Novotel Sunshine Coast

A Getaway Near Brisbane for a night

Novotel Sunshine Coast, I booked two months in advance when Accor had a Hot Deal back in Korea.

It’s been a month since we arrived in Australia, and Liam just started his third week of school! I thought it would be a quiet weekend, but surprisingly, there were quite a lot of people—probably because it was the weekend.

One thing I love about Australia is that there are plenty of Accor Plus member hotels around. Even without traveling abroad, there are so many great options nearby, making it easy to take a short getaway, even just for a night! 😊

Facilities

Novotel Sunshine Coast is the perfect mix of relaxation and fun, making it a great spot for a family getaway. Since there were so many families around, Liam, being the only child, had no trouble making new friends and playing together.

Lagoon & Pool 🏊‍♂️

The huge lagoon is perfect for kayaking or paddleboarding, and there’s also a nice swimming pool if you just want to chill.

Novotel Sunshine Coast has a main pool and a kids’ pool right next to it, making it super easy to go back and forth between the two.

The main pool was fine around the edges, but the middle was really deep! Meanwhile, the kids’ pool was just the right depth for 4-year-old Liam—it came up to his chest, which made it perfect for him to practice diving and have fun underwater.

Before our trip, the weather forecast had been saying it would rain for days. But if you know Brisbane, you know how unreliable those forecasts can be! Most of the time, it either rains for a few minutes and stops or doesn’t rain at all. So, we decided to just go for it.

And, of course, the weather kept changing—cloudy, then sunny, then back to cloudy again. But by 5 PM, the rain finally hit… HARD. It poured like crazy! 🌧️😂

There was also a warm jacuzzi, and we had a great time just relaxing in it. 😊

What was even better was that Liam wasn’t the only kid there alone! He met another child around his age, and the two of them had a blast playing together for the next two days. It was nice for him to have a buddy to hang out with!

런치 타임

Novotel Sunshine Coast Pizza was really good!!

Since we were in our swimsuits and not super hungry, we decided to grab some pizza takeaway from the resort’s restaurant and eat it by the pool.

A little side note—Accor Plus gives you a 50% discount on meals and breakfast at the restaurant, but unfortunately, it doesn’t apply to takeaway or kids’ meals, which is a bit of a bummer!

We also used our Accor Plus welcome drink voucher, which got us two beers and a juice for free! Then, we ordered a Visa pizza to keep it simple for lunch.

We had dinner at the resort as well, using our Accor Plus discount. The next morning, we got a 50% discount on breakfast for two adults, and Liam ate for free, so we had a nice, affordable breakfast for just over 40 AUD for the three of us.

There’s also a cafe in the resort, and since we’re not big breakfast eaters, we thought about just getting coffee and toast there. But with the Accor Plus discount on the buffet, it was so much cheaper, so we ended up enjoying the breakfast buffet at the resort instead.

Bikes & Water Sports 🚴‍♂️

The weather, which had been cloudy when we were playing in the sand, cleared up again!

Here, you can rent bicycle, kayaks, SUPs, and more for free—a great way to have some fun on the water.

There were also kids’ activities happening, so the little ones had plenty to keep them busy. 😊

Liam said he wanted to try kayaking, so we hopped on a kayak together. It was so much fun! 😄 We were thinking about trying SUP too, but with all the activities we did and time flying by, we ended up not getting the chance to try it. Maybe next time! 😊

There was an activity where you could feed the fish! The staff handed out fish food to everyone, and when it was time, big fish started swimming up to the shore, eager to get fed. There were also smaller fish, and the whole area was just filled with them.

Even the adults enjoyed this activity—it was such a fun and peaceful moment! 😄

Besides that, Liam also joined in on an egg-and-spoon race activity. He ended up doing it with some older kids, but even though they were much older, Liam was full of energy and gave it his best effort. He might not have been the best at it, but he definitely participated with a lot of enthusiasm! 🥚🏃‍♂️

On our way back to the room, we spotted a family of wallabies! 🦘 Wallabies are pretty common to see here in Australia, and even though we’ve seen them quite a few times, Liam still gets so excited and amazed every time. He couldn’t stop smiling and was super happy to see them again! 😊

Liam has really gotten into diving lately! It’s amazing because he’s never had formal swim lessons, but he’s picking it up all by himself and getting better every day. 😯

On the first day, before the rain hit, he swam and dove around for over 5 hours—he was having so much fun, I lost track of time! It’s super cool to see how much he’s learning on his own. 😊

Executive Room

Novotel Sunshine Coast, we booked an Executive Room, which was a step up from the standard room. The standard rooms had carpeted floors, and from the photos, it seemed like they might be a bit outdated. The Executive Room had hardwood floors, so it looked better in comparison.

However, when we got to the room, the actual condition didn’t quite match the photos. The room itself felt a bit older than expected, especially the bathroom—you could definitely tell it had seen better days. 😅

I guess with a nature-friendly resort, there’s only so much you can do about that, but I was still glad we booked through Accor Plus Red Hot Deal, so we got a good deal. At least the bed was really comfy, so we still had a cozy place to rest. 😊

I was in a bit of a rush when I booked because I saw a discount, and I ended up booking a room with two double beds. I quickly pushed one of the beds against the wall, and Liam ended up sleeping by the wall on his own. To make sure he wouldn’t roll off, I put a pillow next to him. It wasn’t the ideal setup, but at least it worked for the night! 😅

The floor wasn’t as clean as I’d hoped, so I felt a bit uncomfortable walking around barefoot. But Liam didn’t mind at all—he kept sitting on the floor playing with his LEGO, which made me feel a little uneasy, especially since I didn’t feel great about the cleanliness. I just kept an eye on him, hoping he’d be okay, but he was having so much fun, he didn’t care at all!

Despite the room not being perfect, the outdoor areas of the resort really made up for it. The place had a nature-friendly vibe with plenty of trees, and it really felt like we were on a proper getaway. It was so refreshing to be surrounded by nature, and it definitely made up for the little things inside. 😊

The photos made the place look great, but in reality, it had more of an older feel to it than I expected. Still, Novotel Sunshine Coast has so many great facilities, and it’s perfect for family-friendly fun. There’s so much for the kids to do, so I’m sure we’ll be back next time! 😊 It’s a lovely spot to relax and make memories with the little ones!

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