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HOTEL STYLE
Quirky Hotels
Budget
Languages Spoken
English, Italian
Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Pool
Vending machine
Bicycle rental
Darts
Airport transportation
BBQ facilities
Parking
Wifi
Outdoor pool
Shuttle bus service
Baggage storage
Non-smoking hotel
Shared kitchen
Shared lounge / TV area
24-hour check-in
Express check-in / check-out
Laundry service
Self-serve laundry
Room features
Air conditioning
Housekeeping
Separate dining area
Separate living room
Kitchenette
Room types
Non-smoking rooms
Family rooms
Location
207 Sheridan St, Cairns, Queensland 4870 Australia
Castaways Backpackers
305 reviews
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
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Castaway's Backpackers is a nice family owned hostel in Cairns. the staff is very friendly and helpful. My single room was quite big for one person - it contained a single bed, an overhead fan (very useful!), a coin operated aircon (which I never used), a small fridge (also very useful), a shelf, a desk and a plastic chair. The room, the bed sheets and the showers were always clean - no bedbugs etc... It took me about 20 - 30 minutes to walk from the hostel to the city centre but there are also buses. I liked that it isn't one of those noisy party hostels! Another plus: they pick you up from the airport for free! There is also a small pool - but it's a very very small pool! ->summing up: +clean +quiet but not too quiet +friendly stuff +free pick up service +city centre in walking distance
- very very slow internet computers (you can go on the internet for free but it takes ages to load a site, so I preferred to pay for an internet cafe with fast internet!)
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Date of stay: October 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
First, the positives... 1. It's clean. 2. They provide a ride from the airport. And they provide occasional lifts into town. 3. It has a nice open kitchen, and several bathrooms in the main unit. 4. It's quiet.
Now, the negatives. 1. Not enough working bicycles. I wouldn't have stayed this far out of town, but not for the promise of free bicycles. Yet, when we arrived, they only had one working bike... and it was in horrible shape. I'm not sure I would have used it even if I had the opportunity. They need to either fix the bikes or stop advertising them on their site. 2. It's WAY out of town. It's a good hike into town. Next time, I'd choose a place closer to the restaurants. 3. The staff was fairly pleasant... but they screwed up our reservations. After booking a certain tour, we were entitled to a "free night's stay." They refused to give us this "free night" before our tour. After we returned, they had screwed up the reservation and thus had no room for us. UGHH! 4. The internet is SLOW! If the two available computers were any slower they'd be going backwards. 5. The pool is a tad bigger than a bathtub. 6. It's not very close to many restaurants. (though there is a small grocery store nearby.)
All in all, this place could be much better, but for the price we paid, it didn't come close to meeting our expectations. We'll go elsewhere next time.
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Date of stay: June 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We stayed here in the van site for one night. It's okay for one night, I wouldn't stay longer. Amenities are pretty dirty. Some of the tenants started playing music at 04:30am in the rec area. Did feel like things would get stolen.
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Date of stay: June 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Recommended by our friends we (my partner and I) checked in without hesitation and we were not disappointed. We had initially planned to stay in Cairns only for a few days but we enjoyed Castaways that much we stayed for 2 weeks (reluctant to leave when we did).
The owner made you feel immediately at home, as did the staff. They took the time to get to know you and were very helpful and accommodating - you felt like you were staying with friends within a matter of minutes.
The facilities are good. We stayed in one of the private rooms with bathrooms within close reach. The bed was comfy, the room was clean - I like having my own space and I found there was ample space in the room as well as throughout the hostel.
Want some quiet time? No problem. Want to socialise? No problem; pick and choose the environment you want as you want. I especially respect their rule of ‘quiet after 10:30pm’.
They also provide loads of information on local tours/activities. My partner and I went on a trip to Cape Tribulation with the hostel; it was like a lovely family day out! On the way we saw crocodiles and ate ice cream (they even brought along sandwiches and drinks).
If you are looking for home away from home; this is the place to stay.
Thank you so much Castaway’s!
(We will be back in 2021 when we return from New Zealand!)
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Date of stay: September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from KieranHut, Owner at Castaways Backpackers
Responded 10 Oct 2019
Thank you for the lovely review. I'm glad to hear you and your partner enjoyed your time with us. I wish you happy travels and hope to see you again.
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We arrived in Cairns with the intent to just stay for a couple of nights and then make our way south. We ended up staying in this hostel for 2 weeks! My girlfriend and I absolutely fell in love with it, it’s so relaxed and everyone is so friendly! They also have a hostel dog (bonus points)
Castaways has loads of information on what to do in Cairns. We went on a trip with the hostel to see some crocodiles up in the Daintree Rainforest, they drove us, brought sandwiches and drinks and we stopped at a ice cream place. It’s literally like staying and hanging out with one big cool family at this place, from the moment we arrived we felt like we were part of it!
