The Hostelz.com Review
Aquarius Backpackers is a good place to meet people and enjoy the north of the Gold Coast.
The Location
This hostel is located on the end of the main in Southport, north of the Gold Coast. There is parking inside and the bright sign is quite easy to see, as there is no panel to indicate the route. The hostel provides a free shuttle bus to and from Surfers Paradise every day on different times.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorms are clean with ventilators during the summer. The ladder for the top bunk are a bit painful but the beds are ok. There are shelves for everyone, but no locker, and finding a space on the floor for the backpacks and your own feet can be challenging. The bathrooms are all clean, a bit small, even if the whole hostel is not big so doesn't have too many hosts. There are only two showers and a toilet per bathroom. Showers don't have doors, only curtains, and you've got boxes on the side to leave your clothes. Privacy is not the best.
Common Spaces
The kitchen is clean but maybe a bit small, especially for busy season. The dining part is really small and you'd better go outside near the swimming pool or the bar. You are not allowed to bring alcohol due to the in-house bar. Signs -- especially for food-stealers -- warn you everywhere. There is a quite large pool near the bar with lots of relaxing chairs, as well as tables and heaters for winter as they are outside but covered. Music is playing all the time, including the TV, on which you can borrow a lot of DVDs. There are big sofas all around, shelves of book exchanges, and two computers with internet access. You can have one free hour of internet or/and Wi-Fi per day. A laundry is also available.
Summary
Overall, you unfortunately can not hire boards in the hostel but Aquarius Backpackers is a good spot for the north Gold Coast as they provide a free shuttle to Surfers Paradise. It is clean but maybe a bit small for busy season. But you will meet a lot of people in the common spaces.
The Location
This hostel is located on the end of the main in Southport, north of the Gold Coast. There is parking inside and the bright sign is quite easy to see, as there is no panel to indicate the route. The hostel provides a free shuttle bus to and from Surfers Paradise every day on different times.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorms are clean with ventilators during the summer. The ladder for the top bunk are a bit painful but the beds are ok. There are shelves for everyone, but no locker, and finding a space on the floor for the backpacks and your own feet can be challenging. The bathrooms are all clean, a bit small, even if the whole hostel is not big so doesn't have too many hosts. There are only two showers and a toilet per bathroom. Showers don't have doors, only curtains, and you've got boxes on the side to leave your clothes. Privacy is not the best.
Common Spaces
The kitchen is clean but maybe a bit small, especially for busy season. The dining part is really small and you'd better go outside near the swimming pool or the bar. You are not allowed to bring alcohol due to the in-house bar. Signs -- especially for food-stealers -- warn you everywhere. There is a quite large pool near the bar with lots of relaxing chairs, as well as tables and heaters for winter as they are outside but covered. Music is playing all the time, including the TV, on which you can borrow a lot of DVDs. There are big sofas all around, shelves of book exchanges, and two computers with internet access. You can have one free hour of internet or/and Wi-Fi per day. A laundry is also available.
Summary
Overall, you unfortunately can not hire boards in the hostel but Aquarius Backpackers is a good spot for the north Gold Coast as they provide a free shuttle to Surfers Paradise. It is clean but maybe a bit small for busy season. But you will meet a lot of people in the common spaces.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
August 2011
Their Description
Aquarius Backpackers Details
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Aquarius Backpackers Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
DO NOT GO HERE! very disappointing! Looks good on brochure but was disgusted when i arrived! Staff are very rude and nosy always asking questions. if u are going to stay here make sure to check out before 10am or u lose a key deposit even if its a few minutes late which really sucks! outdoor pool is freezing and disgusting full of insects and there is a big stupid vacuum going across it so there is hardly any space to swim! Spa pool is also very cold! Deposits are needed for almost everything here! 50 dollars just for a hair dryer! The wifi isnt free either! You have to pay to get connected again sucks! reception closes at 6pm! This place is NOT IN SURFERS PARADISE! its actually in southport and miles away from everything! The atm doesnt work and if it does it charges to lift money! Bar is expensive! Nothing to do here! Paid 75 dollars for a very disappointing double room which i thought was an apartment with share kitchen etc with another room, how wrong was i! Kitchen is shared with the whole hostel and so is the shower! 