The Hostelz.com Review
The Civic Guest House Backpackers Inn is one of those hostels that you thank the God of backpackers for blessing you with. You simply cannot fault it in anyway and it's nice to stay there. The place itself is a good fifteen- to twenty-minute walk from the Greyhound bus stop, but the owners will come and pick you up on request. From the hostel, the main town centre and nightclub areas are about a five- to ten-minute walk.
The hostel is immaculately clean and has a dedicated permanent staff for cleaning (rather than temporary backpacking staff). Areas are thoroughly cleaned -- so kitchens and bathrooms are pleasant. Even the rooms are given a shot of air-freshener to make them smell nicer. We were asked to leave our not-so-fresh smelling shoes outside! Our room had on-suite bathroom, refrigerator, air-conditioning, and a fan.
The Civic has a TV room with a good selection of videos to watch. No deposit required. Internet access is available at a reasonable price. There's a spa to be used at leisure as well. On Fridays, the Civic does a barbecue, with the first burger being free and then a small fee for each after that -- great value. Beer and wine are also available at a good price. The atmosphere is good and relaxed and the (new) owners are very pleasant. Recommended to stay if you're in Townsville.
The hostel is immaculately clean and has a dedicated permanent staff for cleaning (rather than temporary backpacking staff). Areas are thoroughly cleaned -- so kitchens and bathrooms are pleasant. Even the rooms are given a shot of air-freshener to make them smell nicer. We were asked to leave our not-so-fresh smelling shoes outside! Our room had on-suite bathroom, refrigerator, air-conditioning, and a fan.
The Civic has a TV room with a good selection of videos to watch. No deposit required. Internet access is available at a reasonable price. There's a spa to be used at leisure as well. On Fridays, the Civic does a barbecue, with the first burger being free and then a small fee for each after that -- great value. Beer and wine are also available at a good price. The atmosphere is good and relaxed and the (new) owners are very pleasant. Recommended to stay if you're in Townsville.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
June 2006
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Civic Guest House Backpackers Hostel Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
We had some problems in this hostel and the women said "you paid less that another hostel in Townsville ($1 less) because there is no camera in the hostel and I can't do anything for you." But the hostel is not too bad but the rooms are small, sometimes they have no clim. Bathroom and toilet aren't clean. Kitchen stifling. The pool is empty when we are there. The hostel are in the centre of the town, near supermarket. — Nol and JC , France (2010-04-09) Clean and nice atmosphere I stayed for four nights and enjoyed my stay at the hostel, which was clean and tidy. It was easy to meet people and those I did meet were great. The ladies in reception were very helpful and friendly. Overall my stay was pretty good. — Valerie , Ireland (2008-06-16) Worst hostel I stayed in. Bathrooms and kitchen were old and dirty, the staff weren't at all friendly, and they have bedbugs. Don't stay there! — anonymous , France (2007-05-13) I'm glad i have only had to stay one night here. it's so true about the signs are telling you what you can't do -- surprised that they let you breathe! The kitchen is grotty and also dangerous with faulty equipment. The owner is rude and more interested in his vending machine. the walls in the room are very thin, and the rooms are like cattle sheds! Do not go there. you will regret it! — Amy , UK (2007-04-16) I was never given a prison sentence, but somehow i have ended up in jail. I'm glad i have only had to stay one night here, as everywhere you turn signs are telling you what you can't do, which is basically everything! The kitchen, although big, is dangerous with faulty equipment. The man who greeted me at the desk was more interested in my money than anything else. Worst hostel ive been to! Go anywhere but here! — Paul , UK (2007-04-06) We only had one night at this hostel before we went to Magnetic Island, but it was fine -- we had a double room with a fan, although for $5 more we could've had air-con, which would've been a godsend! But it was all clean. The spa is nice but it's not very hot and for some reason it's saltwater. All in all a bit of a bargain. Transfers to and from the ferry/Greyhound terminal are good too, even if you have to go at 10 a.m. -- you may as well go then, you've got to check out anyway. — Hazel and Nick (2006-11-10) I have been to this guest house on a few occasions and have found John to be very pleasant. the cleanliness is five-star. the rooms are very comfortable and value for money. I would recommend it to anyone visiting Townsville. — Fiona ( Ayr ) (2006-09-16) the staff are so poor -- they want every last penny from you. and you have to be tucked up in bed by 10 p.m. we wanted to hang around the hostel for the day as our bus was at 5 and they made us pay $8 each for bag storage and use of the facilities. do these people not understand that backpackers are on a budget? — This hotel is ok - butts (2006-09-15) Stayed here in May 2006. Decided to go to the reef from here instead of cairns as it would be less busy. The owners were really helpful booking all our trips and helping us decide which were the best. Room was abit small but the bed was comfy and the kitchen was big. The whole place has an air of unfinishedness (if that's a real word) but was still a friendly quiet place to stay. Centrally located, we walked everywhere. Went to Magnetic Island from here which was lovely. Also went to the reef which was less crowded than cairns. Also went scuba diving which was fantastic. — Mark and Debs (2006-07-18) A very nice hostel, clean, good sitting areas but the spa is cold. The rooms are nice and a good size. The kitchen is very well equipped. The only disadvantage is, they don't take you to every ferry that leaves for magnetic island, only the 10am one. So in all other cases you have to take a local bus. Can be a bit of a hassle with all the luggage. The owner is a bit bossy but the woman is very nice. — Mirjam (2006-06-27) A really good all round hostel this one. The lady owner was very friendly and informative who picked me up and dropped me off again! There was free internet, good backyard, a spa and it was quite friendly. the room i was in was pretty good too. many people miss out places like Townsville but it's at these places that you tend to get the better hostels so check them out! — CARL (England) (2006-02-13) This a really nice hostel! And the owner knows so much, if you get the chance, just talk a bit to him, really informative. And that's a really good place for trips to Magnetic Island, a MUST DO! The Civic Guest House had one of the best equipped kitchens, really good! — Anke (2005-12-27) I liked this place. It has really friendly owners with lots of information and it's very clean, as in cleaned daily. There are good selections of videos to watch and I enjoyed the free barbecue on Friday. Good laundry and kitchen facilities. It's not so good if you want to stay up late and chat, as most of the stuff is closed after 10 p.m. but the owners are willing to point out clubs and bars to go to alternatively. I would recommend it. — Anonymous (2005-07-09) We stayed here for three nights and had a great stay. Everything went smoothly and the owners were really friendly, chatty and helpful. They have only had the place a short time and we didn't encounter any of the problems other people mentioned. A great place to stay!! — Jennifer (2005-04-25) I have stayed at this hostel previously and thought it was okay, but the new owners are great! They are so friendly and nothing is too much trouble. You can see Jon and Sally take great pride in the service they provide. The place was so clean!! I can't wait to come back and see what more improvements they have made. Who needs a motel when you can stay here at half the price! — Charlie (2005-03-28)