The Wave Resort

We had a spacious, comfortable two-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment with ocean views, and the facilities were terrific, especially the pool, gym, steam room, and sauna. The Wave Resort Broadbeach is right in the middle of Broadbeach, with everything easy to reach on foot. We didn’t use the car for five days. Great for families, and we’d gladly stay again.

It’s close to everything, which is great, but I don’t think I’d stay again unless I got a very good deal. It wasn’t worth what we paid. Construction noise was an issue, though we had been warned, and the bed was uncomfortable with springs you could feel coming through. Our two-bedroom apartment wasn’t fully clean. We had to vacuum because it was so dusty, and there were little flies, so it needs a better clean. The furniture was a bit old and rusty, including the light switches and bath tub. The air con wasn’t allowed below 23, which was wild in the heat. We were melting with our baby.

The three-bedroom apartment had loads of space and good amenities. The beds were comfy, the blackout blinds were amazing, and the doors did a good job of blocking sound, so it wasn’t as noisy as I expected. The rooftop spa was nice, though I wouldn’t call it warm. The sauna was amazing. It’s in a great central spot, and the balcony has beautiful views. The rooms had recently been renovated, which was great. One annoying thing: the showers were fixed at one height, with no sliding rail. At 159cm, the shower head was way too high, so I ended up taking it off and holding it.

The pool and entertainment deck were closed for renovation during our stay, even though it was 30 degrees and we’d paid thousands of dollars. With those facilities shut, the premium price felt hard to justify. What really disappointed me was the staff response. My complaint wasn’t the first, but I was basically told it wasn’t their fault. There was no empathy, apology, or offer of a discount. The Wave is lovely and very well located, but every room faces a major construction site that seems to have no noise restrictions. Work may officially start at 7am six days a week, but machinery and concrete pumps were being set up before then. It was impossible to sleep much past 6am. The facilities are what make a resort different from a motel. Broadbeach has plenty of other great resorts. Give this one a miss.