Refreshed our weary bodies (Barracuda Backpackers (Coffs Harbour))

Member Name: aylawarner

Product:	Barracuda Backpackers (Coffs Harbour)
Date:	28/05/09 (40 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Quiet & relaxed, big room, comfy bed, great communal areas & kitchen, 5 mins to huge shopping center

Disadvantages: Don't stay here if you're looking for a lively time, not much to do in town

Barracuda Backpackers is in the small town of Coffs Harbour along the East Coast of Australia. There really isn't very much to do in Coffs Harbour and is really just used as a stop off point when travelling between Sydney and Bryon Bay, which is why we only stayed here for one night.

The backpackers is located a short ride away from the town's main bus stop, which is where you'll most likely arrive and depart, and the hostel runs a free pick-up and drop-off service. It is in a good location with a huge shopping outlet and food centre only a short five minute walk away and Coffs Harbour's main attraction, the Big Banana, is about a fifteen minute walk away. The beaches are a little further away though giving you a good 15 minutes walk.

Even thought the hostel is quite small, due to the town not being a particularly popular one, there were not many people staying there at the same time. This was absolutely perfect for us as it made for a nice, quiet and relaxing stay in between some of the more lively towns in New South Wales and allowed us to relax and refresh our weary selves.

They offer dorms, twins and doubles and we opted for the double which cost $50 for the both of us (£25). Although this may sound a little pricey for a hostel, a six bed dorm wasn't much cheaper at about £20 for the two of us.

Our room was big and could actually accommodate three people having a bunk bed with a double bed on the bottom, but this didn't bother us. The bed was lovely and comfy and this was all that mattered. We had also had a large wardrobe and a big fridge which came in handy. Our room was facing onto the small pool outside where there was an undercover patio area with chairs, tables and a BBQ.

We had shared bathroom facilities and these reminded me slightly of swimming pool toilet and shower facilities with several cubicles, tiled floors and that echoing sound you get in them. But they were very clean and I had lots of privacy when I was in there as there were so little people staying in the hostel.

The communal area felt very homely with living room and kitchen areas, where there were three big sofas facing towards a large TV (with cable and DVDs), a pool table, a big kitchen with all the facilities that you'd need and some tables and chairs. There were also lots of travel and activity leaflets and brochures on what to do in and around Coffs Harbour. There was only one computer in the reception area which was a pain as, even though there weren't many people there, everyone wanted to use it.

The staff were friendly enough and the hostel was good but, as we only stayed there for the one night, we didn't really get a chance to get much of a feel for it. However, our room was great and it was lovely to get a bit of peace of quiet for a change so I would definitely recommend it for a one or two night stopover.

Summary: Perfect for a one or two night stopver in Coffs Harbour