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World on a Shoestring A beginnger's guide to traveling around the world...as written by beginners...

DO NOT STAY AT MAGNUM'S

AUSTRALIA | Sunday, 8 April 2007 | Views [3706] | Comments [3]

For any of you backpackers out there that may be reading this be warned:  MAGNUM'S IN AIRLIE BEACH IS THE WORST HOSTEL WE'VE EVER STAYED AT.  

In hindsight, I suppose we should have seen it coming when, at 6:30 in the morning, after our bus driver had stranded everyone on the bus at a closed Greyhound station (don't even get me started on this), in chatting with other bus riders, we told someone where we were staying and his reaction actually registered on the Australian Richter Scale.  He regaled us internationally known stories of their bed bugs.  Though a bit concerned, we nonetheless arrived and checked in.  We typically don’t room with dead and live cockroaches, but this time we were, I suppose, willing to overlook our unwanted dorm-guests.  Upon visiting the kitchen, we were not sure what to be more appalled at:  the fact that kitchen had one dirty refrigerator, or the fact that the girls sitting at the only table in the kitchen were merely killing time until they were through washing all of their belongings because they had gotten bed bugs from the hostel.

Let’s focus first on the kitchen:  the size of a large bathroom, I’ve seen better outfitted kitchens on episodes of “Gilligan’s Island”.  No stove, no range, sometimes a toaster, one table, a dirty fridge, no pots and little utensils.  Anticipating the exasperation of incoming backpackers, there’s a small note taped to the wall that states that their kitchen is no different than most hostels’ kitchens (a lie) and is not intended for regular meal prep, but only supposed to be used as a breakfast kitchen; should you want full meals other than breakfast, the hostel’s bar and restaurant offers a wide array of meals.  Brilliant.  Even more brilliant?  This self proclaimed “breakfast kitchen” is closed from 8 to 9 am every morning, which, I believe, is breakfast time.  

And to top it all off, if you do hire a bed for the night, it comes with only a sheet; to hire a top sheet, blanket, or pillow comes at an additional cost.

Needless to say, Gen and I opted to camp.

Tags: I should have known better!

Comments

1

I LOVED Magnums @ Airlie Beach.

I went in 2010 while I was travelling all through Queensland. I stayed there twice (once going north and then when I was coming back from Cairns).

In a nutshell - I never experienced any bed bugs at all. The rooms were nice and clean + every night was a party.

Magnums is a unique hostel because they have a rainforest kind of theme going - which was pretty cool.

The rooms had a mini frige, powerful fans and a nice laid back party vipe.

Maybe there was bed bugs in 2008 when this person wrote this comment. But from my experience - Magnums is my favorite hostel I've ever been to.

  Sam Anderson Mar 22, 2010 2:46 PM

2

I stayed at this hostel - a few years ago now. Actually I thought it was pretty cool - in terms of the layout and everything, but the major problem for me was SECURITY. There were always these creepy drunk local guys hanging around the hostel (always making comments at the girls), and no security to enforce anything. On my first night there a guy broke into my dorm by climbing a tree onto our balcony and though the sliding door. He threatened to kill everyone - essentially a fight broke out in the dorm to get him out, which went on all night. This was a local guy who was just hanging around the hostel, he had other friends outside and the whole night they were yelling and screaming and fighting. When I left the dorm at 8 am they were still outside and I was terrified, the guy told me "good thing you didn't come out here earlier princess, or I would have......." uhhh anyway basically threatened to rape me while his friends laughed. I was scared and disgusted. I went straight to the front desk and told them what happened. And they said, "well you should have called security if you had a problem". I don't think I would have been safe jumping out of my bunk bed to check security's number on the back of the door in the room, and start making a call (also - travelling - no working cell phone) -- while there is a crazy man threatening to kill and rape. I just don't understand why nobody - no security intervened - I am sure they could hear the the commotion and screaming. But NOBODY came.

  Alena Aug 13, 2012 12:35 AM

3

My girlfriend was drugged by a bartender and raped. She woke up the next morning and had no idea what happened. She has never been the same and has panic attacks because of this.

  Dylan Jul 24, 2018 1:19 PM

 

 

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