When we first arrived in Byron Bay it was raining, and it continued to rain for the next 4 days, so it was really going to take something special to make me fall in love with the place. And that something special was Byron Beach Resort. Situated about 15-20 minutes walk from the main town, and about 150 metres from the gorgeous Belongil Beach, this place is an absolute beaut, with plenty of space, cute little rooms, hammocks and palms trees all over the place.
The resort also happens to be one of the cheapest in Byron, at only $30 per night for a bed in a dorm (4 or 6 beds) and $85 for a private. Our first room was a 4 bed dorm on the upper level and it probably wasn’t one of the nicer rooms but it was good enough, and there were two bathrooms just down the hall. Our second room was much nicer…a 6 bed dorm round the back of the property that shared a bathroom with another dorm next door. You’d think that one toilet, sink and shower between 12 people would cause some issues but somehow it always worked out pretty well…and if you’re desperate there is another bathroom just round the corner. Both rooms were clean and spacious, my only gripes being that there are no lockers in the rooms and the beds aren’t the most comfortable as they all need new mattresses, but apart from that they’re pretty excellent.
Byron Beach Resort is a really social place, with a garden and BBQ area, a large kitchen and a lounge with plenty of sofas and a wide screen tv with plenty of movies to choose from. It might benefit from a pool table or table tennis table but it does pretty well as it is now. Outside all the rooms on the ground floor are benches and hammocks, meaning that the evenings are full of people sitting around chatting and chilling, and there are often group singalongs (someone, somewhere always has a guitar)…a great way to bond with people! Right next door is a great little bar/restaurant called The Treehouse, which has live music every night, cheap(ish) food and drink, and is beautifully decorated with fairy lights.
A few other bonuses of the hostel are the cheap surf and body board hire ($20 for the day or $40 for 5 days), a few computers (you do have to pay though), a free shuttle bus to and from town throughout the day, and a brilliant system for kitchenware…you pay a $10 deposit (refunded when the set is returned) and get a full set of cutlery and crockery, meaning there’ll always be something for you to use!
I couldn’t really speak more highly of this place and if I’m ever back in Byron, I wouldn’t stay anywhere else!
Dates stayed: 14 – 22 Jan 2012
My Rating:
Overall: 92%
Atmosphere: 96%
Cleanliness: 91%
Location: 98%
Staff: 90%
Safety: 84%
Value for Money: 90%
Roo Around The World 
Great option in you want to visit Byron Bay but don’t want to stay in a hotel or hostel too far from the city centre. The rooms are clean and well decorated. We stayed at the Byron Bay Resort for two days and I would recommend it to other travellers.