Byron Bay Rainforest Resort

The owners are back in charge now after a babybreak, so the previous "managers" are gone. Murray (owner) and David (manager) are friendly and helpful without being pushy. I found the cabin we stayed in roomy, clean, and tidy, the reverse cycle aircon was as welcome for chilly nifghts as I'm sure it will be for hot summer days! The bathroom was clean and roomy, (thanks to design for wheelchairs I think), the shower hot, and the best absorbent bath towels I've ever come across, not the fluffiest -- but mine sure dried me fast! The "dorm" style accommodation has been converted back to self contained motel style rooms with private bathrooms, and the share facilities are no more, except for a small meeting room for up to fifteen people or so. It was a bit chilly for the swimming pools at this time of year, but they looked inviting for more hardy souls! The resort overall was in good shape, and it was great to just hang around on the sofa in the enclosed verandah, sipping coffee and tea (provided), and catching up on local news, while the brush turkeys roamed around the place.

STAY AWAY! This was by far the worst experience I had in months of traveling. In fact, it was so bad that I left before the end my pre-paid reservations without refund and spent the rest of my budget buying a one-way ticket home! Overall the place is dirty, spider infested, lacks any locks or doors (mostly just linens hanging from the ceiling to seperate rooms, which is pointless because you have to walk through 2-3 rooms just to get to yours). Night one: met some questionable characters and woke up with a fairly large snake in the rafters above my head. The staff assured my it was just a python and nothing to be concerned with, but they did let me move to another room. Day two: noticed considerable amounts of rodent droppings in kitchen doors. Also noticed that housekeeping is very, very poor. Day three: my food was consummed by rats or other large rodents on exposed shelf. Do I really need to go on?

Folks, lets get real here. You are here in Australia travelling on a budget and expecting 5 star service. Since leaving Ireland to travel four years ago I have stayed in many hostels and retreats. I have come to learn that "backpackers" are a different breed from what they were a few years ago. I currently work in a backpacker accommodation in Sydney, providing what I think are good budget accommodations, albeit in old inner west Sydney terrace houses. Ultimately I feel that I provide atmosphere, and an experience that cannot alternatively be provided on a young traveler's budget. So guys, realize that this is not the Bougainvillea-serviced apartments in Palma or Club Med. Don't complain about the time it takes to walk to town when you choose to stay in a "retreat" or about a free service such as a complimentary bus service. Backpacker accommodation or hostels are run on a budget for budget conscious travelers, who are more concerned with experiencing the land and countries visited, not on how many times their room was cleaned.

I just couldn't think of anything to recommend this place. It's ages away from town (there is a sporadic bus but otherwise is a good hours walk). The "staff" were mostly rude to us or off their faces. There are NO LOCKS on the doors and no lockers to put your stuff in, so you literally have to carry all your money, tickets etc. around with you the whole time. We met some cool people, which was the only thing that made it good for us. It's never very clean and there are only two main bathrooms for everyone, which have a shower and a toilet. So if you need the loo and there are people in the showers, then you have a long wait!! The kitchen is mall and full of ants. We only stayed here because it was free, as part of our package deal. There are loads of nicer places in Byron!!

I am so sad that there is no zero star to rate this hostel. It was the worst experience in my whole time in Australia. Not clean. Unfriendly. The shuttle bus is not really in service.

I thought that the staff were too laid-back and the cleaners rarely came to our room. The town center was too far away to think about walking to, and the shuttle bus was often late.

I recently stayed at Rainforest Resort and would recommend people stay away from it. On my first night I was taking a shower only to discover a used condom in there with me! It was also hard to figure who was actually working there; the atmosphere was extremely "laid back." I suppose the hostel's not far from Nimbin!

I found that the staff were very unfriendly!! I didn't like it very much.

This backpacker lodge has a magical charm that's different from any other place on the East Coast. It is close to a seven-mile beach, and the staff and guests maintain a peaceful and friendly atmosphere that's second to none. The setting is beautiful: a hot tub in a rainforest. Who could ask for more?

This hostel is quite a way from the main town, and the free shuttle is sporadically every hour (we once waited an hour and a half for one), though this does make it a quiet retreat. However, it is not very clean. The rooms rarely see a cleaner, including the bathroom and the kitchen. There are only 2 bathrooms and toilets for around 34 people. The internet was down and the pay phone was out of service. It was not the "rainforest retreat" I was looking for.