Koala Beach Resort - Noosa

Terrible
Though the people we met here were amazing -- the hostel is terrible. Security is horrible (Poor locks on doors, no lockers in rooms, long dark path to rooms, lax security guard, no cameras). Two (large) backpacks (mine included) were stolen right out of the locked room -- and police said it happens about once a month at Koala. We heard many stories of poor Koala facilities in other towns but most theft horror stories were about this particular hostel (including rooms getting robbed while people are sleeping in them, which is more than creepy). Although theft can happen anywhere it's probably best to avoid a hostel where it is this prevalent.

Dirty, overcrowded
I second pretty much what everyone else says about this place. The location is great, the bar is cool (although its is blighted by rural Aussies -- them with the mullets), internet is cheap ($3 an hour), the free shuttle bus to the Transit Centre (where the Oz Ex bus goes from) is useful, but everything else is woeful. There are rules on pretty much everything you can do. Worst are the dorms, with up to ten beds crammed into what should be a normal motel room -- with just one bathroom. If someone is taking a long shower, you can't even have a pee! You even have to rent a bedsheet -- they aren't provided (use them to lie on -- the undersheet of the bed is never changed). Staff seem overworked and uncaring, and this comes through in the cleaning of the rooms -- which just doesn't seem to be done. They stink, and have rubbish everywhere. The kitchen is terrible. Security is pretty lax -- rooms 28 and 29 are used as a corridor by everyone to walk through to the town, so the doors are never locked, and hence a lot of stuff goes missing. Avoid.

I do not really know
i loved the people there, the barbecue is great, the location not too bad, and the driving service is great, but the rooms? sorry, especially the bathroom should be updated. The kitchen is very small and not very well equipped. i would not recommend it, but everybody must make their own experiences.

Stayed here Dec '06 for five nights, room was dark and stank -- really dirty. Kitchen filthy and swarms of flies everywhere. Only good thing was the bar at night -- even then your feet stuck to the floor.

Koala's Beach Resort is a pretty good place to stay. We were here for two nights in December 2004 and booked up a twin-room just past the outdoor pool at the rear of the complex. Somehow, we found that we had been given a double but managed to swap for another without much fuss. The staff were friendly and helpful, if disorganised, but this worked in our favour as they didn't charge us for the second night of the stay as they thought we had already paid in full. Our room was private but tiny, with barely any room to move. We also had to walk through a six-bed dorm to get to our accommodation (a strange feature), as did the occupants of the other private room opposite us. This didn't prove to be a problem but it is fair to say that the carpet in the dorm was disgusting and we didn't dare to walk across it on bare feet! Ten people sharing one en-suite bathroom sounded like a nightmare but it was surprisingly always available whenever we needed it. The complex is surrounded by tropical trees and the courtyard is a great place to sit and relax if needs be after a hard night. The Koala Bar is a fun and cheap place for a night out and serves surprisingly good food. The hostel is also situated less than a kilometer from the beach so make sure you book a surfing lesson or hire a boogie board from reception to make the most of the famous waves.

Stayed there for two nights. Dirty pool, kitchen, rooms, and general the service is very poor. There is one guy there, the shuttlebus driver, best service from him, great guy. He and the nice bar pools the rating up to three starts.

It's like a prison camp, this place has so many rules: no food in your rooms, etc., etc. It wouldn't be so bad if the rooms were of a decent standard, but our double was tiny, with only just enough room for a double bed and 2 backpacks, and only enough hot water for one person to have a shower (not great when you have to share the bathroom with up to 10 others!). The only reason this place gets 2 stars is because the staff are fantastic, and very helpful!

I really like the Koala bar as it's laid-back and cozy. It's very close to Hastings st. and the National Park. Many people from all over the world make it a fun place to spend the night. It's a great place, I would definitely recommend it to all.

I stayed here in 2003, and found the facilities to be good. There's a decent-sized bar, a really good pool area, and the dorm rooms are really big in size. It's only about a five-minute walk down the hill to get to Hastings Street, where the beach is and all the nice cafes. I would recommend it.

The room was good, but the en suite shower wasn't really what I expected. I shared it with seven other people. It has a great location, though.

Very good entertainment. What I should say: the best in town!!! Many greetings to Aimee and Shaun!!!

Good bar and there was a bathroom in our dorm which was a super bonus for a backpacker!

Good bar and basic comfy rooms, plus it's in the best location compared to other hostels.

Our fave place of all places! Staff are amazing!