The Hostelz.com Review
Magnetic Island is a short ferry journey from Townsville. The fare is quite expensive at $22. So if you're staying at Base Backpackers it's worth enquiring about their "steal deals" (packages that include ferry travel, dorm room, meal, and internet access) at the Base reception in Townsville Transit centre. While there you can check in and arrange courtesy drop off and pick up at the ferry terminals at either end.
This hostel has a very chilled out atmosphere and is mainly frequented by younger backpackers. Music is played throughout the day and into the late evening, giving the hostel a definite party feel with numerous DJs and full moon parties being provided by the hostel management. They have a bar/canteen that serves cheap food and drinks and there's also some form of entertainment every night, such as quizzes, etc.
The rooms are clean with a pleasant ceiling fan, however they are incredibly small. In the eight bed dorms it's possible to stand in the middle of the room and be touching all four bunks. That means there's no room at all to keep your belongings. The kitchen is quite similar, clean but again very small and not greatly equipped. The bathrooms though are very large and very clean - they even offer toilet seat sanitizer spray!
This hostel has good facilities including pool tables, swimming pool, and is located directly on a lovely beach. They also offer activities such as kayaking, horse riding, and snorkel hire. Generally this is a very nice hostel, definitely worth a visit if you like a party atmosphere.
This hostel has a very chilled out atmosphere and is mainly frequented by younger backpackers. Music is played throughout the day and into the late evening, giving the hostel a definite party feel with numerous DJs and full moon parties being provided by the hostel management. They have a bar/canteen that serves cheap food and drinks and there's also some form of entertainment every night, such as quizzes, etc.
The rooms are clean with a pleasant ceiling fan, however they are incredibly small. In the eight bed dorms it's possible to stand in the middle of the room and be touching all four bunks. That means there's no room at all to keep your belongings. The kitchen is quite similar, clean but again very small and not greatly equipped. The bathrooms though are very large and very clean - they even offer toilet seat sanitizer spray!
This hostel has good facilities including pool tables, swimming pool, and is located directly on a lovely beach. They also offer activities such as kayaking, horse riding, and snorkel hire. Generally this is a very nice hostel, definitely worth a visit if you like a party atmosphere.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
September 2005
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Base Magnetic Island Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Stay away from Base The big red cross outside should be warning enough! Unfortunately we didn't pick up on this and made reservations. However after one night we decided to check out despite losing our money. Staff were not only slow and seemingly unable to do their jobs were plain rude and made us feel very unwelcome. Kitchen was awful the equipment was all broken and it was crawling with bugs. Dorms are much to small for the amount of people and are also crawling with bugs due to broken and ripped fly screens. Bathrooms are dirty and half of the toilets and sinks are broken. The location is nice but very exposed and the hostel is not equipped for bad weather (which it was while we were there) making the common areas very unpleasant. The hostel is also about 30min walk from anything else on the island and whilst the bus stop is outside the buses only run every hour and are quite expensive. I would like to point out however that the bar/entertainment staff were very good -- just about the only positive! We would never stay here again, or any Base hostel for that matter. — Anonymous , England (2011-12-14) Nice huts and bar, but otherwise average. The dorms are little huts which give the place a bit more personality than your average aussie hostel. Quite small though -- you can touch every bunk from the middle of the room, and also the nets on the windows had holes in them which let the bugs in. Girls bathroom was not good -- freezing cold water all the time (which actually was fine as it was so hot, but its nice to have the choice of hot or cold water!), and not very clean either. Kitchen was very small and absolutely sweltering. There is a small pool on site, which was essential for cooling down (as it was so hot and also stinger season so couldn't go in the sea). Lots of bugs/moths/ants around everywhere -- be warned if you don't like creepy crawlies! Bar area is massive and right on the beach -- nice lively staff who try and organise some games in the evening. Food is cheap -- one night they did a BBQ which was pretty good. Short bus journey from the main ferry port. Not much to do so it's a good idea to think about hiring a little bike or something to get around the island. — Lisa , English (2009-07-27) Ok Not bad. Nice site with a great view over the water. Little huts look nice from the outside too. Rooms small and let the bugs in. Kitchens awful -- hot and with no equipment. Bar not bad and they try to generate a good atmosphere. — Nick , England (2009-04-14) Dissapointing This was the second time i'v been to the island and i'v stayed at base both times. The last time was about 2 and a half years and was far better then what it has become. Gangster rap plays everynight, and by the third night, we knew what was coming up next, the playlist was exactly the same. The room reeked of vomit, and was extremely hot during the day due to the thin walls and tin roof. There were holes and rips in almost every flyscreen in our room, so we awoke to bugs crawling on us and cockroaches in the draws. The music was very loud, and when u need to wake up early to checkout, very annoying. The first night we arrived we wanted to have a few drinks and party, but the lack of music selection resulted in not a single person dancing and more of a dead atmosphere. Each day was a nightmare because its the only place within a half hour walk. Food was very overpriced -- 7 dollars for a bowl of cereal at the restaraunt they provide