InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort
ResortManor Circle, Sanctuary Cove QLD 4212
- 500Theatre
- 300Banquet
- 437Ballroom sqm
- 251Rooms
Inspected by CVBS
IHG’s resort at Sanctuary Cove on the northern Gold Coast, in 4.2 hectares of gardens between the marina and a one acre lagoon pool. A pillar free ballroom for 500 theatre, 15 indoor and outdoor event spaces and 251 rooms on the one site.
It suits a residential conference or an incentive group that wants to meet, sleep and eat without leaving the resort, with golf and the marina on the doorstep.
What it suits
Good for
- Residential conferences to 500 theatre with delegates sleeping on site
- Gala dinners to 300 in the ballroom, or 600 on the Lagoon Beach
- Programs with breakouts, six meeting rooms upstairs from the ballroom
- Incentive groups built around golf, the marina and the lagoon
Look elsewhere for
- A seated plenary above 500 in one room
- Exhibitions or trade floors
- Programs that need to reach Surfers Paradise or Broadbeach between sessions
The event floor
The Woolshed is the conference building. MacArthur’s Ballroom, its pre function area and a boardroom for 18 sit on the lower level, and six meeting rooms of 40 to 70 theatre sit upstairs, pairing into three rooms of 100 to 130. The Grange, a separate 369 square metre room, takes 300 theatre, and the Lagoon Beach and terraces take receptions outdoors.
Accommodation
251 rooms and suites in three wings, each named for its outlook: marina, garden or lagoon. Standard rooms are 37 to 39 square metres. Suites run from the 66 square metre Queenslander Suite to the 178 square metre Federation Suite.
If you need the beds without the ballroom, that is a normal brief and we run it on its own. See group accommodation for how a room block is held, and corporate accommodation for an ongoing rate program.
The rest of the building
Restaurants, bars and public areas.
Room layouts and capacity
| Space | Area sqm | Theatre | Banquet | Classroom | Cabaret | Cocktail | Boardroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MacArthur’s Ballroom | 437 | 500 | 300 | 250 | 240 | 400 | 80 |
| MacArthur 1 | 135 | 140 | 80 | 70 | 64 | 100 | 40 |
| MacArthur 2 | 132 | 140 | 80 | 70 | 64 | 100 | 40 |
| MacArthur 3 | 152 | 140 | 90 | 70 | 64 | 100 | 40 |
| MacArthur 1 and 2 | 266 | 260 | 200 | 140 | 160 | 220 | 50 |
| MacArthur 2 and 3 | 284 | 280 | 200 | 140 | 160 | 220 | 50 |
| Pre function area | 290 | – | 160 | – | – | 200 | – |
| The Boardroom | 48 | – | 18 | – | – | – | 18 |
| The Grange | 369 | 300 | 240 | 150 | 176 | 300 | 42 |
| Romney, combined | 153 | 130 | 100 | 75 | 80 | 120 | 45 |
| Leicester, combined | 127 | 100 | 70 | 60 | 56 | 80 | 33 |
| Merino, combined | 116 | 100 | 70 | 60 | 56 | 80 | 33 |
| Garden Lounges, each | 66 | 40 | 30 | 20 | 24 | 50 | 18 |
| Lagoon Beach, outdoor | – | – | 600 | – | – | 1,500 | – |
| Pool Terrace, outdoor | – | – | 280 | – | – | 280 | – |
| Fountain Terrace, outdoor | – | – | 140 | – | – | 200 | – |
| Beach club, outdoor | – | – | – | – | – | 150 | – |
| Pergola Terrace, outdoor | – | – | 40 | – | – | 40 | 32 |
Where these figures come from, and why a dash is not a zero
A dash means the resort publishes no figure for that setup. It does not mean the room cannot be set that way, only that we will not print a number the venue has not published.
Every figure is read from the resort’s own 2026 meetings and events brochure, checked 23 September 2026. Never estimated, never taken from a directory.
The resort’s announcement of the Woolshed refurbishment describes events of up to 400 guests. Its 2026 capacity chart gives MacArthur’s Ballroom 500 theatre, and the figures here are the chart’s.
The building
Bigger rooms in Gold Coast
MacArthur’s Ballroom tops out at 500 theatre, so a larger seated plenary moves to a bigger resort further south or to the convention centre. The rooms below were read on 23 September 2026. Each figure below is read from that venue’s own published material. This is not a survey of the whole Gold Coast market, only the rooms we checked to make sure nothing on this page overstates the building.
| InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort, MacArthur’s Ballroom | 500 theatre, 300 banquet |
|---|---|
| Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Mirage Grand Ballroom | 1,000 theatre |
| The Star Gold Coast | 2,300 theatre, 1,200 banquet |
| Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre, Full Arena | 6,020 theatre, 1,640 banquet |
Recent changes
The Woolshed has been refurbished. The resort’s conference building, which holds MacArthur’s Ballroom and the upstairs meeting rooms, reopened in 2026 after a refurbishment of its interiors, lighting control and banquet furniture. Capacity figures in material older than 2026 predate it.
A beach club opened on the lagoon. A lagoon side beach club with a deck, cabanas and access to the marina opened in November 2023. It takes 150 for a cocktail reception.
Other Gold Coast venues we have walked through
Questions organisers ask
What size event can it hold?
MacArthur’s Ballroom is 437 square metres and pillar free. It seats 500 theatre, 300 for a banquet, 250 classroom, 240 cabaret and 400 for a cocktail reception, and divides into three rooms of 140 theatre each. Outdoors, the Lagoon Beach takes 1,500 for a cocktail reception or 600 for a banquet.
How many event spaces are there?
The resort lists 15 indoor and outdoor event spaces and 1,311 square metres of event space. The Woolshed holds the ballroom, its pre function area and a boardroom for 18 on the lower level, with six meeting rooms upstairs. The Grange is a separate 369 square metre room for 300 theatre.
Is there accommodation on site?
Yes. 251 rooms and suites across three wings, looking over the marina, the gardens or the lagoon. Standard rooms are 37 to 39 square metres, and the suites start at 66 square metres.
Where is it, and how far from the airports?
At Manor Circle, Sanctuary Cove, on the northern Gold Coast between Brisbane and Surfers Paradise. The resort puts it 52 kilometres from Coolangatta Airport and 70 kilometres from Brisbane Airport.
Is it big enough for a large conference?
Up to 500 theatre in one room. Above that on the Gold Coast, Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort seats 1,000 theatre, The Star Gold Coast 2,300 and the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre 6,020.
Related
- Conference venues in Gold CoastWhat we source across the Gold Coast market.
- Group accommodationDelegate room blocks across Gold Coast.
- Conference venue findingHow we source and negotiate, free to you.
- All venue visitsEvery venue we have personally walked.
Sources, photography and how we work
Capacities read from the venue’s own published material on 23 September 2026. Comparison figures read from each named venue’s own published material on the same date.
We do not see every room on every visit. Where we were not in a room, its figures come from the venue's own chart rather than from us. We do not rate or score venues and we do not publish rates.
Our service is free to you. We are independent of every venue we put forward, no venue is favoured, and your interests come first.