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Discover the Gold Coast pool where you can dive with tropical fish

Lee MylneBy Lee Mylne
A lagoon full of tropical fish, a grand sweeping staircase and attentive, friendly staff combine at JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa.

Colourful tropical fish flash past in the water below. There’s Nemo the clownfish, along with silver bream, Moon wrasse and more. Guests of all ages surface with broad smiles after swimming in the lagoon at JW Marriott Gold Coast Resort & Spa . It’s an experience few other hotel pools can offer.

Elegant and luxurious, but with an unmistakably Queensland style, the resort brings a new standard of luxury to South East Queensland, all just a short walk from the Gold Coast’s white sandy beaches.

With a Luxury Escapes offer from just $399 per night (two-night minimum) available until May 31, 2025, there’s plenty of time to discover and explore all the resort has to offer. Make the most of its tropical lagoon-style pools, award-winning restaurants, bright, airy guest rooms and indulgent spa.

The pool in JW Marriot Gold Coast
A luxurious Gold Coast escape awaits.

JW Marriott Gold Coast’s pool

It’s hard to go past the saltwater lagoon, with its 300-odd colourful tropical fish representing 20 species. Don a snorkel and flippers or check out an underwater scooter from the recreation centre and you’re all set. Surrounded by lounge areas, cabanas and dining options the pools provide a space the whole family can enjoy at their own pace.

Named Australia’s best hotel pool in 2024, the lagoon is designed with multi-generational travellers in mind. Find varying depths and plenty of corners to explore, from the swim-up grotto to waterfalls and sandy beaches. A freshwater pool has a children’s slide or you can relax in one of the Jacuzzis.

People swimming with the fish at JW Marriott's pool.
Take a dip in the saltwater lagoon and swim alongside tropical fish.

JW Marriott Gold Coast’s rooms and suites

Starting from a generous 42-square-metres in size, guestrooms boast panoramic views of the ocean, cityscape or Gold Coast hinterland mountains from their floor-to-ceiling windows or balconies.

All rooms are air-conditioned, with state-of-the-art electronics, a work desk and Nespresso machine. Generous marble bathrooms have bathtubs and separate shower.

JW Marriott Gold Coast's executive suite.
Wind down in the spacious comfort of your executive suite, fully equipped with all the essentials.

Award-winning dining at JW Marriott Gold Coast

Seasonal menus, using sustainable and ethically sourced ingredients, highlight regional products with an ocean- or paddock-to-plate concept in the hotel’s five restaurants .

Citrique is renowned for its sumptuous breakfasts, Sunday long lunch, seafood and grill buffet. An à la carte menu also showcases local seafood and produce, with matching wines. Open kitchens, interactive live stations and at-table preparation of some dishes creates a lively atmosphere.

In Misono, energetic teppanyaki chefs entertain with their clever knife work and theatrical flair while they cook at hot plates built into each table, a great favourite with families. The Japanese artistry extends into the flavours and presentation of dishes, always adding something surprising and different to the table.

Misono’s Japanese whisky bar is a great place for sundowners, or you can book an adults-only dining room for a more private experience, including a sake showcase.

For more casual dining, relax and unwind over a cocktail at Chapter & Verse or head there for high tea. Open for all day dining, it has a cafe vibe during the day and transitions to a craft cocktail bar feel at night. Chapter & Verse is also the spot for live music.

And if you’re just after a quiet night in your room, the resort’s 24-hour in-room dining service (Savour by JW) is the answer. Make a selection from either Citrique or Misono’s menus.

Premium Seafood at JW Marriott Gold Coast
Delight in seasonal, sustainable menus.

Family offerings

Family by JW, an interactive program for both children and adults, offers the opportunity to bond over fun culinary experiences and other creative activities that enhance the holiday spirit.

Join the Mini Misono sushi- or pizza-making classes. The whole family can learn the art of sashimi from trained chefs. Or participate in herb planting in the JW Garden, where a tour can also reveal everything about the herbs, edible flowers, fruits and vegetables grown for the culinary team’s daily use.

The comfort and quiet of the JW Marriott Concierge Library offers a balance of local culture, well-being and culinary insights within a bookstore-like setting. Thoughtfully designed Serene Spaces provide restful corners to pause and relax.

JW Marriott Gold Coast family activity
Book a range of activities for every family member to enjoy.

Spa by JW

Step into a world of relaxation and rejuvenation at Spa by JW . Book one of six treatment rooms, a signature couple’s room including a relaxation lounge, ensuite stone bath and twin showers, traditional saunas, showers, relaxation pods and an outdoor relaxation area. The extensive spa menu and personalised care tailored to individual needs are among the reasons it was voted in top position on TripAdvisor.

Whether you’re tired from a long journey or simply looking for well-deserved pampering, Spa by JW’s carefully curated treatments cater to your overall well-being in a sanctuary dedicated to fostering mental and physical balance. If time is short, express spa treatments are a simple indulgence, and the welcoming spa lounge is the ideal place to relax with friends or simply unwind.

Spa by JW.
Complete your serene getaway with indulgent treatments at the posh premium spa.
Start planning your Gold Coast getaway at jwmarriottgoldcoast.com
Lee Mylne
Lee Mylne is an award-winning Brisbane-based freelance travel writer who has visited more than 60 countries, but still loves writing about the places closest to her. She has a strong interest in people, history, culture and nature and will go anywhere for a good story.
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3 wild corners of Australia that let you reconnect with nature (in comfort)

    Kassia ByrnesBy Kassia Byrnes
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    The country’s rawest places offer some of its most transformative, restorative experiences.

