Diamond Beach Resort Gold Coast
Readers Reviews
Miranda
June 2008
We had booked into the Diamond Beach Resort BEFORE reading these reviews, and were quite concerned! After reading another reviewer's solution of requesting a modernised room, I contacted the resort and asked for a "renovated" apartment, and they were happy to oblige.
Once we got there, we were delighted with the place. The unit was bright and very clean, everything worked, and the resort complex was extremely well maintained. We were there with our 2 1/2 year old, and it really suited our needs perfectly. Despite the weather being cooler/raining, the resort has excellent heated pools including a fantastic double pool for toddlers, making it an absolute pleasure to spend time in the pool. There was also some play equipment for him to play on.
The resort is only 1 block from the beach, so we could walk there easily. The foreshore at Broadbeach has a series of excellent playgrounds, which provided enormous entertainment for our toddler. The resort is also very close to local cafes, restaurants, shops, and supermarket, so we only needed to use the car if we were going further afield.
In short, we were delighted with the place! It sounds like the key to having a positive experience is requesting a "renovated" unit.
Jo
May 2007
We have just returned from a 10 night stay at this "resort", 2 adults and 3 children (14, 12 and 3). We booked a 2brm unit in Oct 2006, online, which caused some confusion as there was no bedding in the room for our toddler and lack of communication found us paying an unexpected cost for this bedding on departure. Not Happy.
The unit was a good size for a family of 5. It was very tired, dirty and dated, and in desperate need of upgrading. The sink and bath tub were stained and dirty, we did not feel comfortable bathing our toddler in the bath. The microwave was a dial control and worked intermittently. The dishwasher was dirty and I am sure the filters have never been cleaned by the build up we found on them.
The unit was only serviced once during our 10 night stay, the extent of the servicing is limited to toilets, linen and sinks. The linen situation was interesting, 2 facewashers (1/ bathroom) to share between 5 people!! No assistance from management to provide extra, except at an additional cost. There is an additional cost for dishwashing liquid, soap, dishwasher powder, shampoo, tea, coffee and sugar after the original supply of one sachet has been used.
On a positive note the pool and BBQ area are great but the heated pool is still very cold, we were so busy sight seeing there wasn't much time to enjoy them. Two screen doors that would not lock were repaired quickly the next day.
Would we stay there again? No.
I agree with the current reviews that I have read about this "resort". Having these units individually owned can cause a variation in standards. But as the manager of this resort Breakfree must take on the
responsibility to maintain the standard they wish their guests to enjoy, 4 star this is not.
Jodie
March 2007
After reading some of these reviews AFTER I had booked and paid for our holiday I was a bit worried at how we would go. With a 3 year old and a 4 month old I wasn't keen on the idea of cockroaches crawling all over the place.
However, on arrival the staff were extremely friendly and allowed us to check in early. Our room was at the back of the resort on the top floor. Not an ideal location with little ones, but the room was great. Everything was clean and in perfect working order. My husband was concerned that there was no air conditioning (30+ days and 80% humidity) but once you opened all the doors there was a great cross breeze.
The resort facilities were great, the pool was fantastic. We couldn't get our 3 year old out and our 4 month old found it just the right temperature to enjoy being in.
Location wise you couldn't get better. We weren't keen to be in the hustle & bustle of Surfers, so Broadbeach was ideal. The beach is a 5 minute walk, as is a great playground for the kids. Woolworths is about an 8 minute walk, for all your food needs and there are some great restaurants/cafes in the same area. There were also some great markets on the Sunday near the surf club. Pacific Fair is about a 10-15 minute walk, where there is every shop you could ever need.
We only went to Sea World, which was about 15-20 minutes on the shuttle bus. Not sure how long to get to the other theme parks.
After reading the negative comments here, I got our travel agent to request that we get a fairly modern room. My understanding is that they are all individually owned so the standard can definitely vary. Ours even had a selection of CD's & DVD's for us to use/watch. So I would suggest doing the same.
Natalie Cooke
March 2007
We spent seven nights at this resort and would definitely not recommend this resort to anyone. We were in a three bed. apartment that was very outdated, nothing like the pictures they show you on the internet. There was no air-conditioning and very noisy and dirty ceiling fans in all the rooms, kitchen sink was stained, dishwasher stunk and the shower over the bath was mouldy. The carpets were putrid and balcony chairs broken, our single beds were like sleeping on springs they were that worn out. And the cockroaches in the kitchen and cupboards complimented the place. The glass dinner table and coffee table were not child friendly, an accident
occurred and we were ripped off by management wasn't happy. The only good thing about the place was the pool, but you cant sleep there and I didn't like that what they called the playground was not fenced off from the pool. We stayed in room#111 if anyone does decide to stay there.
