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Hostels Guide > Australia & Oceania > Australia > Queensland > Cairns Hostels > JJ's Backpackers Hostel

JJ's Backpackers Hostel

Cairns (Cairns North)

8 of 41

Hostels in Cairns

Address	11 Charles Street, Cairns (Cairns North), Queensland, Australia Map
Price	From $22.00 per night Check Current Prices by Date Here

Location/Contact

Details

Their Description

Features

Free Breakfast
Kitchen
Lockers
Gameroom
Lounge / Common space
Swimming Pool
BBQ
TV
Movie Library/Rental
Book Collection/Exchange
Washing Machine (laundry)
Clothes Dryer
Travel information provided
Bike Rental
24 Hour Free Hot Showers
Phones (public or in room)
Air Conditioning

The Hostelz.com Review

JJ's Backpackers is one of the best values for money in a town full of backpackers hostels. If you come by coach or plane, a courtesy bus will pick you up at your arrival. You will find a clean and friendly environment, huge BBQ (this happens once a week and they charge a few dollars), and games around the pool. JJ's is not far from the city centre, allow a twenty-minute walk along the Esplanade. They offer a shuttle service during the day and the evening until 9:35 p.m. if you don't feel like walking. The same shuttle will drop you at night in front of the Woolshed, a pub in town where you can have a free dinner (they serve things like pasta and chili con carne) that you can also upgrade for a few extra dollars. A free breakfast is available from 7:30 to 9 a.m. Coffee and tea are also available for free all day long.

JJ's Backpackers has two buildings with two fully equipped kitchens. The bedrooms have fans, some have air conditioning. The bathrooms and the other communal areas are quite clean. There are laundry facilities, a BBQ, a board with job offers, a swimming pool, and a pool table.

The owners are very helpful -- they even remember your name, which is pleasant. You may also book tours or rent a car with them for good rates. Backpackers also work at the hostel, but you should not expect the same efficiency with them. The atmosphere is very relaxed and it is easy to meet nice people there, especially on the BBQ night. Definitely a good hostel!

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
October 2006

Ratings & Comments

4.3 Average from 23 Ratings

This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites we don't censor out the negative comments.
We can't validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.

Comment by heth, uk

October 2009

Friendly, Basic, and Clean
Such friendly, helpful staff. Lovely hostel. So clean. Basic, but what do you need when you are back packing? Very cheap and always free dinner in town! One night the owner made a huge bbq for us all for free! And she made so much that she put it all in the fridge and we had leftovers for lunch. It is about a mile from town but you can walk along the boardwalk along the sea in the sunshine and it is well-lit at night so it is a pleasure really. Lovely hostel.

Comment by Jenna, British

October 2008

Pretty and Clean but Without Sleep there's really No Point!
My first impressions of the hostel were good ones. We were picked up at the airport and the hostel seemed small, friendly and clean. My only major disappointment was that the walls of the rooms are really, really thin and the doors slammed really easily. I was kept awake till 4 a.m. every night by people coming in at various hours and slamming their bedroom doors, the bathroom door, the toilet door, and their bedroom door again. I don't wanna sound like a party pooper but every time a door slammed, it was so loud my door and walls shook and I was catapulted out of my dreams (if I'd managed to get to sleep between the last lot of noise and the new lot!). There was a free breakfast of toast and cereal every morning but I never got to have any of it because I could only get to sleep when everyone else had got up. Maybe I should also have got p***ed every night to knock myself out but I'm no good at getting up to do fun stuff when I've got a hangover and I didn't come all the way to Australia just to go to an Irish pub and get drunk every night! It was a pity because the hostel could have done a roaring trade from me booking tours through them. They had loads of leaflets about things I wanted to do but after I missed my pick-up for a bungee jump through getting no sleep and being knackered, I didn't dare book anything else while I was there.

Comment by Helen & Sion, Wales

January 2008

Friendly staff
Not a bad hostel, rooms ample size. However one complaint no air con in our room just a fan, which didn't make much difference to the temperature. Bunkbeds a bit on the low side so couldn't sit on the bottom bunk. BBQ night was cool and staff friendly. Transport into town good.

