A note about the accommodation – We had considered many different properties for this Gold Coast stay, but our family have long been loyal customers – since the 80’s – at the Peninsula Apartments for several reasons – we love the views from this building, we love the location, we like the fact that you get 2 bathrooms in a 2 bedroom apartment, and we love the pools here.
Oh, we have occasionally strayed for shorter stays – we tried out the Marriot because of the snorkelling lagoon, a couple of times we have been placed elsewhere for a work conference which was not our choice. But if we are here for a week or so, the Peninsula is our preferred option.
The Peninsula next to Q1
However I had been reading the reviews across the web and they were quite mixed. I was well aware that this is partly because the building is made up of apartments owned by different owners, so the decor, furniture and facilities vary greatly from apartment to apartment. They also have two levels of apartment – the deluxe and the basic. So that can cause the review variation as well.
As we arrived late we had to retrieve our keys from the night box, which was easily done. The keys came with directions to our carpark including a map. Even so we struggled to find it because we did not understand there are two levels and we were looking on the wrong level. It had been a long day, and everyone was getting tired. We did eventually figure out where we needed to go, found the carpark, unpacked the car, and headed up to our room, 13F.
We had hoped we would get a great apartment, but what makes up a great apartment? The one we did get had amazing views even on the 13th floor. As I sit here typing this on the lounge, I can see ocean and beach from every window. Does that make up for the fact that the furniture is probably as old as the building, which was built in 1982?
Does that make up for the fact that the cleanliness is not exactly optimal? The floor needs a good steam mopping as a matter of urgency. Someone needs to walk on the tiles with bare feet, otherwise staff will not realise how sticky and awfully dirty they are.The carpets desperately needed to be replaced in our room. The bathrooms are functional and perfectly fine, though they are getting on in years too.
The kitchen was functional but very old. The appliances were also very old, except for the fridge and cooktop which was younger than the other appliances. The laundry had a new washer but a very old dryer that only dries half the amount of the washing – 7kg front load, 3.5kg dryer.
There were no blackout curtains. Every morning we woke with the sun. On the one hand that is fantastic because we are on holiday and would like to be up super early. On the other hand, Queensland does not have daylight saving. When we stayed we woke up 5am on the dot every morning. It has taken us 2 weeks to get back to waking up at a more normal time.
The beds and pillows were comfortable. The bedroom set was very old. There were two large leather couches in the lounge room, when in the room this is where we spent much of our time as the view from them was spectacular.
The dishwasher is definitely from 1982 – it is an old dial dishlex which is so old even the dishlex logo has vanished. On our second day we put the dishwasher on when we went out – as our one experience with it thus far taught us this thing was incredibly noisy! – and returned home to find the floors were covered in water. It seemed to us like the dishwasher seals had failed.
Now I want to make it very clear and make sure they receive the praise they deserve – the staff here are fantastic and trying to do their best with the property they have. Every interaction with staff was a positive experience. Well done team, you are awesome. Every day when we went through reception they were burning some gorgeous scented candles there, it smelled amazing.
When we discovered the dishwasher was malfunctioning, I went to the front desk and saw Sharon, who immediately followed me upstairs to check out what was going on, and she called out the appliance guy to attend the next day. She brought along some towels which we placed in front of the unit so we could still use it without water going everywhere.
That night we found someone had removed the arm from the middle shelf of the dishwasher which was sending a large stream of water directly to the bottom of the dishwasher. They had put the arm in the under sink cupboard. Once we replaced it, the amount of water leaking out reduced significantly.
The appliance guy felt that someone had used dishwashing detergent in the unit which was causing a lot of sudsing to occur. Well I hate to be the one to tell you this, appliance guy, but my personal suspicion is, all that stuff is what the seals are meant to keep inside the dishwasher. If they were functioning. It was not all sudsy water coming out, we were getting a lot of plain water too. Which given the unit is 34 years old, it has done extremely well to last this long, but there comes a time when the owners need to just buy a new one.
We kept the towels in front of the unit for the remainder of our stay. The dishwasher was still leaking but it never was as bad as the first day.
The BBQs were a bit dirty, so if you were going to cook on them I would recommend using a BBQ mat.
There is an IGA a couple of streets over towards Cavill Ave, and there is a Woolworths in the Paradise Center along Cavill Ave, for people who need to pick up extra items.
With all that said, no amount of old appliances and unclean floors can take away from the great location and the amazing view. You can just put some socks on and enjoy the view. We did see whales from the balcony.
Even so, it is probably time for us to try out a new Gold Coast Home Away From Home. We will be sad to move on, because we have loved staying at the Peninsula for so many years.
Sticky floors are unforgivable. A simple mop with clean water and floor cleaner will fix that, surely done after each occupant moves out. I guess it could be argued that the older furniture means you are paying a cheaper price than if everything was new, well it should be. Appliances need to work without fuss. You don’t need stress from that nor wet towels lying around on floors. I suppose the managers pass all this information back to the owner. I can’t remember the name of the top of my head, but you know the place where we stayed and it is the same structure, with each apartment individually owned. Ours was very good, from memory.
What a shame! And at a place you’ve stayed at so often. Hope your next property will be much more pleasant and clean.
SSG xxx
Apart from the dishwasher troubles and sticky floor, it looks like a perfectly fine apartment to me. It’s possible the floor was mopped with strong disinfectant which will dry sticky, I know this from the cleaners who did the locker room facilities at Coles.
Age of furniture (style too) should never be an issue as long as it is in good condition. After all, it is a holiday apartment not rooms in a swank hotel.
Sounds like our fave home away from home in Surfers – BreakFree Acapulco apartments. Love the heated indoor swimming pool and spa, so you can still enjoy a swim even in the middle of winter! Some units are more dated than others but the view and location is great :-) .