Serain Residences On Surfers

Location location location! Wow! Wonderful beach views!

I loved the view

There was nothing we didn’t like we loved it all

For our family, the location is perfect. The tram stop is very close — just one stop and you’re right in the heart of the entertainment district and at the main Surfers Paradise beach. There’s an incredible view from the 31st floor overlooking the ocean and the city. The hotel itself has a small convenience store where you can buy the essentials, though it’s a bit pricey. The rooms are clean. It’s also a very convenient location because it’s close to the city center, yet the area itself is quiet and peaceful — you can relax without the city noise.

The pool, in my opinion, is quite small. There’s only a small area with sun loungers. Especially when there are many guests staying at the hotel, it can be 😥 very hard to find a free spot. One more downside is that there’s only one key per room, which is quite inconvenient — especially if someone wants to stay in the room or go to the pool while others want to go to the beach. There were also very few kitchen utensils.

The property was located on the Beach with a great ocean view from the balcony. The Balcony was quite big and fitted a 4-seater table and chairs. Surfers Paradise were a short 10 mins walk, or 2 tram stops away. There was provision for connecting to one's Netflix account on TV, which was a great bonus.

Had a noisy neighbor during my stay was the only negative, the room itself was fine as was the hotel itself

DO NOT UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES BOOK THROUGH SERAIN RESIDENCES. A disappointing experience with Serain due to misleading advertising about their booking arrangements, lack of clear information on parking and accommodation passes (for Gold Coast 500), poor customer service, and substandard apartment conditions. I recommend prospective guests research thoroughly, noting issues like offsite key collection, limited parking, a lack of support after hours, offsite luggage storage (another fee) and cleanliness concerns in the apartment, ultimately the stay was a rip-off.

Misleading Advertising and Booking Experience o Booking was made via Booking.com, under the impression it was for Rhapsody Resort, but was actually managed by Serain Residences, a separate company. o This arrangement is not disclosed upfront; only revealed after payment and receipt of a lengthy guidebook with many rules. o Key collection was offsite via a lockbox, not at the main reception. Only one set of keys was provided, which is inconvenient for groups. o Customer service is only available until 10:00 pm, leaving no support after hours. False Advertising Regarding Parking and Accommodation Passes o Onsite parking was advertised as available without reservation, but in reality, it was first-come, first-served, and not guaranteed. o During a major event (GC 500), parking was unavailable and due to lack of transparency, caused significant inconvenience. I would not have booked if parking was advertised as a first-come, first-served basis. o Free accommodation passes for event entry were advertised but not provided at check-in; we had to purchase them separately after being denied access by Rhapsody security. o Attempts to contact Serain for help were unsuccessful. Customer Service and Apartment Condition o Customer service representatives were unhelpful and had poor communication skills. o The apartment was unclean, smelled moldy, had damp and stained carpet, a damaged couch, and a cockroach was found. o The kitchen was sub-standard, leading us to avoid using it. Guidebook Policies and Apartment Facilities o The guidebook included intrusive and offensive requests, such as not cooking or eating CURRY or DURAIN, suggesting poor maintenance of rangehood filters. This is an absolutely offensive rule targeting certain ethnicities. o The apartment lacked adequate ventilation, which is a legal requirement. o There was a sign asking guests to limit toilet paper usage per flush, which we considered unreasonable. No opportunities for cancellation. Will take your money.

Leaving

The check in process. Do not be fooled. You have to walk down the street and collect keys from a random lock box at a random property. You are not checked in at the front desk. They also can not provide an invoice due to an external real estate company working out of Rhapsody building. It was a poor check experience and embarrassing. I filled in the booking information but no link for credit card was sent so assumed this would happen at check in. I was advised at check that it’s another company that works out of the hotel. I had to sit in the foyer make phone calls and provide my credit card details over the phone. The hen I was told I had to leave the property to go to another property to collect the keys. Poor poor poor. Save yourself and don’t go through Serain.