Novotel Surfers Paradise

The Novotel is a large beachfront hotel in the middle of the Gold Coast tourist strip with a formal dog-friendly program, which is rare at this scale: dedicated rooms, an in-room kit, an on-site grass exercise area and even a pet section in the ground-floor cafe. It is the straightforward choice for a Gold Coast stay where the dog comes along to the strip itself.

Dogs at the Novotel

Dog-friendly rooms are designated Deluxe Rooms on Level 6, carrying a surcharge of AU$50 per night, with a maximum of one dog per room up to 20kg. Dogs must wear current registration and ID tags, stay on a leash in all public areas of the hotel, and never be left unattended in the room. Rooms come with a dog bed, food and water bowls and a complimentary tennis ball to keep, though bringing familiar bedding from home is fine. Bookings must be made directly with the reservations team by email or phone rather than through standard online channels, and rooms are strictly limited, so confirm early.

The place and the dog setup on site

It is a full-service high-rise with ocean-view rooms, family rooms, a spa, a pool and direct beach access. For a hotel dog, the practical details are unusually well thought out: a Level 5 grass area handles exercise and bathroom breaks without leaving the building, and the ground-floor BLVD Cafe and Bar has a designated pet-friendly section so breakfast does not mean leaving the dog behind in the car park.

Getting there and out with the dog

The hotel sits on the beachfront end of the strip, about 40 minutes from Coolangatta airport. The main beach and esplanade here are on-leash at best and the flagged swimming areas are off limits to dogs, so for a proper run head 10 minutes north to the The Spit dog beach, the closest 24/7 off-lead stretch with wash-down facilities. The Nick Pavlis Park fenced dog park covers the off-lead park option, and The Winey Cow in Main Beach is a dog-friendly coffee stop on the way.

More options in the region are listed in the QLD stays index.