Arts Factory Lodge

Beautiful hostel with a lot of activities going on. Located pretty close to the center of Byron in a very peaceful environment. Service was perfect. We extended our stay several times and Lies was very helpful with this and gave us a lot of advice about things to do and see around here.

An experience!If you’re not a hippy you will feel like you stand out here. A good 95% of the people that stay here (some live there for long periods of time too) are very hippy. However, everyone I met there was lovely, not a single bad vibe and I actually made a lot of lovely friends there despite my initial shock/ concern that I didn’t belong there. It wasn’t until my 3/4th day there that I started to feel a part of it, but once I left I actually missed it!The hostel:The common areas were great, loads of space both inside and outside which become ‘quiet areas’ past 10pm but never close which is real positive imo. Everyone uses the common areas making a great atmosphere in the evenings.Swimming pool was kept clean.Beach volleyball court being used loads and is lit so people play into the evening and it’s really easy to join in.I got a good night sleep every night in the hostel rooms.The tee-pee rooms are also pretty cool with the bunk beds made of wooden posts but as you can imagine they do get cold at night in autumn / winter.Now the downfalls…Wi-Fi doesn’t work even when connected to it. Kitchen was very overcrowded, fridges completely overfilled with things regularly being moved/ squashed etc. I get this place is more at one with nature but Bush Turkeys in the kitchen is unhygienic.If you go for a shower in a ‘rush hour’ then you’ll find yourself queuing, both in the upstairs and downstairs bathrooms and when you do get a turn, the water trickles out as all the water pressure is being used by others making it impossible to shower. This only happened to me once during my stay but just basics that should be improved.Laundry machines cost $7 for a wash!The only other thing which is probably out of the hostels control but there are stretches of the road to get to the hostel with no lighting at all which is really unpleasant and dangerous when people are walking to/from the hostel at night.Despite these things, I have to say that I did enjoy my stay here mainly for the sense of community and friends I made here and always had things going on in the evenings to keep entertained.

I cannot recommend this place enough, I enjoyed every moment of my stay here. I initially booked for a week and ended up staying several months. The staff are incredibly kind and accomodating. There is an amazing social vibe, everyone is really friendly and you really feel like you're stepping into a wonderful community. I came here as a solo traveler and really found it was difficult to do anything on my own! There's always a welcoming game of volleyball happening that you can join in on or people playing music in the sun. There are lots of water dragons and bush turkeys abound! It's close to town but far enough that you feel hidden from the world. The facilities are clean, and the showers are amazing! It is by far my favorite hostel I have stayed at - quite an experience within itself. You will not regret coming here.

This is an amazing hostel, everyone was really friendly here and it was nice to see such a good community of strangers. It has a pool, a cafe, pool table and a volleyball net, that’s just the beginning. The showers and toilets were well maintained and there seemed to be a bunch of available sporting equipment. There was a lovely view of the swamp ish terrain in a cute gazebo. Will definitely be looking to book again!The room was nice and clean, we were the first ones to check in our room and by the looks of it they may check in casual stay and long term stay separate which as a long term nomad I really enjoyed seeing. Everything was available and close, there was so much you could do…it really felt like a freeing holiday:)

Nice chilled vibe at the hostel. However, it could have been a bit cleaner. The toilets/showers downstairs being closed for cleaning at around 9am when everyone needs to get ready is a bit inconvenient. The private room with a fan was unbearable hot to sleep in as the fan is on the wall nowhere near the bed. Having a fan actually on the bed would make world's of difference. It was nice that there was a fridge in the room and the pool was nice.

A massive thank you to Andrea for looking after myself and my cousin Rachel. Our stay was booked through Happy Travels and we were in a 6 bed dorm, our friend had to go home because of a family emergency so it’s been a tough few days. We asked if we could pay extra to get a private room, she was so kind and really helped us. Thank you so much Andrea. This hostel is in a great location and has a good atmosphere.

Great hostel! The talent show was such a creative way to see emerging talent but to also meet new people. They have awesome activities like bracelet making, yoga and bush walks. Highly recommend staying here - easy walk into town and the staff are sensational.