Airlie Waterfront Backpackers

Worst hostel I've ever stayed in
We booked a double room in this backpackers, which was literally just a bed in the room. Not even a picture on the wall. We were lucky and our bathroom was only shared with one other couple, but because of the lack of bathrooms in the hostel, people from other rooms and dorms came to use ours. Bathrooms were damp and falling apart. In one, i found that the overhead light bulb had gone, so the clever hostel owners had plugged normal lamps in a damp, unventilated bathroom -- surely a health and safety risk. The kitchens were small and ill-equipped and dirty. The common area consisted of one tatty sofa. We did find out as we were leaving there was another common area with a big TV but we weren't told about this when we checked in. The facilities in this place are not suitable for the number of people that stay there. Luckily we were only there one night.

They were still cleaning out the bedbugs when we walked into the room after checking in. Cleaning woman told us to make sure the beds stayed away from the wall so the bugs couldn't get on it and gave us a spray bottle. Not nice. Owners were rude and blatantly lied to me when I asked for a towel she gave free to the couple ahead of me. She made me pay $2 for a smelly, tiny towel because that's what the laundry charges per towel. Yeah, ok. Also made us pay $40 for four keys for the room, even though we really only needed one between the four of us. After telling the owner we were leaving at 6 a.m. to get a taxi he neglected to let us know about the drop box for keys before the front desk opened. And calling the off-hours number listed on the door, I was told, too bad, my shift is over, a full two hours before the front desk opened. Good thing I didn't have a real emergency. And I'm out $40. Thanks.

This hostel was by far the worst I've ever been! Especially because the mattresses are full of bedbugs -- an experience I'd preferred not to make! Don't try to save money with that hostel, because at the end you will pay more for the doctor and to get rid of the bugs (washing all clothes, bags, shoes)!

Not the best we stayed, but far from the worst. It's in a prime location and friendly and very helpful staff. The room had no windows and the air con was on the hallway, which meant leaving your door open to get cool, and shared the bathroom with six other rooms.

The hostel is quite average, not far as bad as many people complain on this homepage. The rooms and bathrooms were very clean and sharing the bathrooms worked out well. If it's really urgent you still can use one of the other bathrooms.The owner was really nice and funny. The big plus is that there were no bed bugs which seems to be rare in Airlie. The view from the rooftop terrace is stunning! However, the kitchen has been too small and kind of dirty, too. A separation of showers, sinks, and toilets would be so much better. The place lacks character.

it seems that the dorm rooms might be the best deal in this hostel. I stayed in 5A which was apparently an "upgrade" from the dorm bed i had booked. However, this hostel is one of the noisiest hostels i have ever stayed in due to the paper thin walls and people constantly walking in and out of my area to access the bathroom and thus slamming doors on the way through (something that couldnt be helped -- they have just very heavy loud doors). Airconditioning? you mean the fan in my room? Yeah right. New and clean? far from it, this place was dirty -- the kitchens were scabby along with the bathroom old and falling apart. Do not believe the hype, this place is not new, it might be a newish backpackers taking up an old building but that is all. I really dont recommend this place to anyone. Anyone who enjoyed their stay must have had a big night down the road at Magnums.

The pictures of the kitchen make me laugh so hard! No tea towels, no can openers (!), dirty rooms, expensive, stuffy, not enough bathrooms. It says on the Web site "All rooms benefit from air-conditioning." This means our room will have no external windows, just slats that open to the hallway, which has a huge air-conditioning unit that services about eight rooms... BADLY!

This hostel looks better on the outside than inside. There seem to be ongoing renovations on the floor below (the hostel is on the 2nd floor) and it has a very strange layout. (Think Soviet-era corridors that stretch for miles.) We stayed in double rooms here of varying quality. The first bedroom we stayed in had the comfiest bed in Australia, but was rather poky and depressing. The second room had a nice bed, but only a window looking out onto the corridor! And the air-conditioner was in the corridor. There were very few bathrooms. There was no atmosphere, but this place is good if you want to be away from the crowds of lager-swilling Brits further down the road.

One of the cleanest hostels in Airlie Beach. Really helpful friendly staff. Nice and peaceful. The rooms are very clean and almost all have access to balconies. The kitchens were always spotless and the communal areas very tidy. The only problem was the lack of bathrooms.

Don't believe the hype, this hostel looks nothing like the pictures (it might have a few years ago!) The chairs in the communal areas smell and are falling apart, and there isn't one single tea towel in the entire place so pots just lay around. There is on average one bathroom to fifteen people, which has a constantly wet floor and nowhere to hang your clothes! In dorm room 7E where I stayed, they had the bright idea of placing an air conditioning unit only half a meter away from the head of the top bunk. You are not allowed to alter the settings of the air conditioner, which is on constantly 24/7 so you are freezing pretty much all of the time! All this on top of the fact that to get to some dorm rooms you have to climb the smallest spiral staircases, not a bright idea with a rucksack on your back. Oh yes, and one final point, the incessant drilling at 8 in the morning from the renovations being done around the building, which don't seem like they are going to end in a long while, although this was sometimes hidden by the air conditioner buzzing in my ear. Did I mention that? I think I did. NOT RECOMMENDED!

I couldn't fault this place. I stayed two weeks and didn't have a single problem. The staff are brilliant - they are friendly and genuine. I stayed in the twelve-bed dorm, which was always kept clean. And it was nice and cool, a must for that weather! The location is fantastic - it's a short walk from the nightspots, which is important if you've had one too many!!

This hostel is adequate and in a good location. There was a lack of atmosphere, and the rooms smelt a bit, but the staff were wonderful — friendly, chatty and very helpful. It's not a get-pissed-quick hostel, but it's in a good location for the nightlife.

Not a drink-yourself-stupid kind of hostel, but a great hostel to chill out. There's a nice view of the beach (just across the road) from the balcony/common rooms, and the dorms were very clean.