Hang Loose at Komune Resort and Spa

Finding a puddle in the lift of a trendy hotel would usually have you heading for the complaints desk. But at Komune, komuneresorts.com, on Australia's Gold Coast, it's perfectly acceptable. That's because the place is geared for surfers in their dripping wet suits and sodden board shorts.

Located 50 m from the beach at Coolangatta — at the sleepier, southern extremity of Queensland's major tourist strip — this is a place to chillax after a day riding waves at nearby Snapper Rocks, Rainbow Bay, Greenmount, Kirra Point and Duranbah. (See pictures of Australia's deep-sea creatures.)

It's a five-minute stroll from Komune to Snapper, the home break of Aussie surf stars Mick Fanning and Joel Parkinson, and stage of the annual Quiksilver Pro, a major event on the Association of Surfing Professionals world tour. After the 2010 event in February and March, surfing superstar Kelly Slater and his pals partied at Komune, and their shindigs at the poolside bar are already the stuff of local legend.

The hotel opened in early 2010, offering a mixture of accommodation options on nine levels. There's shared space for budget travelers and a "girls-only sanctuary" on the eighth floor. The two penthouse suites are spectacular, as are the views from north-facing rooms, which look over Surfers Paradise and an expanse of the Pacific Ocean that's traversed, in the winter months, by migrating humpback whales. This is apparently just the start for Komune Resorts and Beach Club, which has big plans. Next stop: Bali, where a resort will soon rise from rice paddies overlooking the awesome reef break of Keramas, just north of Sanur.

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