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?

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?

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?

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.

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.

What facilities does Avani Mooloolaba Beach Hotel have?

A rooftop infinity pool

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

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

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.

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?

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