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On these trips with my friends we tend to book them as run-run-run-ahhhh trips, meaning we spend a lot of energy for the first three quarters of the trip and then we relax for the last portion. With that in mind we headed to the Sunshine Coast of Australia, which is the area just north of Brisbane on the east coast. There weren't a lot of hotels in this area where we could use traditional hotel points. What we were able to do was to use Ultimate Rewards (UR) points earned by our Chase cards (Sapphire Reserve, Sapphire Preferred, Freedom Unlimited, Freedom) and book through their travel portal using UR points. Don't have a card that earns this type of points? The same property was available using Amex Membership Rewards and Citi's ThankYou Points.
Our lodging for this portion of the trip was Oceans Mooloolaba which is basically a high-rise condo complex. There are a dozen or more of these type of buildings in Mooloolaba, which is a resort town. They're all lined up together on Esplande facing the beach with retail and food services on the ground floor and condos above. This is very handy in that you just come downstairs and you can find almost anything you need nearby. While the grocery store doesn't face the water, it's a very short walk out the back door.
Our first project was learning how to properly pronounce the town's name. Before leaving the US we'd guessed it was moo-loo-LA-baa but we guessed incorrectly. It's pronounce muh-LOO-lu-buh and I had to drill that through my head a number of times before I got it right.
Front Desk
The front desk, which is not manned 24/7, actually has its main entrance on First Avenue. When you're arriving with your bags, this is where you want to be let out both because it's on the same level as the front desk and because there's far less traffic here than on the Esplanade. I liked the copper touches on the glass front doors. It's something different and cool.
Inside the lobby had a white + natural wood color scheme that worked well for a beach property.
There are two elevators here and they were each large enough to handle the three of us plus all our luggage in one cab, even if there wasn't a whole lot of room to spare.
Our Two Bedroom Unit
The units are all independently owned so decor may vary but I suspect ours was pretty typical. All the units face the ocean so the entrances are at the back (First Avenue) side. There is an exterior gate, about 4.5 feet high and then it's a couple of steps to the actual door. Unlocking the gate with your key card also unlocks the front door. I can only speculate as to this design but I wondered if it's so that you can leave the main door open along with the sliding glass porch doors to create a breeze through the unit without leaving the door open to just anyone who walks by?
The unit is fairly narrow so the layout is streamlined. Upon entering, the laundry closet is on the right and the second bedroom is on the left. Take a few steps down the hallway and you'll find the hall bath on the right. A few more steps in and the unit opens up with the kitchen, dining table and living room. Across from the sofa is a pocket door into the master bedroom and a sliding glass door that opens on to the covered balcony. The master bedroom also has a sliding glass door on to the balcony. The living room has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the ocean.
Master Bedroom/Bath
The master bedroom is great. It's long and thin and runs parallel to the living room, kitchen and hall, all the way back to the second bedroom. The king bed is positioned so that you only need to turn your head to the left to look outside at the ocean and/or sunrise each morning.
There's no door separating the bathroom from the bedroom area. The soaking tub, which has jets for a jacuzzi-type experience, is free-standing between the bed and the sink. The shower stall is against the back wall and has clear glass walls. The toilet room, across from the sink, does have frosted glass on the door.
There's a very large walk-in closet across from the tub. I think all three of us could've put our clothes in there and there would still have been room left over. The room's safe was on one of the shelves here.
Second Bedroom/Hall Bath
The second bedroom was designed for kids, or perhaps a couple who are used to close living quarters. Since we were only staying three nights we got through it but it was a little tight in comparison to the master bedroom. The bed can be configured either as a king or, as we preferred it, twins. Of course by changing one of the night stands to be between the beds, that meant there was no easy access to the electrical outlets on that side of the room. Not an easy fix but if you're ever designing a room like this, put outlets on each side of the bed AND in the middle of the wall.
The curtains are full length but the windows are only about a foot high and are at the top of the room. These look out to the walkway that runs the length of the back of the complex, connecting all the rooms. The floor above serves as a cover to that walkway so there's very little natural light that can come in here and it does make the room feel even smaller.
The closet is on the right side of the room and the sliding doors have full-length mirrors which does help make the room feel not quite as small as it might otherwise. We were able to use the luggage rack and the shelves to unpack just enough for our time there without having to fully empty our suitcases.
The hall bath was just across from the second bedroom and I liked the color scheme. Though the photos don't really reflect it, the marble has a slight green tint to it and when paired with the brown tile and silver accents I thought it looked sharp. The bathroom's size felt generous compared to the second bedroom. Perhaps that's because if you also had two folks on the sleeper sofa then all four would need to share this bath? I don't know but I liked the size. Our biggest complaint was that the rubber seal on the bottom of the shower door did not work well in preventing water from escaping so we learned to move the bath mat to the side while showering to let the water run toward the drain in the floor. A small lip to keep the water in would be a terrific addition here.
Toiletries had natural scents and were by Appelles Apothecary. They were fine.
Kitchen/Dining/Living Area
The kitchen was large enough for two people to work in it at the same time without stepping on each other. The dual sinks had a significant space between them which was not something I'd seen before. The kitchen was fully stocked with dishes and the full-sized fridge offered us ample room for the few groceries we bought.
A wide countertop separates the kitchen from the dining table. Waiting for us on that counter was a welcome letter, some chocolate and a display of shells, washcloths and flowers.
The dining table could seat six in large, comfortable chairs.
The living room area had a sofa and two side chairs around a large coffee table.
They faced the TV and the door into the master bedroom. The sliding doors to the balcony were just behind the TV.
The table and chairs on the balcony weren't fancy but very functional and we enjoyed breakfast there each morning and relaxing there in the afternoons.
Other Amenities
There is a tiny little gym on the second floor behind the elevators.
There's a small sauna in that area too.
The pool is on the front (ocean) side of the building and when you're standing on the pool deck you can see the ocean. I didn't try it out but my friends did and said it was in good shape.
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| View of the ocean from the pool deck |
The hot tub was a subsection of the pool and they said it needed a little repair as some of the tiles were coming off.
Trouble Spot
Our only gripe with this property? The wi-fi! It was "fine" in the living room and in the master bedroom but totally unreliable back in the second bedroom. At the end of our stay we noticed an entry in the book about the property that stated the wi-fi is "not for streaming" which I think is a little unrealistic at this day and age. I did see some Trip Advisor comments that management is looking to upgrading that and I hope it's done quickly!
Final Thoughts
We loved Mooloolaba. The last weekend in October was a lovely time to be there weather-wise and our accommodations were all that we'd hoped for (except the wi-fi). We only interacted with a couple of front desk folks but they were wonderful. I wouldn't hesitate to stay here again if we ever make it back.
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