Surfer’s Paradise… Or Hellhole?

Allow me to introduce you to my least favorite city in Oz… the deceptively named Surfer’s Paradise.

My friend Emma warned me that Surfer’s Paradise is like Miami Beach. It’s a place where girls get boob jobs for their 16th birthdays. And it’s party central for travelers.

But I’m passing through for one night between Byron Bay and Brisbane, so it seems harmless to spend 16 hours in town and get a taste of this so-called ‘paradise’ before moving on. Right? Wrong.

I arrive to cloudy, rainy weather. That’s fine, maybe it will clear by morning.

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That night was the worst of my trip. I stayed at a hostel called Backpackers In Paradise. The rooms are gross; I saw two of them. I switched to a different one after the first room didn’t have ladders to the top bunk beds… how was I supposed to get up there? The bathrooms in both rooms lacked curtains so the property next door has a bird’s eye view of the shower. The second room I shared with a group of girls, one of whom brought a guy back around 1am for a romp. I emailed management in the middle of the night hoping they’d knock on the door to check out the situation once reception opened in the morning, but they never did. You’d think they’d be concerned about an extra (non-paying) person sneaking into one of their rooms. I couldn’t wait to leave. I finally heard back from management the next day and they accused ME of not doing enough (i.e. contacting the night manager — I had no idea that was an option at the time) and for unreasonably requesting a refund for the worst night in any hostel during my six months of traveling. Avoid, avoid, avoid!!

Despite the terrible night, I woke up to sunshine. At least the beach is pretty?

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This face reflects my feelings about Surfer’s Paradise.

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Okay, fine, the beach has won me over. Here’s a smile.

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Traveling up the east coast of Australia (Byron Bay to Cairns) is a very popular tourist route. I’d suggest skipping Surfer’s Paradise entirely unless you are really into the party scene. There are prettier beaches north and south of this area so you’re not missing much. In hindsight, I wish I’d taken my friend Emma’s advice and gone straight from Byron Bay to Brisbane. This was a waste of a night.

On the plus side, Brisbane TOTALLY makes up for my unfortunate time in Surfer’s Paradise. Tomorrow I’ll share the epic city tour I joined and the fabulous friends I met there.

6 thoughts on “Surfer’s Paradise… Or Hellhole?

  1. Surfer’s Paradise is also my least favourite part of Australia visited so far and I also stayed at Backpackers in Paradise and also shared a room with a romping couple at 1am… perhaps there’s a pattern here.

    Seriously what an awful hostel that is. Luckily I was only there a night.

    Love your blog btw, very much enjoyed reading about your east coast adventures – brings all mine back – and travels elsewhere. Have been getting some inspiration for the next leg of my trip.

    • Kat, I am sorry you had a similar shitty experience in Surfer’s Paradise and at Backpackers in Paradise, no less — ugh I could not stand that place! I left a bad review on Trip Advisor but it was taken down right away (that also ticked me off). Oh well. Thanks for your kind words about my blog and east coast adventures. I loved traveling there. Good luck planning your next adventure!

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