Backpackers By The Bay

By far the best hostel I’ve been to ! The first day I arrived I felt like home. Amena and Marie (staff) are part of the nicest people I’ve met during my journey in Australia. There are always people outside having a chat or playing some music. Real fun to hang out there. The facilities are clean and the staff is always here to help you out if you need anything, even after they closed the reception. There’s a lot of vegetation, hammocks, pool and even a jungle gym aha. I definitely recommend this hostel !

lovely hostel! the community and vibe here are way better than other hostels in town. the two women at the front desk are very friendly and helpful.

Found it was more expensive compared to the other backpackers which are located in town. The room had not been cleaned very well and there were cigarette buts left on our table outside from the previous guests. It was stifling hot as it is going into the wet season and the aircon wouldn’t be turned on till after 6. I understand and support saving energy but it was quite disappointing. The females bathroom also seemed quite unclean as there was hair all over the shower head/walls.On a positive note however, the vibes there were good and there was lots of places to chill outside.

Great spot, 5-10min walk to the center of Airlie Beach. Common areas very clean, more of a family feel here. I didn't like that the reception had quite limited hours, though.

Stayed at back packers by the bay for 3 nights and it was great! The beds and linens are clean and comfortable. Outsiee thyere is a pool 4 hammocks and a large patio for socialising. My only concern is that the top bunk did not have railing. 9/10 experience i will return

Had a good experience here in a private room. Very homely feel to the place, bedroom was fairly clean, and the bed was super comfy.The receptionist was really sweet and made us feel at home straight away. It’s located about 10 mins walk to town so a great location.Outside and inside there are places to chill and the kitchen was well equipped. The girls bathroom was kept pretty clean and showers were nice and hot!Everyone seemed lovely but it felt a little bit hard to make friends if you’re not in a dorm room as everyone was already in groups; however this is kind of expected if you stay in a private room so I wasn’t too surprised.Only small improvement would be general cleanliness in corridors and public areas as there was quite a lot of dead insects.Overall I’d stay again for a short trip:)

In my opinion, the hostel was in desperate need of a freshen up, as it felt old, cluttered, dirty and dated.Some of the facilities noted within our room booking were not available (i.e. Safety deposit box, lockers, drying rack etc), the air-conditioning was also very loud and failed to even slightly cool the room. However, most of these above points could be easily resolved with some investment.I believe many of those staying within the hostel are long term residents, who work within the area, so I did feel at times as if I was intruding (however, this is only my view and others may not fell this way).The hostel does have an outdoor diy gym, a small swimming pool, cooking facilities, games, pool table and has nightly activities throughout the week, meaning it would be a good place for a solo traveller to meet people.

This was my first time staying in a hostel as a cheap option to hotels and a way to save money. I initially booked a shared room online but upon arrival was told I was in a double room which cost me another $300 on top of the accommodation I’d already paid. Was too tired to dispute this at arrival so I paid and sorted it out later (didn’t get my money back because of “no show” policies but what the hell. Overall my stay was great for a first time solo, I could only stay 3 nights and had to move to a more expensive hostel in town. The communal kitchen and bathrooms were kept clean and tidy despite the number of people that used them, the lady at reception was cleaning them almost every morning I went in there). My room however you could tell hadn’t been cleaned thoroughly in a while as there was dust on top of the fan and under the bed, there was also something sticky on the floor so I had to wear shoes while I was in the room. The other guests are nice and most of them long term stayers so I found it hard to talk too people as they already had a group and all that. Also if you’re looking to get a good nights sleep, even in a private room its not really going to be possible because even though there are signs to say some areas are not in use after a certain time people will still use those areas and chat quiet loudly, play guitar and sing (which was honestly a nice addition, this being a hostel it was expected).Overall it was a good stay but loses the 1.5 stars for a few mishaps, would probably stay here again if I was coming up to Airlie beach. Note on the location, its fantastic if you’re looking to travel to the Marina a fair bit but does lack when you need to go to town as it’s a 15 minute walk and hard if you have heavy luggage or shopping like I did.

One of the best hostels I've ever been to. Very friendly staff. Beautiful view. Excellent value for money.. There are some things to be improved upon, but the overall welcoming, comfortable and social atmosphere makes up for all of these aspects.