Comment by Cindy, USA

April 2007

It was nice. The only complaint that I really have is that when my friend and I came back from an overnight reef trip, we were split into separate rooms and were told it would be only for the night. The excuse was that these other people paid in full, which is what we did when we first arrived. We were going on another trip the next day and the office was closed when we left. By the time we got back they again said that all of the rooms were full and that my friend and I would have to stay in the current rooms we were at. Our roommates were nice and the people were fun there. This incident didn't make me too happy though.

Comment by Scouse Chris

March 2007

Stayed at this hostel for a week, and two nights in the car park, hotel is basic, but clean and very cheap for what you get. the free evening meal in the wool pack is enough to keep you going if you're skint. Staff were very friendly and someone always seemed to be on hand to help. It is a bit of a hike back from the centre of town if you go on the piss, but gives you time for a chat!

Comment by Simon B, Scotland

December 2006

Hostel was fantastic. We met so many amazing people here and the staff were extremely friendly and helpful. I ended staying for a few months last year between july 05 and August 05 and i had a wicked time! Rooms were clean, food was excellent, and free bus was a godsend!

Comment by Yoz

September 2006

Wicked little hostel. Clean, friendly staff, free breky free dinner, free bus into and out of town. Only slight downside is if you walk back from town its about a 10min walk, but its all good exercise :-) Def one of best hostels ive stayed in.

Comment by aikibujin

June 2006

Small, quiet, inexpensive, and fairly clean. The staff is friendly and layback. but maybe a little too layback. If you need something done (like, getting a ride to the airport, need new linen), you really need to be right at their heels, otherwise they will forget. It's a bit far from the center of Cairns, so if you stay out late at night, it's a pretty long walk back.

Comment by Tim - Nz

March 2006

I stayed at jj's for a couple of months it was pretty choice staff are friendly and they allways have really hot chicks stay there.

Comment by Anon.

September 2005

The double rooms are decent, and the toilets/showers are clean. It does get a bit hot sometimes, but we survived without air-conditioning. The kitchen is good, and there is a lounge area with TV, but the drinks machine was broken when we stayed there. There is a pool, table tennis, washing machines, and an area with lines to hang up your clothes, which is locked at night, so you don't have to worry about the theft of garments. There is lots of information about trips and tours, and the staff are very helpful and friendly. They even accommodated an extra person for a night with a mattress for free!

Comment by Paul

July 2005

The place was really average. The double room was really dodgy and it seems poor in comparison to some of the nicer hostels in the area.

Comment by Rachel

June 2005

JJ's was a decent hostel for location, free food and meeting great people. Its only downfall is the OWNER, who is there all the time. Girls beware, he is a pervert, Mr. Touchy-Feely, and no one liked him, not his staff or anyone who was staying there. So if you do decide to stay here try to avoid that guy as much as possible. He is a jerk. You will know who I'm talking about when you meet him. He has an undeniably creepy vibe.

Comment by Steve

May 2005

I have yet again visited JJ's as I have done three times over 18 months. The atmosphere is just what you make it, from party time to relaxing by pool. It just saves you money with the breakfast, tours, barbecue night, and most importantly, the courtesy bus. These are not just my comments but those of fellow travelers. Thanks and keep it up guys!

Comment by Clairey Bear

March 2005

Well what can I say, there is only one place to stay in Cairns and that is with the JJ's gang!! I spent Christmas with the gang and had the time of my life. Tracy and Simon made my holiday a trip of a lifetime!! JJ's is a slice of paradise and is a must for anyone wanting to backpack in Cairns. I will be going back ASAP.

Comment by Elaine

February 2005

The staff were excellent, offering us great trip advice. The buffet once a week was very much worth the $5 AUS you had to pay. The washrooms were cleaned at least once every two to three days, so no need to worry about cleanliness at the hostel. The only thing lacking is air-conditioning.

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8 of 41

Hostels in Cairns

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