Swell Resort Burleigh Heads

Swell resort is a huge complex of apartments, each individually owned and rented through the central company. We arrived just after 5 pm on a Friday, to find that reception closes at 5. Obviously most of the travellers arrive after 5pm on a Friday so when we arrived the were at least 8 families trying to locate keys via an intercom on the wall connected to a call centre. The system was terrible - a piece of paper to direct us to the car park maze where spaces arent numbered in order. We spent over an hour trying to locate a car spot only to find that the garage door was open so we couldnt see the number. The apartment was generally in poor condition. The towels were frayed with holes in some and the bright red leather couch was old and badly coming apart at the seams. The cleaning was average - a dusty baby toy was lodged between the bed and the side table which I’m surprised wasn’t picked up when the bed was changed. My biggest issue was a faulty bathroom door handle which repeatedly locked and we couldn’t open from the outside. We had no access to the bathroom for most of the Saturday until my husband arrived and was able to ‘jiggle’ it open. Later that day my 8 year old daughter became locked inside the bathroom - she was distressed and trying to get out - my husband was shaking and pushing the door to try to get it open and it suddenly opened quickly, hitting her on the head, causing a nosebleed and bruising to her face. I reported this via the intercom to a lady who took the details and then hung up on me. I assumed that someone would be called to fix the lock but no one contacted me again during our stay. We were also only provided with one set of keys between 6 people which was problematic - all of us trying to coordinate getting in and out at separate times was very hard. There were at least 3 gates between the room and the exit, all of which needed the keys to enter / exit. Having teenagers who wanted to walk into town or come home later at night was very difficult and resulted in others being woken by phones or doorbells and having to let people in and out. Once again I was advised by intercom lady that she couldn’t help. Reception hours are very limited (2 hours per day) and therefore we weren’t able to attend in person to request more at a time we were free. All in all, we were disappointed with our stay. Guest services were essentially non existant - the intercom lady wasn’t helpful at all. I found it very surprising that so many people were arriving after 5 on the Friday evening and no one was there to assist. At one point I saw at least 10 people queuing to use the intercom to request keys. The visitors car park was full overnight with many cars parked overnight and exceeding the posted 2 hr limit. The apartment was dated and dirty and the entry / exit with one set of keys / adults and teenagers was very frustrating. I did email Swell twice after our stay but nearly two months later I havent had a reply. I also called t

We have now visited SWELL for the past 3 years post Christmas to have family celebrations. The previous two times have been without fault however this year the same couldnt be said. After check in we found that the room had not been cleaned, food left in the fridge and cupboard, kitchen dirty, laundry dirty it went on. After advising reception we were told if we wanted to leave we could if not the cleaning would occur following day. Whilst the cleaning was achieved it was to say the least mediocre. We were put up in the residences this stay and whilst we thought this was and upgrade given the Garage for 2 cars, better pool unfortunately the experience was dampened by the residents hatred of hotel guests. Will we be staying for 2025? Big NO from us.

We have just left after 7 days disappointed this time around. The pool never got cleaned as sand and dirt in the same place in the pool the whole time we kind were in the pool area most of the time. Also the lift floor was not vaccumed until the 6th day and it was dirty. We also had the cleaners come in to our unit after 5 days without notice so our personal things were around not a nice feeling for both of us just a note under the door/email/message anything would have been nice to let us know they would be coming in. We have stayed many times before but this time not as good as times before. Its a good location and secure parking that's good.

Good location, pool area great. However Reception checkin procedure/welcome/lift floor security lacking. Bathroom terrible, no extractor fan, shower narrow over high bath with degraded slip mat in bath, no rack or support hold. Marked walls needs paint. Overall disappoints for a 4 star rated. Would not visit again.

We stayed in apartment 1116 it was very disappointing. On entry we felt the grime. The apartment was dated. Wine glasses had lipstick marks, coffee cups were stained. Drapes in the lounge had holes like moth eaten and they are filthy. Not enough cutlery i.e. 3 teaspoons, the breadboard needed replacing. One piece of soap in each bathroom, toiletries were sparse. Expelair is grimey. Second bedroom had 2 coat hangers and no draws to put clothes away, no elevated shelving to put suitcases and bags which meant we were tripping over our bags. No rails in the bathroom to hangup towels. The balcony floor needed a good waterblast it was filthy. There appeared to be only one baggage trolley which was always locked away. I spoke with reception who apologised for the state of apartment and offered a voucher to the restaurant below to compensate for it. Attitude of both girls was poor. Needless to say the voucher did not arrive. As it was over the Christmas period we paid premium rates for an apartment that was not up to a standard we would have expected. Whoever owns the apartment should be ashamed of themselves. We have stayed in various apartments over the years on the Gold Coast and have never had the need to write such a review before but felt this one was necessary. Would never stay here again.

Green pool which was closed- not good enough with this hot weather. Management was informed and should have sorted out the pool overnight. No- one on check in so couldn’t get an extra set of keys - we had one set for 4 people. Can’t recommend this place sadly.

Nice room, with partial sea view. For the price one would have expected that the bathrooms would have more than one small white soap tablet and two tiny shampoo and conditioner bottles. No face washers were provided and the shower head in the second bathroom was terrible, also no info for the complex or local area was proved in written form in the room , eg where to leave keys, tv usage or local eateries etc. Dissapointing.

Main pros: 1) 2 min walk to all the cafes and esplanade 2) Large rooms ideal for families 3) All rooms have a balcony 4) Onsite gym, tennis court and pool 5) Sound proof rooms with proper blockout curtains Main cons: 1) The whole hotel needs to increase their cleaning. Even small motels are cleaner 2) Parking situation and entry is confusing 3) No basics offered, e.g. no tissues, no extra shampoo and only one extra roll of toilet paper.

We loved our stay at Swell. Good room, lovely pool and hot tub. Good Internet wifi. Convenient location - not on the beach but close to village of Burleigh. Staff were friendly and very helpful at the front desk. The secure car park was also appreciated.