Knox School family
December 2006
Thought we'd give you some feedback on our recent stay at the Breakfree Diamond Beach Resort in Broadbeach - probably the worst accommodation we've ever had!
I know families will appreciate the feedback good, bad or otherwise and so we have taken the time out (as disappointed as we were) to share the dirty, maintenance infested experience with you.
This was our annual trip which has been blown away by disappointment and thus, we will never stay there again. We were greeted by a rather rude and unfriendly girl at reception and got the same unfriendly reception when we left by the same girl. The walk through to the apartment wasnt bad until we got there and opened the door. I dont think the apartment has been upgraded for a while! The smell of urine was enough to make us puke. Opened up all the doors and windows, fans going in the hope or eradicating the smell - no chance. Had the floors steamcleaned a few days later on request, but a day later back to the old stench. (I actually went and bought cleaning products and cleaned myself). We were told all rooms fully occupied so wouldnt shift us. The "king" bed ended up being a queen, but that wasnt so bad. Whilst there, we had 6 different repair/cleaning people in to some "works" at our request, so the stay was marred by constant interruptions. The manager onsite just smiles and seems to "knock off" early most days so its not like you can achieve anything by speaking to her - because she's usually gone for the day.
Here's a running summary of the maintenance issues we faced:
-dryer not working, never repaired.
-insinkerator not working, repaired 2 days later and then not work again.
-insinkerator switch falling out of socket - dangerous electrical hazzard.
-curtains are full of foul smelling mould!
-mould growing in ensuite ceiling.
-ensuite shower door not shutting.
-carpet stained with urine.
-dirty apartment in general, not properly cleaned or scrubbed.
-dust about 1cm thick throughout - clothes dirtied by putting on the shelves.
-security doors not shut properly - repairman came but didnt fix problem.
-ensuite vanity loose - had to call to repair then not use for 48 hours.
-taps cracked
-walls badly marked and patched
-1st week cave spa out of order - we were very disappointed
-2nd week no playground for our kids - imagine their disappointment.
-pantry door didnt shut properly unless 'slammed shut'
-rubbish collecting tractor exhaust broken and very noisy
-toilet tap fell off on arrival after first use - black soot around tap fittings
-kitchen sink was disgusting!!!! Obviously not cleaned properly.
-fans in bedrooms are rusty
-rust on rangehood and parts of oven
-oven door coming apart and needs cleaning
-three chairs broken outside on verandah
-tv remote missing back cover - batteries always falling out
-leaking taps throughout - called to have them repaired
-ensuite toilet kept flushing itself - called to have it repaired
-ensuite shower frame coming off wall
-bathroom tap (cold) screeches when turned on - called for repair.
-internet in reception is slow and virus infected - not good value for $
These are some of the major issues we faced whilst at the resort for 10 nights. We would have gone elsewhere if we had not have paid upfront. It would be worth your while going to see this apartment as we dont believe they've bothered to carry out any further repairs or maintenance. The excuse we kept getting was that some owners dont want to invest in their properties.
We were so looking forward to this holiday and unfortunately, got by by spending as much time away from the resort as possible. Isnt that sad!
We certainly wouldnt stay there again and wouldnt recommend it to anybody we like! We even took photos of the apartment as proof of how bad it was. It would take a great deal to restore our faith in Breakfree. I only wonder if our original holiday at Aanuka Beach would have been better. I guess we'll never know.
The Sedlar Family
November 2006
We left Melbourne rather excited about this trip, as our friends highly
recommended this resort. Well, it was not all it was "cracked" up to be.
The brochures always show the best angles or one of the few refurbed rooms.
Yes, the location is good as you can walk across the highway to Pacific Fair
and the beach is a 5 minutes walk behind the resort. Upon arrival, people
were complaining about the facilities. Mmmm. Our apartment hadnt been
touched for 13 years - that's how old the resort is. Cockroaches are
everywhere in QLD so they dont even rate a mention. However, noise levels
are high, only one pool is heated so it is always crowded, the barbeque
area is also always crowded. The playground is not fenced away from the
pool area (a hazzard for the little ones) and was rendered out of use for
the remainder of our stay. The kiddie pool area needs a spruce up and all
the pools need a really good clean (like scrubbing the sides of brown
deposits). In our apartment, # 138, everything seemed broken or in need of
repair. No cooling/air conditioners, dryer and insinkerator didnt work,
taps come off, mould in curtains, toilet didnt stop flushing....and the
carpets were urine stained (I have photos to prove it). The staff arent too
bothered and not particularly friendly. However, the security guard is
very good and does his job well to ensure there is peace at night. I wouldnt
recommend it to young families and would rather go back to
Turtle Beach Resort as better value for money.