    Australia offers sublime opportunities to disappear into the ancient, untouched wilderness, worlds away from modern stress. Wild Bush Luxury offers a collection of experiences that are a portal into the continent’s wildest, most undiscovered landscapes, from wide floodplains to vast savannas, where the only distractions are birdsong, frog calls, curious wallabies and the daily drama of sunset. With a focus on conservation and Indigenous knowledge, these all-inclusive experiences allow guests to slow down and quiet their minds for intimate encounters with the natural world.

    1. Bamurru Plains

    safari tent at Bamurru Plains wild bush luxury
    Let nature take front row.

    In the remote Top End, just outside Kakadu National Park on the fringes of the spectacular Mary River floodplains, you’ll find Bamurru Plains , a peerless Australian safari camp. After a quick air transfer from Darwin to the camp’s private airstrip, you’ll be whisked away via 4WD to a vivid natural wonderland of shimmering floodplains, red earth, herds of peacefully grazing water buffalo and 236 bird species (Bamurru means magpie goose to the Gagadju people).

    Accommodations consist of 10 mesh-walled bungalows and two luxe stilted retreats where guests enjoy panoramic, up-close views that invite them into their rightful place in the landscape (and binoculars to see it even better). Being an off-grid experience designed to help guests disconnect, the only distractions are birdsongs, frog calls, curious wallabies, the occasional crocodile sighting and the daily drama of the spectacular golden sunset.

    It’s a place where nature’s vastness rises to the level of the spiritual, and Bamurru’s understated, stylish,  largely solar-powered lodgings are designed to minimise human impact and let nature take front row.  Guests relax in comfort with plush linens, an open bar, communal tables that allow for spontaneous connections and curated dining experiences from the in-house chef using local ingredients and bush-inspired cooking methods.

    Bamurru Plains airboat tour
    Zoom across the floodplains. (Image: Adam Gibson)

    It’s a restorative backdrop for days spent zooming across the mist-covered floodplains in an airboat, birding with expert guides, taking an open-sided safari drive or river cruise through croc country. Spend time at the Hide, a treehouse-like platform that’s perfect for wildlife spotting.

    In fact, nature is so powerful here that Bamurru Plains closes entirely during the peak monsoon season (October to April), when the floodplains reclaim the land and life teems unseen beneath the water. Yet Wild Bush Luxury’s ethos continues year-round through its other experiences around Australia – each designed to immerse travellers in a distinct Australian wilderness at its most alive and untouched.

    2. Maria Island Walk

    woman on a headland of Maria Island Walk
    Maria Island Walk offers sweeping coastal scenes.

    Off Tasmania’s rugged east coast, the iconic Maria Island Walk is an intimate four-day journey through one of the country’s most hauntingly beautiful and unpopulated national parks, encompassing pristine beaches, convict-era ruins, and wildlife sightings galore. Accessible only by a small ferry, Maria Island feels like a place reclaimed by nature, which is exactly what it is: a penal settlement later used for farms and industry that finally became a national park in 1972.

    These days, the island is known as ‘Tasmania’s Noah’s Ark’ and its only human inhabitants are park rangers. It’s a place where wombats amble through grassy meadows, wallabies graze beside empty beaches, dolphins splash in clear water just offshore and Tasmanian devils – successfully reintroduced in 2012 after near-extinction on the mainland – roam free and healthy.

    Each day unfolds in an unhurried rhythm: trails through coastal eucalyptus forests or along white-sand bays, plateaus with sweeping ocean views, quiet coves perfect for swimming. Midway through the journey, you’ll explore Darlington, a remarkably preserved 19th-century convict settlement whose ruins tell stories of human ambition at the edge of the known world.

    At night, sleep beneath a canopy of stars in eco-wilderness camps – after relaxing with Tasmanian wine and locally-sourced meals, and swapping stories with your fellow trekkers by candlelight.

    3. Arkaba

    two people standing next to a 4wd in Arkaba
    Explore Arkaba on foot or on four wheels.

    For a bush immersion with more of an outback flavour, Arkaba offers a completely different type of experience. A former sheep station and historic homestead in South Australia’s striking Flinders Ranges that has been reimagined as a 63,000-acre private wildlife conservancy. It’s now patrolled mainly by kangaroos and emus.

    Small-scale tourism (the homestead has just five ensuite guestrooms) helps support rewilding projects, and guests become an essential part of the conservation journey. Days begin with sunrise hikes through ancient sandstone ridges or guided drives into the ranges to spot yellow-footed rock-wallabies. And end with sundowners on a private ridgetop watching the Elder Range glow vibrant shades of gold, crimson and violet as the air cools and time stands still.

    Here, you can join conservation activities like tracking native species or learning about Arkaba’s pioneering feral-animal eradication projects, then unwind with chef-prepared dinners served alfresco on the veranda of the homestead, which is both rustic and refined. The highlight? Following Arkaba Walk, a thriving outback wilderness where emus wander and fields of wildflowers grow.

    It’s an unforgettable immersion in Australia’s vast inland beauty, a place where the land’s deep and complicated history – and astounding resilience – leave their quiet imprint long after you return home. In a world where genuine awe is rare, Wild Bush Luxury offers a return to what matters most in the untamed beauty of Australia’s wilderness.

    Disconnect from the grind and reconnect with nature when you book with at wildbushluxury.com