The Hostelz.com Review
As if Byron Bay itself wasn't magical enough, The Byron Bay YHA is a little slice of magic situated in the town that time forgot.
The Location
Finding your way to the YHA will be no problem at all as the friendly staff are there to meet you off the bus, giving you a helpful tour of the town en-route. Starting from the word go, the friendly ambiance at the YHA is unrivalled by any other Australian hostel we visited, and you will be made to feel right at home with a cup of free tea and some Passion Pop with the eternally fun-loving staff.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorms are basic with not much more than a bed and a plug socket, but are well placed in a square surrounding the social area. There are two large bathrooms for ladies and two for men on each floor providing the communal showers and toilets. There is no shortage of toilets, and they are cleaned often.
Common Spaces
This hostel certainly conveys the free-spirited atmosphere that makes Byron Bay such a special place to visit -- hammocks, bean bags, and guitar-strumming guests will transport you to Woodstock. Making friends here will be no problem thanks to the well-equipped social area. Whether you fancy a game of pool, a swim in the real pool, or just to kick back listening to the hostel's iTunes selection, one thing is for certain -- you will leave Byron Bay far more relaxed than you were when you arrived. The only downside is the fact that the common area must be vacated by 10 p.m. -- everyone knows that backpackers party harder than that!
A stone's throw away from the social area, the communal kitchen is large and well organised, and seems to be kept very clean.
Summary
Between the inexplicable atmosphere, the beautiful town in which it is situated, and the unforgettable staff, Byron Bay YHA provides an experience you will be referring to again and again.
The Location
Finding your way to the YHA will be no problem at all as the friendly staff are there to meet you off the bus, giving you a helpful tour of the town en-route. Starting from the word go, the friendly ambiance at the YHA is unrivalled by any other Australian hostel we visited, and you will be made to feel right at home with a cup of free tea and some Passion Pop with the eternally fun-loving staff.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorms are basic with not much more than a bed and a plug socket, but are well placed in a square surrounding the social area. There are two large bathrooms for ladies and two for men on each floor providing the communal showers and toilets. There is no shortage of toilets, and they are cleaned often.
Common Spaces
This hostel certainly conveys the free-spirited atmosphere that makes Byron Bay such a special place to visit -- hammocks, bean bags, and guitar-strumming guests will transport you to Woodstock. Making friends here will be no problem thanks to the well-equipped social area. Whether you fancy a game of pool, a swim in the real pool, or just to kick back listening to the hostel's iTunes selection, one thing is for certain -- you will leave Byron Bay far more relaxed than you were when you arrived. The only downside is the fact that the common area must be vacated by 10 p.m. -- everyone knows that backpackers party harder than that!
A stone's throw away from the social area, the communal kitchen is large and well organised, and seems to be kept very clean.
Summary
Between the inexplicable atmosphere, the beautiful town in which it is situated, and the unforgettable staff, Byron Bay YHA provides an experience you will be referring to again and again.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
July 2009
Their Description
HI - Byron Bay YHA Hostel Details
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HI - Byron Bay YHA Hostel Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Basically a good hostel with some basic flaws This is a good choice if you find yourself in Byron Bay. The location is excellent with a large Woolworths supermarket practically on the doorstep, it is spotlessly clean, the staff are friendly and efficient, and there's a nice big pool to relax by/in. The negative issues are the lack of in dorm lockers, and the fact you have to pay high rates to use Wi-Fi and day storage lockers, which demonstrates a degree of contempt for guests, especially when so many backpackers hostels offer free Wi-Fi these days. The strict 10 a.m. checkout is also a pain. If it wasn't for these issues I would have rated it five stars. — Martin , UK (2007-11-21) Stayed in this hostel in March. It's ok but not the best ever. The pool looked quite grimy when we arrived but a few days later I think it had been cleaned. We were in a four bed dorm right near the entrance to the hostel and opposite the bbq area so it wasn't the most quiet room in the hostel. The room also had no air con and unfortunately didn't benefit at all from the lovely sea breeze because of the layout of the hostel. We would've loved to stay in a double but it was too expensive $90! Did get a glimpse of one though and am glad we didn't pay out as they were rather bare, had its own toilet but you still had to share the showers -- not worth the $90! The kitchen's a good size and the TV room usually had a movie on -- just a pity the rooms weren't that great. — Nicola (2007-03-13) Stayed here in 2001, have things changed that much? When I stayed it was fantastic, best hostel kitchen I have ever seen, great atmosphere, lovely pool.
Hope its still the same. — Kirsty (2007-01-27) This was the worst hostel we had the misfortune of staying in during our stay in NSW. How they can describe this place as clean is beyond us as our room was infested with cockroaches. Not just one or two, dozens of them all over the place. It was extremely noisy and massively overpriced for the bare and cramped room and we didn't get one bit of help or even a smile from the grumpy staff. The manager was even very rude to our faces. Not one good thing to say about this place apart from its good location. — Mark and Debs (2006-04-03) Not the best YHA in Oz, but nothing particularly wrong with it. Kitchen was clean enough and decent sized pool. But a fair amount of money for what you get. — K (2005-12-19) I stayed here for four days. I had to buy bleach and disinfectant, as the bathroom probably had not been cleaned for a while. Also we had a cockroach infestation in our room. Other than this, the location is good, the kitchen is fine, and the pool area nice. Staff are friendly. Maybe we are just too demanding, hence the 2 stars! — Tony and Tracey (2005-01-30) This place has a really nice atmosphere, friendly staff and clean and well-equipped facilities. I loved it and would definitely recommend staying here! — Caroline (2004-12-14) Awesome hostel! It has great people, it's relatively clean, and it's close to the beach! — Anonymous (2004-12-14) It was very clean. It had a big kitchen with good amount of utensils, and it was in a convenient location. Very good. — Anonymous (2004-11-28) This hostel has a very big and clean kitchen, a good location, and friendly staff. Best hostel I've stayed in! — Anonymous (2004-08-17) Nice hostel to stay in. The rooms are big and clean. The kitchen area is good too. It has friendly staff and is in a good location. — Emma (2004-06-10) I stayed in another hostel in Byron previously but moved to J's because it was so clean and comfortable. — Anonymous (2003-12-01)