YHA Airlie Beach, Whitsundays

Really decent hostel! Absolutely ideal location within walking distance to everywhere you need; bars, restaurants, the beach, marina - everything!! Kitchen was good, perhaps a bit small during busy times and lacking in bowls and chopping boards during these times. Our dorm was great and the balconies offer an extra area to chill in. Nice courtyard to chill too. Only thing I’ll say is the reception team were a little quick to charge us for a key that we didn’t even take out when we checked in. This was due to obvious miscommunication amongst them. A bit annoying given they gave us just 30 mins between the email stating we owed a key and then charging the card. It was all sorted though so nothing too bad.

So we stayed in a 6 bed mixed dorm which was spacious and good toilets/shower. It felt quite clean also, so with AC it made this a great stay. The staff were always pleasant and helpful whenever interacted with. Never really went into the social areas much but seemed most people didn’t either, only eating etc. great location and close walking distance to everything.

Location and facilities are great. The hostel is right in the centre close to the beaches, shops etc and a 5 minute walk from the greyhound bus. luggage storage opens at 6am if you arrive before reception is open. They run on limited hours so this was a good addition. The kitchen has lots of utensils and storage. Rooms are clean and beds pretty comfy. There are balconies in the dooms which is good for drying clothes and chilling, although you can hear everyone on the balconies if you are in the room so not always quiet.

This hostel has a chill and friendly vibe. The staff at are super nice and helpful. We ended up staying in a few different rooms due to flooding cancelling activities and travel. They helped us check in early when possible. The kitchen is spacious and clean. The bathrooms are shared one between two private rooms and the communal space is great.

Location is perfect and bedrooms with the ensuite bathroom are comfortable too, with a lot of space and a balcony. The air con in the dining area is also appreciated. Bad thing: the place is quite boring, especially if you're alone. There are no activities and all tables are separeted. It was the cleanest and most comfortable hostel I've been (expensive though) but not good for a solo traveler.

Arrived at 7:10am. Would be lovely if reception would be open in the morning instead of sitting around for 2 hours waiting for it to open. However when they did open, the guy on reception worked to get me checked in before 2pm which he did and is appreciated. Bag storage before/after check in is in lockers and you padlock them yourself. I personally prefer that to a storage room as I feel it’s safer. A disappointment is the pool area. It is tiny with only 2 loungers by the pool that are squeezed in at the edge and in the shade for most/all of the day. The fence is so close to the pool that you can’t use this as an outdoor space to chill unless actually in the pool. The laundry is very affordable at $4 and they have 2 drying racks/washing lines for people to dry clothes in the sun rather than using the dryers which is great. I like having an en-suit in the room but could do with the shower being separate from the rest of the room as it stops the other 7 people in the dorm using the toilet or sink when anyone is in the shower. The shower is also very small and doesn’t have a light overhead so it’s rather dark in there (makes shaving very tricky). It’s clear some people have been staying here for a long time and settled here, leaving a lot of their stuff on the sides, in the shower etc which leaves very little/ no surface space or shelving space in the bathroom/shower for others. Not sure if someone in our dorm room had to remote for the air conditioning or whether we aren’t allowed to control it but the room was very hot at night. Biggest thing for me: Really loud creaking dorm door that also slams, waking me up every time someone walks into the dorm. It was still very loud gone 10pm with people talking and using the kitchen. The beds creek very loudly every time someone moves slightly and someone’s using a hammer at 8am. I would have been better off sleeping on the beach than this hostel. If you’re going to be doing building work that will be waking people up then there should be a sign or notice given about this. I wouldn’t have stayed here had I known and will certainly not be staying here again. If you want to get any sleep, avoid this hostel.