1 shower and toilet for all males in the whole hostel! Absolute joke! The bar is really expensive and a very dull atmosphere! I would not recommend this hostel to anyone! — Anonymous , uk (2011-06-10) It was so good I stayed for 7 Months! Met so many brilliant people at this hostel! The staff go out of their way to look after you! Brilliant atmosphere at the bar and it's lush chilling by the pool. The manager (Jo) always ensures the guests make the most of the Gold Coast whether your staying for a night or a month. There's plenty of opportunities for work in the local area and the staff make sure the long-termers can get decent nights kip. Jo used to make sure I was up for work but wouldn't go as far as making me breakfast in bed. I can unreservedly recommend Aquarius to any backpacker. You'll feel at home in seconds!!! — Mark , Uk (2010-12-27) Too many rules and overpriced Hostel says its in surfers when its actually about ten minutes' drive away in southport. We booked a double and got a room right off reception which was also next to the bar and the TV room, so we got very little sleep in our week there. the TV was on until gone 1 most nights with sound blasting out, had people in the bar shouting late most nights too, and when you did get to sleep then you would be woken by people coming in all through the night slamming the doors and shouting when drunk. Kitchen was small and although kept clean got packed with people most of the night, then at 10 p.m. they locked all your food and drink in until 7 a.m.! Bar isnt that cheap so we found the hotel next door a cheaper and generally nicer place to have a drink. Far too many rules and threats to keep your key deposit in this hostel. Also one male shower for an entire half of a hostel isnt really enough in my opinion. — Ian+anna , uk (2008-12-06) Meh Draconian rules, not that cheap, far from everything. They require a passport to check in regardless of whether you're an Australian and almost didn't give my friend her deposit back because she checked out thirty seconds late! Not the spirit of a holiday place at all. On the upside, it was fairly clean and quiet -- didn't get woken up by guests late at night. Not a party hostel at all and weren't made to feel particularly welcome. Avoid unless you're ok with feeling like a naughty two year old most of the time. Might be good for long term lodgers who can't afford to rent a room in a house though. — James , Australia (2008-07-30) Very poor hostel. Jo and Brent (owners) are very rude and nosy -- always looking into everything the guests are doing. Video cameras everywhere, staff obnoxious and dont care if they screw up your plans. it's not even in surfers paradise, its on the outside! Dont stay here, expensive when you have to cab it home all the time. no one goes out here, more of a place to sit by the pool. not recommended for anyone! — Unknown (2007-01-19) Wow, had a great time. The building and staff are exactly what they say. Friendly and homey. We didn't want to leave. Would recommend this hostel to everyone. See you again soon. — Debbie London (2006-05-26) The owners of this hostel are rude, and I would definitely not recommend it to anyone! — Anonymous (2005-04-05) This hostel was very clean, an awesome place to stay. The club crawl was fantastic, a good way to meet friendly people, especially you England lads. The staff were ok, but not as friendly as I would have expected. But overall this was a great place, the best backpackers I have stayed in. :):):):) — Anonymous (2005-03-13) They screwed up my reservation and didn't let me know within 2 days like their confirmation e-mail says. By the time I found out it was too late to book anything else. When you are traveling it's not always easy to change your plans. Be aware, they are disorganized and don't seem to care. — Canada (2004-12-15) Firstly, if you're Australian you're definitely not welcome at this hostel (sadly). The staff made a mistake with our booking, and instead of apologizing and fixing the problem, they continued to criticize Australian travelers, saying they don't normally even allow us in the hostel.
And just to clarify, if you're a person looking for an awesome party hostel, this isn't it! The hostel is being licensed, which means you can't bring your own alcohol in! That makes it quite expensive for us backpackers.
Secondly, the beach is nowhere in sight! The hostel itself it located on a busy road, and there's really no decent clubs around. On a positive note however, the place is relatively clean and all the crew staying there were cool. It's definitely a hostel for long-stay people who are looking for work — not for people looking to have a couple of fun nights. — Anonymous (2004-12-14) This is a very nice place and the people here are wonderful. I miss it. — Heloisa, São Paulo-Brasil (2004-11-08) This is the BEST hostel I have stayed in! And it's VERY CLEAN! The owners, Jo and Brent, make you feel very much at home! Tom is gorgeous and funny, and best of all is cuddling the puppies, Chelsea and Sebastian! The only problem is you won't want to leave! — Jade, London (2004-10-02) You're guaranteed to feel welcome, make loads of mates, and have plenty of quality nights out--with the staff and all. "Awesome" says it all!!! — Liam aka beanbag! (2004-08-25) I found the hostel staff very unhelpful and quite rude. I would not recommend this hostel. — Esther, Ireland (2004-08-22) Fantastic, friendly, and fun! It's a home away from home! — Rachel, London (2004-05-17)