The Gold Coast is Australia's cheesy, tacky touristic counterpart to Las Vegas, and Surfers Paradise is its capital. The range of backpackers hostels on offer is almost endless, ranging from tiny shitholes to huge megaresort type places.
The Surf n' Sun Beachside Hostel probably leans closer to the shithole side, but it's so close to the beach, you almost won't care. On top of that, the people hanging out there are so cool, you really won't care.
Sure, the amenities are on the weak side. The converted motel, uh, "boasts meager", dusty rooms with passable ensuite bathrooms (separated by swinging saloon doors!), ok laundry facilities, horrible internet kiosks, and a workable kitchen. The TV lounge is surprisingly comfy and fun to hang out in, but all the action is poolside, where people who decided the beach was too long a walk (1 min away) lay in the sun, splash in the water, and drink the afternoon away. Sometimes the adorable hostel dog might join you in the pool, so be careful of the splashes if you're working on your tan.
When night falls in Surfers, everyone goes out. That's because all the hostels offer cheap backpacker deals every night, and for $5 you can get your swerve on with unlimited punch and free entry/drink tickets for one of the bigger clubs in town. This happens just about *every* night, so if you want to spare your liver, stay away from Surfers.
Recommendation: If you want nice, clean rooms with all the amenities, by all means, stay away. If you want genuinely cool, fun people to hang out and party with, this is the place. Within an hour I'd met just about everyone staying at the hostel, and a few hours later, most of us were out partying together. It made me wish I had more than one night in the Gold Coast.
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