We stayed at Mantra on View about three years ago and although I was keen to explore something different, the great prices being offered by this place along with its handy location made us choose this spot for a second time.

Address

22 View Ave, Surfers Paradise, QLD, Australia

Date stayed

8th June 2021 for four nights

Room Type

Ocean View King on the 17th floor

Price

We paid $588 for four nights room only through the Qantas website.  The hotel upgraded us to a room on a higher level – room 17 and there were balloons, a card and a bottle of champagne waiting in the room as we were celebrating hubby’s birthday.

Location

Located right in the heart of Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast, the Mantra on View is just 160 metres from the beach.  The hotel is also in easy walking distance to the shops and eateries.  If you want to explore further then there’s a tram stop just metres from the entrance to the hotel.

Check-in/Check-out

• Check-in 2pm
• Check-out 10am
• 24 hour reception
• express check-in/check-out
• complimentary luggage storage

Parking

Self parking is available for $8 a night at the adjacent public car-park.  There is a height restriction of 1.9 metres.  Valet parking is also available for $15 a car per night.

Internet

High speed internet is available in each room for a fee unless you’re a Mantra member and book directly through the hotel’s website in which case it’s free.  As it was hubby’s Birthday we were given free WiFi.

Room Features

The room including the bathroom was modern having been recently renovated and a good size.  From the room you could easily see the water as well as having a good view of the city.  The outdoor private veranda with table and chairs allowed you to take in the sights and sounds whilst inhaling the salty sea air.   The room featured:

• A comfortable king sized bed
• Phone and an alarm
• power-board and plenty of power outlets
• large Samsung flat screen cable TV
• air-conditioning
• desk area and seat
• Mini fridge
• tea and coffee making facilities
• safe
• iron and ironing board
• bath with shutters that can be opened so you can enjoy the views out the window
• complimentary urban skincare co. soap, shampoo, conditioner and moisturiser
• plenty of storage space
• Clothes line in the shower

Hotel Facilities

The grounds out the back of the hotel had a lovely swimming pool area including a children’s pool.  There were deck chairs for sunning yourself and plenty of areas offering shade as well.  The adjacent tennis court appeared a bit run down but might have been about to be renovated.  Beside the pool area was a fully equipped gym.  Not very large, but enough to complete a decent workout.

• fully equipped gym
• swimming pool and spas
• day spa and hair salon
• business facilities including 9 conference rooms
• tour desk and limousine airport transfers
• high speed internet in all rooms for a fee

Breakfast

Due to COVID the hotel had closed its restaurant and was therefore not serving breakfast.

Things to do in the Area

There is lots to do at the Gold Coast. Some of which is an easy walk from the Mantra on View where other attractions require a short bus or train ride to get to.  Some of the things we did whilst there were:

• Indulged in lots of yummy food with our highlights being:
• A delicious and inexpensive Malaysian dinner at Pappa Rich
• Egg puffs from Gong Cha at Pacific Fair
• Yummy and inexpensive Italian food from Love Italy, within easy walk of the hotel
• Gelato from Movenpick
• Açai breakfast bowl from a cafe at Australia Fair
• The best ever cakes from Le Bon Choix at Pacific Fair.  They were so good we came all the way back for more on our last day.
• A feast and a half at House of Brews including the best onion rings I’ve ever tried
• An assortment of International street food from the Miami Marketta including the biggest laminations I’ve had in my life.
• The best ramen from Ramen Danbo and Hakataya Ramen downstairs at Pacific Fair

• I felt we did a lot of eating but as well as stuffing your face there are lots of other things to do on the Gold Coast.  On this trip we strolled around the local area including the nearby beaches whose waters were unfortunately too cold to swim in.  Just across the road from our hotel were the night beach markets where I bought myself a beautiful soft Alpaca and Merino blend jumper made in Nepal.  On a whim we purchased VIP tickets to Draculas (located just across from the Pacific Fair shopping centre) for an entertaining night of laughs at the dinner and show.  On our last night we met up with friends at the Marketta Markets where they had live music playing and plenty of good food.  We also managed to fit in some shopping at the attractive Pacific Fair shopping centre.  Another thing we would have done if there was a free time slot was to have the couples massage at the Mantra on View.  It sounded amazing and was pretty reasonably priced.  As we didn’t have a car on this trip we kept our activities within easy reach of our hotel.  For more ideas on things to do in the area see my last review of the Mantra on View and things to do here.

Pros

• Well priced
• Great location being close to the beach, the shops and eateries and the light rail just across the road.
• Good views of the beach and the city
• Modern and attractive room recently renovated
• Nice pool area with spas
• Complimentary luggage storage
• The room was clean and the bedding didn’t have the heavy covers which don’t always end up getting washed between guests.
• Parking rates were very affordable
• The hotel was offering some good deals on it’s spa packages whilst we were there

Cons

• Could smell cigarette smoke coming from the vents in the air-conditioner at night
• Internet is not normally complimentary
• Restaurant was closed 
• We didn’t see anyone at the Concierge desk whenever we were downstairs
• On request for a later checkout as our flight was not leaving until later, we were only able to get an extra hour despite the hotel being so empty.

Summary

This place remains great value for money when comparing it to other similar properties.  Although it was a bit cold when we were there, in warmer months, the balcony is a nice feature and the views are lovely too.  It was disappointing to see the restaurant was closed and that nobody was staffing the concierge desk.  It was also a pity that despite us being in a non-smoking room, we could smell cigarette smoke coming into the room at night from either another part of the hotel or outside.