This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel.
Surfers Paradise is a happening city along the gorgeous and always sunny Gold Coast in Southern Queensland. This is where you want to stay for the easiest access to everything the Gold Coast has to offer. Surfers (as the locals call it) is a paradise for anyone who loves to shop, surf, or just have a fun night out. There are many great shopping streets just back from the beach where you can buy a cheap souvenir, buy some duty free goods, or buy some Aussie beach fashion.
If surfing is your scene, then the beach at Surfers is the place to go as there is always some wave action going on here and plenty of places to rent a board. Or if you just prefer to lie on the beach, then you have kilometers of never ending beach to choose from. Surfers Paradise is also a city with some great food and nightlife so after a hard day at the beach then you can explore the city and find something to suit everyone's tastes.
And don't just stay in Surfers Paradise all day, because with great transport links to the rest of the Gold Coast, it's easy to explore what the rest of the Gold Coast has to offer. If you like theme parks, then you can catch a bus out to Dreamworld, Wet n Wild Water Park, Movie World, or Sea World, and enjoy some of the world's best rides. Or if you want to get out into the Rainforest then you have the Lamington National Park, which is a great day trip. Or if you just want to go to a quieter beach then you can head North or South depending on your mood.
Surfers Paradise hostels offer something for everyone. Many of them are in town or within a few blocks of town and the beach. Or you can choose to stay a little bit further out, like at Southport and Main Beach, where it is much quieter but still reasonably close to all Transport links and to Surfers Paradise.
Most Surfers Paradise hostels have a bar or offer pub crawls so there is no shortage of opportunities to meet people. A lot of the hostels also have pools for when you are not hitting the surf. Some are even part of larger resorts so you get to use all the resort facilities including Tennis Courts and Spa/Sauna. Some also offer Pickup from the Transit Centre.
Surfers Paradise does get busy all year round because of its warm, sunny climate, so do book your hostel ahead. And there are many special events that leave the town booked out, such as in October when the V8 Supercars speed through the streets or in November when Australia's 18 year-olds all head to Schoolies for their end of high school party.
Written by local expertz for Surfers Paradise
Keppers
