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 poolside bites and tasting flights to seafood plates and dry-aged steaks, a foodie adventure on Hamilton Island is worth every bite.

Hamilton Island’s sun-lacquered shores have long magnetised travellers craving an escape from reality. But what’s less expected – and more interesting – is just how assuredly this Whitsundays idyll delivers on the culinary front. Dialling up the flavour as much as the barefoot allure, the Hamilton Island food scene offers world-class dining and drinking options, spanning slick fine-dining moments to just-caught seafood served within sight of the sea. Let’s dig in.

Catseye Pool Club

Framing the electric blues of Catseye Beach from The Sundays hotel, Catseye Pool Club is Hamilton Island’s latest culinary prodigy. Shown to our table, we thread through rattan chairs, Zellige tiles and tumbling greenery that opens up to Coral Sea shimmer.

The poolside restaurant is the brainchild of Sydney-based chef duo Josh and Julie Niland, who have brought their relaxed yet elevated dining ethos north. The menu – designed to bring people together – is made for sharing, each hero ingredient orbited by a palette of sides to mix, match and layer as you please.

My thyme cocktail – woody with scotch, lifted by lime leaf – pairs perfectly with the charcoal grilled prawns entree, which is served with tumeric and lemongrass marinade, macadamia satay sauce and a thai-leaning sour green mango salad. Each forkful lands differently, but all are a delight. Then comes the coral trout. True to Josh Niland’s ‘scale-to-tail’ philosophy, the fish is presented whole in a theatrical crescent, a tiny fork stuck into its cheek in a nod to Niland’s declared prize cut. Ribbons of zucchini resembling gauzy curtains bring brightness and snap, while kasundi lends depth and warmth. It’s tongue-tantalising, special occasion dining with humanity.

Sails Restaurant

A more casual poolside dining scene awaits at nearby Sails Restaurant, where Eastern Mediterranean flavours are dished up with an island twist. Chermoula chicken skewers and barramundi souvlaki lie on the more filling side of the menu, while the sumac squid and stone-bread flatbread with za’atar – arriving alongside pomegranate molasses, beetroot hummus and crushed macadamias – are perfect light bites after a dip in the pool. And don’t miss the garlic lemon scallops.

The setting is equally part of the draw. Sunlight floods the high-ceilinged dining room, while outdoor tables look out across the glittering expanse of Catseye Beach. Holidaymakers in oversized sunglasses sip spritzes beneath umbrellas, the gentle clink of plates mixing with splashes from the adjacent pool. It’s the kind of place you’ll want to linger long after lunch.

Bommie

Tucked into a sleek curved wing of the Hamilton Island Yacht Club, Bommie delivers experiential fine dining with a sense of occasion. Led by award-winning Executive Chef Ryan Locke, the seasonal menu champions local and native Australian ingredients whipped up into a modern display of creative precision.

Inside the dim-lit dining room, guests can choose between the Tasting Menu or Chef’s Signature Degustation. Sourdough with pine oil sets the tone for the six-course tasting menu, beautifully presented in a bed of pine needles alongside smoked paperbark butter. I love how the squid ink choux pastry is served with flavour-popping native finger lime, which our waiter encourages us to eat caviar-style. Standout moments continue with the wattle-seed-crusted venison elevated by red fruit and pickled beetroot swirls; the meat is perfectly pink in the middle and an homage to the island’s history as a deer farm.

Pebble Beach

Exclusive to qualia Resort guests for lunch and dinner, Pebble Beach is Hamilton Island’s most serene expression of seasonal island dining. Ocean-facing chairs dot a timber deck that spills straight onto the resort’s private beach, while crystalline turquoise waters stretch to meet distant islands – a scene far prettier than any postcard could capture.

The recently refreshed menu doubles down on seasonality and bright, layered flavours. While the more substantial T-bone steak with hazelnut honey carrots tempts, we go lighter: Coffin Bay oysters with Champagne foam and keffir lime dust kick us off splendidly, followed by Byron Bay burrata served with balsamic and caramelised figs. The fennel and orange salad topped with succulent grilled chicken is utterly delectable, but it’s the zingy, oh-so-fresh soft shell fish tacos that I can’t stop thinking about. It all goes down a treat with a glass of delicate Charles Heidsieck Brut Reserve Champagne.

Beach Club Restaurant

A lunch or dinner table at Beach Club Restaurant is best booked in advance – and it’s easy to see why. Looking out over the hotel’s palm-fringed infinity pool, the restaurant spotlights elegant contemporary Australian cuisine with a stellar (also Aussie-leaning) wine list to match.

I am completely enamoured by the grilled Queensland prawns, which are brought to life with a smoked compound, local fried curry leaves and lime. Digging into the butter-soft lamb rump served atop pea ragout and parsley Paris mash feels like a warm, nostalgic hug. And dessert – vanilla bean ice cream drizzled with hot salted honey and apple gel – ends the night on a high note.

Expect warm and discreet service; our waiter Marco tells us that the tiny decorative starfish on our table are there to help the staff remember whether we prefer sparkling or still water, so they don’t need to bother us by asking multiple times.

Talk & Taste with Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher

There’s more to Hamilton Island’s foodie scene than restaurant reservations alone. For wine-curious travellers seeking something a little more immersive, Beach Club has recently introduced Talk & Taste – a tutored tasting hosted by Bommie Assistant Manager and wine enthusiast Courtenay Morgan-Fletcher. Held twice weekly for a maximum of eight guests, the experience explores Australian wine culture through four thoughtfully selected drops paired with native-inspired bites.

We opt for the white wine and seafood option. Alongside pours from Eden Valley and Launceston, a nibbling platter arrives featuring sashimi, salmon roe, Mooloolaba prawn ceviche and palate-cleansing ginger. The seafood is pristine and pared back, allowing the wines to take centre stage.

The real highlight, however, is discovering just how nuanced winemaking can be. Courtenay speaks of viticulture as both art and science: harvest grapes a week too late and ripeness tips into ruin; plant the same varietal on different elevations and the sun, slope and water flow will shape entirely different expressions. Pinot noir, she explains, with its delicate skin and high water content, yields lighter fruit-forward wines, while thicker-skinned shiraz delivers depth and structure. I leave feeling fascinated and inspired by Courtenay’s evident passion.

coca chu

Sweet and hot. Sour and salty. Dining at ever-popular coca chu is a sensation-swirling experience that’s not to be missed if you’re a sucker for punchy Southeast Asian flavours. Located at the Main Pool end of Catseye Beach, this lively hangout is all swaying lanterns, driftwood, high beamed ceilings and giant open windows that let in the balmy ocean breeze.

Drawing from hawker traditions, the grilled betel leaf is a neat, vibrant mouthful of chilli fried cashews and spiced beef. The tofu surprises – soft beneath a tumble of dill, mint and coriander, and glossed in moreish peanut sauce. The massaman curry is pure comfort: creamy, fragrant, fall-apart meat. It’s generous and expressive cooking that I, for one, cannot get enough of.

Marina Cafe

Sometimes, all you crave on holidays is a bacon and egg roll done properly and a creamy fruit smoothie. Boasting harbour views, an easygoing atmosphere and clean modern interiors, Marina Cafe is a popular local haunt for a reason. The casual menu lures families and couples alike with its all-day brekky, seasonal salads and sandwiches – from a roasted pumpkin bowl to prosciutto and rocket on herby focaccia.

The acai bowl, topped with toasted nuts and berries, is a refreshing start to my day. Whether you sit in or takeaway, it’s a good-vibes-guaranteed place to refuel before or after your Whitsundays adventures.

Discover your foodie getaway now at hamiltonisland.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?