It’s really good for couples since there’s double room options, there’s a pool table, games room, cinema room, 2 kitchens, hammocks, a pool and heaps of toilets / shower rooms that are all cleaned daily. It’s lovely to walk across to the esplanade and walking into town that way, don’t worry, if you’re lazy they provide a shuttle bus for you!
I highly recommend this Castaways, it’s my home away from home and I will be back!
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Date of stay: September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from KieranHut, Owner at Castaways Backpackers
Responded 10 Oct 2019
Hi Jordan, I'm glad you felt apart of the Castaways family during your stay and thank you for taking the time to give us such a nice review. We all wish you the very best with your future travels. Kind Regards, The Castaways Family
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It was the cheapest accomodation available that night.if i had known how bot that great it was i would have booked some place else. The location is not great, it wasn"t really clean, the kitchen was a mess and the showers were not numerous. The pillows were brown and moldy, same for the matresses At least the front desk clerk from Argentina was really nice an knowledgeable about the area.
Pay the extra 4 or 5 $ and stay at a place a bit nicer, that's my opinion. 4/10 wouln't recommend.
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Date of stay: September 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from KieranHut, Owner at Castaways Backpackers
Responded 3 Oct 2019
Hi, Thank you for you time to write a review. I'm disappointed to hear you didn't enjoy your stay. We try to make it clear of our location and offer the shuttle for who ever wishes not to walk. I am surprised to hear about the mattresses and pillows since we completely replaced the lot only just over a year ago now as it's important for our guests to have a clean, safe and comfortable sleep. We do clean each of the areas daily however sometimes after we clean it can become dirty from other people using the area. If at anytime you think an area is unaccetable and needs attention we appreicate being told then so we can attend to the matter straight away instead of hearing about it in a review weeks later, wish we could have helped during you stay. Happy Travels.
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Had a lovely time at castawya backpackers. The owner was suoer friendly as well as very helpful. The hostel was also very affordable, which makes it perfect for anyone on a low budget. Would always recommend.
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Date of stay: June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from KieranHut, Owner at Castaways Backpackers
Responded 3 Oct 2019
Thank you for the review and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your time with us.
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from KieranHut, Owner at Castaways Backpackers
Responded 3 Oct 2019
Thank you for the review, Safe van travels
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I was gutted that I couldn't stay here longer. Castaways Backpackers really felt like a home away from home, which is such a nice feeling after going from hostel to hostel all the time. Every wednesday Wayne takes everyone from the hostel on a night out. The atmosphere was so nice. He even recommended a homestay place in Denpasar, Bali where I'm staying now. I would come back in a heartbeat. This hostel is a place with heart and soul and that's unfortunately not very common anymore. Let's cherish it and let's all go there! Thanks Wayne for running such a wonderful place.
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Date of stay: June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from KieranHut, Owner at Castaways Backpackers
Responded 3 Oct 2019
Thank you for the kind review Amber, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed your stay with us and I'm sorry it has to end. If you do come back please reach on to us directly. Hope you enjoyed your time in Bali. Safe travels
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Stayed over 7 months in this hostel and it was awesome. Clean, no bunkbeds, fridge in the room, nice people! Made many friends here and it felt like home instead of a hostel. Perfect if you want to stay longer. It´s got everything you need and more. Solid cinema room with free netflix, swimmingpool, 2 kitchens, 5 bathrooms, airco, and most importantly free full size pool table! Definitely highly recommended, thanks for everything Wayne!
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Date of stay: June 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from KieranHut, Owner at Castaways Backpackers
Responded 3 Oct 2019
Thank you for the review and I'm glad to hear you enjoyed all our facilities. Hope to see you again some day. Safe Travels
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I believe it runs every hour from around 9 am-7pm, but when they aren't busy they'll take you at any time! And they will pick you up at a central location if you ask them too.
Hi There,
Our last shuttle run is at 6:45pm and reception closes at 7pm, You will receive an email explaining how to find your key when you arrive at the hostel and the free CBD shuttle service doesn't start until 8am. If you have any further questions please don't hesitate to email or phone us. We are looking forward to meeting you. Thanks Kieran.
There are more places to choose from in the Cairns area.
LOCATION
AustraliaQueenslandCairns RegionCairns
NUMBER OF ROOMS
24
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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