Tsulu Luxury Backpackers

Pacific Harbour's Tsulu Bunkhouse & Apartments is quirky and fun. This brightly painted, A-framed building is about the first thing you notice when you arrive in town. Nestled among the conglomeration of shops and eateries that make up the Arts Village, entrance is via a thatch-roofed covered walkway over a lily-padded pond.

All lodgings at Tsulu are up a flight of stairs (no disabled access) and branch off a large balcony where breakfast is served. This meal is included in the tariff and a simple fare of fruit, cereal, tea, and coffee. If fruit is running low, staff will happily chop more. Two doors lead from this area -- one into dormitory style rooms, the other down a hallway which houses four apartments.

The rooms in the dormitory area are lovely and clean and the beds comfortable. There is a massive dormitory room furnished with plentiful bunk beds and lockers. Smaller rooms of two to three bunks encircle the common room. This central share room has a couple of lounge seats and a table and chairs. It is all very inviting, even if the décor is a little tacky and funny (island-themed murals adorning the walls). It has a few fancy extras -- a giant screen television and an electronic massage chair. The bathroom is fabulously modern and sparkling clean and it has an abundance of shower and toilet cubicles -- it is doubtful anyone would ever have to queue. There is a long vanity bench with basins and mirrors that runs the length of the bathroom.

The accommodations were converted from dormitories into apartments in April 2006, but they look a little old and shabby (despite being newly renovated). One apartment's bath has no plug so it cannot be used, although there is a shower (even if the shower rose does fall off occasionally). Another apartment's table cannot be used as if you put anything on it, the top falls off, which kind of defeats the purpose of self-catering if you can't dine on the table. On the bright side they all smell antiseptically clean and the décor is amusingly zany. Named Waterfall, Sunset, Jungle, and Ocean, they are decorated in appropriate themes. It is hard not to laugh when you walk in. The apartments that have more than one bedroom all have lockable doors. You can either book the entire apartment or book a room with access to shared facilities -- lounge room, kitchen, and bathroom. One apartment has its own balcony and two others have doors opening up to a shared balcony.

The pleasant verandah spot overlooks beautiful gardens and the establishment's highlight - the amazing pool. It has a giant tiki head with water spraying nostrils and a bench seat inside mouth (inside of which is a cold water spa). There is a swim up bar (the other side of the bar is a walk up one). Climbing inside the Tiki head is a fantastic corkscrew water slide. The entire pool is surrounded in sand with a volleyball court and tables and chairs under a sail's shade. Delicious bar snacks and meals are available. Next to pool is the wonderful ‘hot pot' spa. This gorgeously warm spa is inside a huge mock cooking pot and surrounded by stunning shrubbery. The bar does blast out some pretty good and up to date music.

Every conceivable thing a traveler could want is just a short stroll away. You can get good coffee and reasonably priced wine. There is a well-stocked supermarket. There are Internet and telephone services as well as a gym that is free for guests to use. There is a laundromat -- they will wash, dry and fold your clothes.

Tsulu has a very relaxed atmosphere and the staff are pretty nonchalant. They are not forthcoming with information but of course will happily oblige if you approach them. Tsulu is a little eccentric but you cannot beat the at-hand facilities and it has the set-up potential for a really great party place.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
October 2006