Peppers Broadbeach

Housed in a pair of towering high-rise buildings, Peppers is an upscale apartment-style hotel with chic, business-like interiors and more outdoor space than one might expect by looking at the corporate-style facade. The lobby is dominated by polished marble floors and walls with polished paneled accents and while there's a small lounge area with some sofas and brochures off to one side, the area doesn't really invite lounging. Better hang-out options include the lovely zen garden a few floors up, which features a variety of tropical plants and a mix of pebbled landscaping and grass -- there's even a tai chi lawn plus a seating area watched over by a Buddha statue. The space looks particularly beautiful when illuminated after dark. The property attracts a mix of couples and families, and due to its location in a resort town it gets a fair few vacationers. Note that check-in facilities are located in Tower 2.

Peppers is located in Broadbeach on Australia's Gold Coast, near area shops and restaurants and a five-minute walk from the nearest beach. Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre is a nine-minute walk from the hotel. Woolworths for grocery shopping is a four-minute walk away. Additional shopping and dining options are located at the nearby Pacific Fair Shopping Center, a six-minute drive or 20-minute walk from the hotel. The famous (and comparably more boisterous) community of Surfers Paradise can be reached in about a half-hour on foot or 10 minutes by car. The Gold Coast Airport is a half-hour drive from the hotel without traffic.

Peppers Broadbeach offers a variety of elegant rooms and suites, all with full kitchens complete with gas stoves and many with Pacific Ocean views. Standard amenities found across room types include air-conditioning, minibars, DVD players, desks, and washing machines. The windows actually open, a refreshing departure from many upscale hotels. Decor is low-key and typical of what one might expect of a business hotel, with a muted taupe, gray, and white color palette and sleek, contemporary light fixtures and art pieces in metallic and dark hues. Bathrooms are chic and modern, with frosted doors between the water closet and grooming area, plus walk-in rainfall showers and separate soaking tubs. Some bathrooms have frosted-glass windows separating the tubs from bedrooms.At the entry level, One-Bedroom Suites come with lounge and dining areas plus big bedrooms with king-size beds. On the other end of the spectrum are Three-Bedroom Sky Homes with two bathrooms and the opulent Three-Bedroom Sub Penthouse, which adds all sorts of bonus features including a media room, a whirlpool tub in the master bathroom, and a wraparound balcony. Note that there have been complaints of noise from a nearby construction site. 

One of the loveliest features at Peppers is its beautiful pool deck, featuring a shallow step-in section in the shape of a semicircle plus a long three-lane lap section with a fountain feature. A pair of stone walls divides it partially from a large lagoon-style area. The lap side of the pool deck is lined with lounge chairs and there's a whirlpool hot tub at one end, while the lagoon side features tables and chairs. Other recreational features include a fitness center with modern Precor cardio machines and a good selection of weight-training equipment, plus a steam room and a sauna. The hotel also features a kids' playground with a few small seesaws. An indoor Club Room has floor-to-ceiling windows with city views plus a billiards table. There's even a small theater with a few easy chairs and bean bags where guests can watch movies.There are no on-site dining facilities, although guests can bill meals to their rooms at a number of local restaurants. The resort also has a few barbecue grills situated throughout the gardens, including a teppanyaki barbecue. Other features include free hotel-wide Wi-Fi (although it's limited to one device per-room), and free parking (although past guests have complained it can be scarce). Additional services include babysitting, shuttles, and secretarial services available through the concierge. There's also a board room for up to 12 guests, complete with a 60-inch flat-screen TV.