The Pink Hotel Coolangatta

If Queensland’s Gold Coast is Australia’s version of Southern California, then Coolangatta is its Venice, or maybe its Laguna Beach — it’s the exceedingly unpretentious, chilled-out side of the Gold Coast suburbs. Which means that a hotel like The Pink Hotel is guaranteed to stand out. It’s as relaxed as you could want it to be, perfectly in tune with its setting, but there’s an urban edge to the design that feels unusual here.

With occasionally risqué graphic murals, stylish modern furniture, exposed timber ceilings, polished concrete floors, and unique neon artworks in every room, the accommodations are almost precisely the opposite of what you’d expect from a low-key beach town — there’s nary a vintage surfboard or Polynesian motif to be found. The hotel’s four suites add a fold-out couch in the lounge and a record player, and all rooms come with Bluetooth speakers and Smeg mini-fridges.

And the public spaces are no less unexpected. A hotel isn’t ordinarily where you’d look to find a hip little hair salon and tattoo shop, but there you are. The rooftop lounge with its Astroturf and open cabanas is delightfully unpretentious, while the Janitors Closet piano bar and the Sugar Cube function/karaoke room are intensely atmospheric. And Eddie’s Grub House completes the package: it’s a burger bar featuring live music, an encyclopedic selection of whiskies, and probably the most vibrant crowd in town.