It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … but really on the whole it was okay. First the good – views are spectacular – a full 180 of the beach and ocean from Apartment 13C. The lifts are good*, the security is good, secured parking (two levels). Across the road there's a beach, a large children's playground (gated for security) and a surf club bistro. The centre's heated pool is on the small size, so in summer I'd imagine it would get pretty crowded. Two streets away (one if you drive) is the Oasis Shopping Centre with lots of eateries, fashion, essentials etc. You could easily just park your car at the Voyager Resort and not have to drive anywhere if that's what you're looking for. Our apartment had two air conditioners and two ceiling fans. Staff members were helpful and friendly.
If you plan to drive to all the various theme parks and tourist spots, remember sun screen (otherwise you'll get burnt in the car), maps, GPS Nav and double the time you think you'll need to get places as the Gold Coast Highway crawls along because there are traffic lights everywhere. We arrived about 4 pm on a Thursday and it was gridlock. Try to take Surf Parade and Old Burleigh Road and smaller roads if you're only going locally.
The bad – internet is $9 an hour or $19.95 for a day (500mb limit) and $55 a week (didn't wait to see the limit). So you're better off organising your own mobile broadband or going without.
Our apartment was pretty old – 1980s? (the kitchen however had been updated). Because of the building's age and building standards at the time, you hear people walking above you (sounded like thumping). You'll hear your neighbour's front door slam (often), *the lift next to the apartment entry and kitchen makes a squeaky noise like a strangled parrot (so if you're a light sleeper it might wake you early in the morning, if the thumping upstairs hasn't already). Bathroom is so old – shower over bath, no mixer taps, pokey, claustrophobic. I'm only a short guy and I could touch the bathroom ceiling. The bed is saggy and uncomfortable.
But the worst part was on arrival (not when we booked) we were advised that there was a fee of over $900 if the smoke alarm goes off while you're cooking (classed as a false alarm). We were advised to keep the bedroom door closed when cooking. If the alarm goes off, guests have to evacuate and the Fire Brigade will come. This happened while we stayed there because the people on a level higher than us forgot to close their bedroom door while cooking. The alarm is very loud and disorientating – we had to go down the fire escape (from the 13th floor!). Fortunately, by the time we had reached the 8th floor the offender called reception to tell them what happened and reception turned the alarm off. One guy in the stairwell said 'Well, the alarm's off, I'm getting the lift back. We did too. By the time we got back, the Fire Brigade, with siren blaring, arrived. No one from Reception told us what happened until we mentioned it the next day. Reception says it happens all the time. I don't know if this is how all apartment buildings operate with smoke alarms, but if they do, from now on I'll only be staying on the lower levels as well as asking about fines/fees before booking.
By the way, the Royal wedding was on while we were there and the apartment doesn't have a DVD player. You can hire one from reception for $5 a day – but only during reception hours – roughly business hours.
Despite these things, we did have a good time with the activities we'd planned. Would I recommend staying at Voyager Resort? No. It's too old and the bathroom is too small and out-dated, but the location is really good. If you don’t mind the things that annoyed us, you might like it.
Room Tip: Ask for beach or ocean view.
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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC
17 May 2011
Hello,
We are happy to here that you did enjoy your holiday, but it is disappointing to hear that your stay with us was not as good as you had hoped it to be. While we understand and will respond to some of the complaints, your problem with the disruption and disturbance caused by the evacuation is totally unfounded. To complain about something that ensures one's safety on holiday is simply astonishing.
It is the law that all high-rise buildings have a fully functional alarm system that includes smoke and fire alarms. For this reason, it is unfair to blame Voyager Resort for such things as an evacuation due to the alarm. We encourage guests to close the bedroom door when cooking, as this will prevent most smoke from reaching the detectors. To actually activate the alarms, one would need to burn food to the extreme. Simply cooking will not cause any problems. It is not our fault that a guest did manage to burn their food whilst cooking. You will find that these evacuations occur frequently at all holiday and permanent buildings on the Gold Coast.
The $900 cost is not a fee simply enforced by us for the disruption it causes, but rather by the State Fire Department. We simply choose (as do most - if not all = other Gold Coast buildings) to pass this fee on to the guest who caused the alarm, if it is deemed to have been caused by their neglect or wrongdoing (i.e. burning food). It is mandatory that the Fire Department tend to the building if the alarm is activated and there is no way to prevent this once activation has occured.
In regards to your other complaints, most of the apartments (including your own) have recently been renovated in the kitchen, living room, bedroom and hallway/common areas (you made reference only to the kitchen). Most, if not all, guests are extremely pleased with the results and compliment the quality of the renovation. The renovation was extensive and included the replacement of all features within these areas. The bathrooms in some rooms were also renovated at the time, although most bathrooms in the apartments (including your's) were renovated approximately 8 to 10 years ago. Nevertheless, most guests find them functional and more than comfortable. We find that the shower/bathtub works well with families with young children and are therefore reluctant to remove them from all apartments. In apartments with recently renovated (2 years or less) bathrooms, the bathrooms were completed replaced include a floor-to-ceiling shower.
The lifts were squeaking when passing an area around the 13th floor and were fixed within a few days of notice and no longer do so. We agree that the internet is expensive and are working hard to rectify the problem with the provider (DTS - a 3rd party), possibly taking ownership of the system in the near future. Finally, we would like to say that while our building is not the newest in the area, it has been well maintained and the recent renovations are always well-received, with most opting to take their holiday at Voyager Resort over the more generic properties surrounding us. We believe we provide good value holiday apartments along with resort style facilities and warm hospitality in the best location in Broadbeach!
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of TripAdvisor LLC
