The Surf House Byron Bay

Very well situated hostel with nice and clean rooms. The curtains are a big plus as they allow for some extra privacy. The bathrooms tend to get dirty quickly, but are cleaned daily so it works out well. The kitchen is spacious and well equipped, with plenty of food storage available. Overall it is a pleasant place to stay in Byron Bay, although quite expensive for what you get.

I stayed here as a solo female traveller. My honest take: Cons I had the same issues as other reviewers: 1. Rooms are stuffy + hard to breathe = can’t sleep. Lots of people were struggling with this. Leaving rooms at night to get fresh air. 2. Concerning amounts of Mould and dust in bathrooms, making showering unpleasant. Rooms were very dirty. Especially for the price. 3. Staff seemed like they did NOT want to be there (with a couple of exceptions). 4. Extremely loud inside and outside, even with earplugs. 5. One of the most expensive hostels, not sure why Pros 1. Photos online look lovely. 2. Good music playlist in reception. 3. Some staff are friendly 4. surfboard hire, most boards are broken — given this hostel is very expensive, it doesn’t matter if you save $15 for a surfboard when you’re paying $50+ extra a night 🤓 Overall: As other reviews point out — it’s dirty, stuffy, too loud to get any sleep, and expensive. The photos online are stunning but it’s not that accurate. Do yourself a favour and book somewhere nice. Byron is a beautiful place and you want to have the chance to enjoy it. For comparison, YHA around the corner is central + clean with new bathrooms. It has a far more welcoming Byron vibe. There are also cheaper central hostels that are significantly quieter. I would stay in the centre of Byron though, getting a shuttle to and from Byron is also very inconvenient (eg WakeUp). YHA may be your best bet.

In previous Byron visits, I always passed by the property and thought it looked nice. I finally decided to stay this time and I came to find out it’s one of the original buildings in Byron, it’s really a perfect and unique property as a hostel in Byron. I was skeptical before I booked after reading some of the reviews. I can only speak for the private room and shared spaces. For starters, the staff is very friendly. Dries and Paco are specifically kind and friendly. For my room, it was like staying at a hotel! It was perfectly clean, there was no mold as others mentioned, it had a large balcony with a view and everything I needed. The common spaces were kept clean throughout the day, I always saw staff keeping the kitchen clean and the gatherings never got out of control or felt like a party hostel, which was great. There is a large main eating room with an L shaped kitchen and then connects to an outside courtyard with the sauna, two cold plunges and laundry room. I even saw them cleaning out the cold plunge. The sauna was clean, I was skeptical if it would be for a hostel. There was no smell or anything, I did it everyday! I hope it’s maintained as it is still new I believe. The main room has various sized tables, I was able to work comfortably from there. There is then a 3rd floor with more rooms and a rooftop bar with games and events. You cannot beat the location or price for what it is. As a full time nomad of 8 years and around 70 countries, I have had a lot of good and bad stays around the globe, this was definitely a top tier hostel. Give it a chance and look beyond the other reviews, I’m glad I took a chance and did. See you sometime again this year!

The place has an excellent location and the ensuite private rooms have the comfort and quality of a hotel. What really makes The Surf House so special, though, is their staff. Everyone is friendly, professional and genuinely client-oriented. During my stay, I accidentally dropped my ID inside a piece of furniture and the team jumped in to help immediately. Ryan, the manager, was incredibly supportive and hands-on, bringing tools and staying involved until the issue was solved. Special shoutout to Massimo, one of the staff members, who stood out by coming up with a creative solution that finally got my ID back. Amazing teamwork, great vibes and truly positive energy! You made the experience memorable for all the right reasons.

Hostel with good facilities: beds with curtains and a huge kitchen with everything you need. For me it felt a little bit unpersonal at times, more like a hotel than a hostel. Also the cancellation policy is not great: I tried cancelling my last night through Happy Travels about 4 days before, but they didn't agree with that, so I still paid for that night although I didn't use it. For the price of the hostel the service didn't really add up to be fair.