YHA Coolangatta

This is a depressing, unattractive hostel. The common areas are tatty and ugly and the pool area is ugly too, with peeling paint and sad looking plants. Beware THERE IS NO AIR CONDITIONING and the louvres don’t close - so it’s unbearably hot in summer and I assume it’s freezing in winter. Everything looks old and dirty. I never saw the bathroom looking clean. The kitchen was full of flies. The rooms are like jail cells with nothing appealing or comfortable. The only power points are inside cupboards so bring an extension lead. The bunks don’t have curtains and our room didn’t have a mirror and there was a light shade missing. The two fans were caked in dust and looked snout 50 years old. The door didn’t close properly unless you pushed it closed - so bad security. This hostel is NOT in Coolangatta - that’s 3 kms away. There are no nearby shops and the only nearby place to buy a meal seemed to be junk food in the airport which is next door. Luckily bus stops and the beach are close you can escape this concrete-block nightmare. The staff members were lovely and it was quieter than I expected. That’s the only good things I can think of. Nobody was friendly but maybe they were all as miserable here as we were. STAY AWAY.

Perfectly functional hostel, consistent with the price you pay. Rooms are basic but fit for purpose and the bathrooms are pretty nice. Communal areas were good (inc. pool and kitchen areas etc). We didn’t fully appreciate how far out of Coolangatta the hostel was and that it is situated between a main highway and the airport car park - not a criticism as this might be useful for some, but worth noting. Buses to town were not as easy as suggested elsewhere. We were booked to stay for two nights, as part of a wider trip, where we had stayed at lots of hostels down the east coast. Staff service was good and we had no issues with check in. We had booked a mixed dorm. Unfortunately, it became clear that despite the name, no other occupant in our room would be classified as a ‘youth’ and in fact were clearly long term occupants of questionable character. The atmosphere was on edge and it was clear that there was friction between the occupants. Both my girlfriend and I felt very uncomfortable and were questioning whether or not to stay the night. It was when one ‘room mate’ started to act as though he was under the influence or something more than just alcohol (…) that we no longer felt safe (noting that this was 2pm in the afternoon and perhaps an indication of what was to follow). Frankly, we would not have felt safe staying in this room overnight and clearly there have been issues between the other occupants. At our own cost, we checked out and found alternate accommodation. Overall, the hostel itself presents well and the staff were good. Had we stayed in a different room, our experience may have been different, but clearly the ‘Youth Hostel’ has opened up to longer term occupants who are looking for cheap accommodation (and in this case to take drugs, day drink and walk around the room muttering to themselves). I would not have felt safe staying in that room myself and would not recommend that anyone else does either - a safe environment should be a given when staying at a YHA property, not a possibility. Stricter screening should be undertaken to prevent others from being put in these situations. Disappointing experience and a poor reflection of a reputable brand.