Backpackers in Paradise 40 Peninsular Drive, Surfers Paradise, Queensland 4217

"This hostel had a great vibe, loads of common area, sweet pool and bar. Great location close to the beach, lots of bars, restaurants etc in the heart of Surfer’s Paradise. The staff were super friendly and helpful. They have trivia night, karaoke, movie nights etc. Good energy all around, I had a blast"

"I’ll start with the good: Exactly what you think of when you think “backpackers”. 20min walk to the beach or 5mins to Woolworths. If you’re looking for the traditional 2000’s hostel experience this is the place for you. Now on to the bad: Despite not having a check in time listed anywhere on their website or in any of the confirmation emails, checkin is very firmly after 2pm. Plan ahead accordingly. On arrival no one was at the bar or reception so after waiting 5mins I had to call the phone line before someone wandered down to reception to see me. Staff fish for reviews and Ana told me to give them 5 stars for a discounted drink. I can also see her review further down, which makes me wonder if anything above two stars is genuine. Other guests are drunk or stoned majority of the time, and pot was being passed around after 10pm by some male guests like it was candy. These male guests were making lewd comments at other female guests who were clearly extremely uncomfortable. As a queer man I felt unsafe in my own country most of the time I was in the common areas. Don’t stay in a dorm unless you have enough friends to book out the entire room, as the kind of people this place attracts is worrying. The advertised social group outings and tours do not happen anymore either. The inability to book a dorm as an Australian National is in direct breach of QLD’s Anti-Discrimination Act 1991. Overall and despite the above I still don’t think it was truly as awful as it could have been; for the price point it’s hard to complain. I just wish they leaned in to being grubby and dingy rather than pretending to be something they’re not. If I found myself in Surfers again but had no cash and no where else to stay I’d definitely consider sleeping in a park first, followed closely second by staying here."

"I first checked into this hostel in May and stayed for a few weeks, rooms are good and staff are always helpful and friendly. After leaving for a couple of months to work elsewhere I came back for one night to see some of the friends I made when I was here and have ended up staying. Very good social environment and perfect location - just a short walk to any amenities that you may need!"

"I made a 5 star review to receive a free beer. I have had my free beer and will now give you the actual run down lmao. Place is pretty filthy, weird vibe. I’d consider this a “dive bar hostel”. They did have a pool table and could blast music while playing so that’s why I gave two stars. Other than that… yikes"

"Bed was so uncomfortable that it hurt my back. Room was less, hole in wall and needs to be badly renovated. Bathroom needs to be renovated. Noisy and can hear everything. The only good thing about it was the location. But bad experience overall."