New South Wales, near Brisbane, Port Macquarie Backpackers

Port Macquarie Backpackers, Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia: What a fantastic hostel.

We arrived at Port Macquarie only intending to stay for one night on our way up the coast but it was such a nice hostel that we, like many others, ended up staying for almost a week!

On arrival at the bus stop we were greeted by several hostel owners trying to persuade us to choose them. We decided to go with Port Macquarie backpackers because of the laundry facility (Having been travelling for a while we needed to do some washing) and of course the swimming pool. The friendly manager loaded up our bags into the mini bus and gave us a quick tour around the town before taking us to the hostel.

On arrival at the hostel we were pleasantly surprised as it was the cleanest hostel we had seen so far on our trip. The rooms were nicely decorated and there was a choice of rooms available from double to mixed dorms and the bathroom facilities also exceeded expectations with scented toilet roll as a nice little added extra. The swimming pool, not too small was very clean and filled with inflatable toys and if you're into riding the waves the hostel has boogie boards that are free to use.

Although there is not much to do in the town at night (I think there was one club) the hostel provided a range of activities from pizza and barbecue nights to midnight swimming to relieve sunburn! We spent most of our nights sat on the veranda with a bottle of wine and played cards, or in the hammock listening to music.

We paid AUD $22 a night for a bed in a dorm room and it was excellent value for money. (Double rooms are more expensive of course) There is also an internet facility which is cheaper than the internet cafes in the town. Kitchen facilities are free to use which is very useful if you wish to save money by preparing your own meals and the manager will even drop you off at the supermarket so you can do your shopping.

The hostel provides a very relaxing and homely atmosphere and the service provided by the manager was fantastic, he was always on hand to give advice about destinations and attractions and he even booked day trips for us such as a camel ride on the beach. The service is first class and the manager will do anything possible to make your stay enjoyable. He even made a Tiramisu for the guests during our stay. I would definitely recommend this hostel and if you're interested then I advise you to book in advance as the hostel is only small and rooms get booked up quickly, especially in peak months (Dec, Jan).