and our food was constantly being stolen from the backpackers kitchen!!! Did i mention that the beach its closest to, is one of the only ones that has no stinger nets and you have to hire a stinger suit for 40 dollars a day just to swim on that beach!! — Jessica , UK (2009-03-19) Fab hostel, one of the best ever! Fantastic hostel! Stayed on beautiful huts on the beach. Staff were really helpful and friendly. Great craic at night time! One of my best memories of australia. Would advise anyone to stay there. — Rosie , Irish (2008-04-26) Ruined i stayed here for three months when this hostel was originally coconuts. it was out of this world! laid back staff, if you could call them that. as soon as you got there it felt you knew them for years! coming back, ruined is this only word for what was paradise -- three days and i moved on further. — anon , wales (2008-02-07) Ok, but isolated with little nearby Base at Magnetic was Base's first "Flashpacker" hostel, and it's now getting a little tired around the edges. Worst are the budget doubles -- $70 may be cheap in the scheme of things, but they are very basic, and with only a tiny portable fan. The flashier doubles come with TVs and Air con, and are probably worth it just for that. The dorms are very cramped, and get amazingly hot in summer with the sun beating down on the tin roof. Note that at the full moon parties, break ins are relatively common in the basic doubles, thanks to the thin piece of gauze over the "window" which can easily be pushed in. You can defeat this by using your towel as a curtain (prop it up with the fan) so no one can see in, and leaving lights, fan, and a radio on. It's not very green, but it works. The pool is ok, but filled with seawater (so it does look a bit cloudy/mucky) but at least you can go in it -- unlike the sea, which for half the year is out of bounds thanks to the stingers. Also, dive schools take over the pool in the mid morning and mid afternoon -- you'll be herded out of the pool area when this happens. I walked to supermarket in Nelly Bay -- that took about half an hour. You can do it, or take the $2 bus. There is nothing closer -- the hostel is literally on an isolated bend in the road. There is just one pay phone here, with long queues thanks to the very poor mobile reception (Vodafone is just possible if you clamber up on the rocks by the point). The bar is enormous but with very strict security at the infamous full moon parties, with different colored sets of wristbands so guests can get to their rooms/the bathrooms but not order a drink at the bar unless they buy a separate $20 full moon ticket. The parties go on to 5 a.m., and are amazing loud so don't stay here unless you are up for it. The bar uses the same sound system to play music at deafening volume from the start of the afternoon too. Sadly the bar manager is heavily into gangster rap, so you have the strange sight of most people cowering in the furthest green patch to get away from the noise. In short, it's fine, but only if you are up for a very big, noisy, party. — Lorks , UK (2007-12-15) Good if you want to party, avoid if you dont. The location of this hostel is great, it is literally on the beach. However there are some negatives. I booked for 3 nights but only stayed 1 due to the noise. The noise from the bar was bad enough but even worse -- the cabins are joined by wooden walkways, if someone walks down then (in my experience pretty constantly til 3am), its very noisy and the cabins shake. Then as soon as the sun started to rise the light shone straight into the cabins -- great sunrise but made sleep impossible. If you want to party on the beach at night and sunbathe all day this is a great hostel. — Hels , UK (2007-09-02) Good place. Dirty pool though. But good place. Their Full Moon Party was great! They lock the kitchen at 11 p.m. So no late night munch. That sucked. The TV was crap. Good place to stay though. — Nathan , Canada (2007-04-16) After experiencing some of the other hostels along the east coast this place was a godsend. Unbeatable location right on the beach, and I stayed in the female-only sanctuary which means you get a towel and free shampoo and conditioner. Nice facilities and great bar. My only complaint is that some of the rooms are too close to the bar, so unless you have earplugs you'll be kept awake by the music until 2 a.m. — TuesdayGirl , UK (2007-04-08) I loved Maggie Island and base was excellent. We stayed in the sanctuary rooms which are for females only and it was luxury after travelling for nine months. Very chilled out, great swimming pool and brilliant views. Had a few bar nights which were good. The kitchen was a little small. Only stayed a few nights as we had a bus booked but could have definitely stayed longer esp for the full moon parties. The staff seemed okay but a little moany when there were too many people around the reception booking in. Being in Maggie lsland was like being on holiday! Would definitely visit again — Nicki (2006-07-09) Attracts a certain type of backpacker. If you like other Base backpackers, large party-type hostels, and to stay on a resort and never leave to explore the rest of the island, this might be for you. But if you prefer something with a bit more character, that's smaller, cozier, and better-located for actually seeing Magnetic Island, then stay elsewhere. — Sarah (2006-05-25) Probably the best hostel I stayed in whilst in Oz-- much better than the other Base Backpackers around the country. Excellent location, great facilities, felt more like a hotel than a hostel. Although, try and get a room away from the bar if you wanna sleep well! — Holly (2006-02-25) Amazing - first hostel we stayed in in Oz and was by far the best. The private cabins which sleep up to 4 have the most spectacular view and make it a pleasure to wake up to in the morning!!
The bar is great and provides some fantastic entertainment.
A great place to go if you want to laze by the sea, enjoying spectacular views and recovering from the hangover of a fantastic evening spent with great people!
Would live there if I could! — newbie (2006-02-17) The best way to solve the problem of being cramped in the dorms- is to rent a tent instead -they are $20 pn, permanently errected, well lit, spacious for only 2 people with a good fan. — anonymous (2006-01-05)