie gelato.

To start planning your Moreton Bay trip, or for more information, head to visitmoretonbay.com.au.

The Sunshine Coast’s brand-new beachfront hotel is worth the hype

The Sunshine Coast’s first international hotel in four decades transforms Mooloolaba into its brightest beach break.

Where is Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel?

What is the design and style of Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel?

What are the rooms like at Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel?