Burleigh Pavilion — Gold Coast, Australia

A Miami Vice confectionary palette laced with a heavy dose of beach subculture makes for a potent interior cocktail at the Gold Coast’s oceanside Burleigh Pavilion.
Occupying the substantially reconstructed upper floor (and reclaimed rooftop area) of an existing concrete structure, Sydney-based design practice Alexander & Co has created three integrated drinking and dining areas, occupying some 1200 sq m.
Demarcated by a rattan ceiling, The Tropic restaurant adds top brass cachet with Deco-inspired Henry Wilson wall sconces dotted around fresh mint green chairs and soft serves of butterscotch leather seating that flows onto the al fresco balcony.
The Pavilion, with crisp white-tiled window nooks providing absolute beachfront views amongst communal fairy-floss pink and pistachio tables is defined by an expanse of raised timber benches with marine blue stools offsetting the colour schemes' overall sweetness. Outdoors, the casual Beach Bar’s undulating canopy of white umbrellas imitate the surf break beyond.
Circles and rounded edges link the fluid spaces with a retro flair. The Tropic’s punchy plum terrazzo dining tables and the Beach Bar’s golden sand-flecked outdoor counters rumble with energy. Painted concrete breeze-block detailing supports service areas with a light touch, while a verdant curving masonry arbor frames the large open kitchen.
The brainchild of Sydney hotelier Ben May and developer Robert Magid, The Burleigh Pavilion works a highly sociable Med-luxe vibe with a dose of Australian ease. Guests can step straight up from the sand, shower and rack surfboards before tucking into a casual lunch of burgers and beer battered fish and chips. With premium seafood inclusions at The Tropic, its more sophisticated menu is the shore thing.
ADDRESS
43 Goodwin Terrace Burleigh Heads
Queensland
Australia
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
-
'The moodboard is DEEP': inside the set design for Bad Bunny's historic Puerto Rico residency
We speak to Adrian Martinez of Sturdy, the mind behind Bad Bunny's 2025 Puerto Rico residency to get a glimpse behind the scenes of the concert's set design
-
A Seoul design exhibition opens the doors to a private apartment to showcase how Koreans live at home
'Behind Closed Doors' curated by Jillian Choi and Hye-Jin Ris Kim showcases the work of 24 Korean designers that blur the boundaries between art and functionality
-
An apartment is for sale within Cité Radieuse, Le Corbusier’s iconic brutalist landmark
Once a radical experiment in urban living, Cité Radieuse remains a beacon of brutalist architecture. Now, a coveted duplex within its walls has come on the market
-
Has the ice cream parlour come of age?
A global wave of architecture studios is treating the scoop as spectacle, turning parlours into immersive social spaces
-
The Calile Hotel is an urban resort reframing Brisbane
A seven-storey refuge in Fortitude Valley, The Calile Hotel bridges tropical retro with urban polish, elevating Brisbane’s hospitality landscape
-
Mondrian makes waves at Burleigh Heads with a striking Australian debut
Mondrian Gold Coast emerges as a sculptural new anchor for Burleigh Heads, pairing surf-side glamour with global polish
-
Rediscover a classic midcentury hotel in Sydney
FK leads a major renovation of the landmark Sofitel Sydney Wentworth hotel, pairing 1960s modernism with an elevated, Australian-minded reset
-
Wallpaper* checks in at The Grand National Hotel by Saint Peter: ‘a lush restaurant with rooms’
In Sydney’s Paddington, chef Josh Niland opens the 14-bedroom luxury hotel alongside his pioneering restaurant
-
Book a brutalist one-room wonder Down Under, the Vipp Tunnel in Tasmania
The Danish design brand's bookable showcases arrive in the southern hemisphere, thanks to the vision of Tasmanian architectural firm Room 11
-
Wallpaper* checks in at The Eve Hotel Sydney: a lush urban escape
A new Sydney hotel makes a bold and biophilic addition to a buzzing neighbourhood that’s on the up
-
Wallpaper* checks in at Lo Scoglio: an Australian vacation rental with regenerative principles
Tucked away in Byron Bay’s hinterland, an Italian-style farmhouse presents a sustainable approach to luxury