J & D Ping-Nam
July 2004
Our family travelled from Sydney to Queensland in July 2004 on one of the Breakfree Holidays packages of buy one now get one free next year. I can not
give this resort a bigger wrap on how happy we were with our room which was on
the top floor overlooking the big freeform pools and heated cave spa and the
tropical atmosphere with all the palms. This resort was maintained at a high
standard. We travelled with another family who were on the ground floor and they
were as happy as we were. AND YES we all had kids, the couple we were travelling
with have three children aged 10, 6 & 2 and the kids had a ball, and I have two
children aged 3 & 8 months and I was on the top floor and had no trouble at all
with the stairs and the kids. We enjoyed the 5 minute walk to the beach and the
10 minute walk to Pacific Fair. On our holiday we were meant to be staying for 7
nights but enjoyed ourselves that much that we upgraded for an extra 3 nights
the resort was great with the deal they came up with for us and the other
travelling family we couldn't be any happier. On our holiday we went to all the
theme parks Sea World, Movie World, Wet n' Wild and Dreamworld for two days,
everybody had a great time, but I would have to say my three year old enjoyed
Movie World the best, followed by Sea World because of the dolphins and the park
being orientated around young childrens rides. Our 2 bedroom apartment looked
exactly like the picture we saw when booking our holiday. Well we go back in May
2005 and we all can't wait!! It was a memorable holiday, but remember holidays
are what you make of them. I recommend Breakfree Diamond Beach Resort,
Broadbeach, Surfers Paradise to anybody, especially with children 100% no
regrets!! " One thing is they should have a kids club and no 10pm get out of the
spa." We liked it that much we thought about buying one of the apartments and
renting it out during peak holiday season and using it ourselves when it is not
being used, it would be a good investment, especially when you feel like you are
in a tropical heaven!!!
JM Davis
April 2003
Our family stayed at Diamond Beach in April 2003 in a three bedroom apartment. We have three children
(14,12,8). We found our apartment which was located on the top floor to be
spacious with room for everyone to spread out. We did have flights of stairs to
contend with, which with younger children could have been an issue, but we
viewed it as good exercise. We have learned from years of travel to ‘downsize’
in your mind the images in the brochures and found this to be true once again.
Our apartment’s décor and some of the facilities in our apartment were in our
opinion a bit ‘tried’ – and once more confirmed the fact they always photograph
the most modern apartments and pictures are no indication of what you will
actually get! I also had trouble sleeping on the bed, and had to resort to
purchasing a woolrest to make it more comfortable. As for facilities, only one
of the pools was heated and most people tended to swim in this one so at times
the pool could be very crowded. The setting is nice with palm trees and we felt
the children were safe to wander around on their own within the resort. We found
it to be a manageable walking distance from the beach and to the Oasis shopping
centre where we purchased our groceries on days when we weren’t out in the car.
We plan to return to Surfers Paradise next April and enquired about availability and price for the
same unit and same number of nights. We were somewhat surprised to find that we
would be paying an extra $NZ700 for exactly the same thing. This has forced us
to look around and re-think where we will stay as we believe we can find better
value for money.
February 2003
We have just returned from two weeks at Diamond Beach Resort
Broadbeach Qld. We cannot recommend it highly enough. Our children are aged from
4 to 7, and the resort catered for them perfectly.
The two bedroom apartments were very spacious with all the mod
cons, and the resort grounds were simply stunning. We were told by previous
visitors to request a pool side room which we were lucky enough to get. Our room
overlooked the lagoon pools and was only a two minute walk to the BBQ area. We
found that like ourselves, majority of the guests were around the mid 30's, with
children under 8. A fantastic resort that is very family orientated, and most
importantly, safe.
Downfalls?? Without a car, we had to rely on public transport
to and from the theme parks. Being at Broadbeach, we were always the first on
the bus and the last off. In saying that, it still only took 1 hour to get to
both Movieworld and Wet & Wild.
Supermarkets were close by, fantastic shopping at Pacific Fair
a 10 minute walk, and the famous Gold Coast Beach only 5 minutes away.
Great Family Orientated Resort.
Submit a review
Close Page
