111 Davidson Street, Port Douglas Tel (07) 4099 6200 or 1800 996 200 Websitewww.dougies.com.au
BUG review
Dougie's is a great place to stay in Port Douglas. It is near the beach and not far from town. The air-conditioned dorms are set in large sturdy cabins in tropical gardens and have a relaxing atmosphere. It is very clean. The kitchen is part of the central common area, which has wide spaces and soft lighting, wooden beams and plenty of games and activities, including an internet room upstairs. There is a jukebox, plush seating and a large TV plus an outside bar and swimming pool with hammocks and a barbecue area. Management are pleasant and helpful and they offer guests free barbecues on Tuesdays and free pickup from Cairns on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays.
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Price Dorm bed $26 ($25 HI/YHA, Nomads, photo from home) Bed in a stylie (dorm tent) $23 Double/twin room $68 Camping $14 per person Prices are in Australian dollars and are inclusive of all taxes.
Credit cards MasterCard, Visa
Reception open 7.30am-6.30pm; check in until midnight
Friendly, well-equipped, efficient, clean and relaxing. 15m out of town. When full may be stretched 29 October 2010
Pros:
Friendly efficient available staff. Good pool and relaxing area. Great bar. V well equipped rooms.
Cons:
15 mins from town (but bikes to hire). Fairly expensive by hostel standards - but can camp.
colinquinney
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 13178)
Very few negatives about this hostel. Best I have stayed in. All comes back to the friendly positive attitude of staff. Only real negatives are washing/kitchen facilities which may get stretched in high season; and long 15 min walk into town (but they hire bikes very cheaply). And the fabulous beach is only a short stroll away.
have been in and out of dougies over the last two years ,, awesome place reccomend it to anyone! 1 March 2010
Pros:
the people make the place anywhere and the staff here are all top notch!
Cons:
the worse thing is when it rains it poors up here.and i lived in a tent over my time here!
john E lee
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 13020)
dougies backpackers is deffantly become a home away from home for me, been here on and off for two years and it has to be the best place i have stayed and thats down to the staff and how its kept lcean and tidy all the time and they are always improving it day by day! Its not far from the main street only a ten min walk or get a bike from the guys at the cost of the small change in your pocket! always awesome wheather and the beach is on postcards! all rooms are air con and the kittchen is massive. theres plenty to do in port and is a great place to explore the far north queensland! with the best accsess to the reef and rain forest!
and dougies has a cheap bar! Woot!!
This place was the worst hostel visited in over 9 months of travelling around Australia! 26 March 2008
Pros:
Free pick up
Cons:
Dirty, no atmosphere and far away from the town centre
chanm
saw things this way
Maintenance
(2)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(2)
(Review ID: 7970)
This place was the worst hostel visited in over 9 months of travelling around Australia! Their web page is telling "great location in the town of Port Douglas" well let me tell you.....20 minutes walk!!!
laid back place to chill - nice change from Cairns 18 December 2006
Pros:
Great pool and kitchen, great staff
Cons:
somewhat of a hike from town
Michele
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(3)
(Review ID: 1033)
Dougies is great change from Cairns - they have great facilities and the staff is pretty helpful...they have a shuttle that'll pick you up in Cairns and bring you back to catch the bus to your next destination but it doesn't run every day so ask for the schedule..and the bus drive gives you a tour along the way - nice touch!
12 of
20 people found this review helpful
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souxx@designer.net.nz
New Zealand
We loved everything 15 February 2004
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
souxx@designer.net.nz
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 10098)
We loved the rain on the well laid out gardens and the toads, lizards and the lost mud crab that played on the paths. The chicken things that noisily announced morning were great too. The staff were very efficient but also relaxed and friendly. We were just allowed to be ourselves and enjoy our time. What more could you want for a break away. We found that northern queeensland is so beautiful in January and we can not wait to go back for another trip. The pet bird and spiders were cool too! Ka kite ano
0 of
20 people found this review helpful
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Rachel HAAAAAAAAA!!!
Brighton
Dougies is where people go for 2 days and never leave 16 November 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Rachel HAAAAAAAAA!!!
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 10099)
I went travelling up the coast of Oz last year for 6 months. Port Douglas was my final destination before flying home from Cairns. We stayed at Dougies as part of a Cape Tribulation tour for 2 days. I loved it straight away, spacious, green, friendly and a great place to meet people. There was a clean, outdoor pool surrounded by grass and trees with hammocks. The large kitchen was open to a fantastic bar and seating area. We had a brilliant evening playing pool and table football and the staff were amazing. You instantly felt part of the crowd. The champagne train every Sunday was a little sugar cane train which headed to the Sunday markets at 10am. You were plied with babycham and it was all free. There was a little tame budgie at reception and a fearless bandicoot racing around the place at night. Everybody there raved about the hostel and I ended up changing my return ticket home twice so I could stay a month. I am still in touch with most of the friends I met there and we often discuss a Dougies reunion. It was an awesome hostel and I loved my time there. Everybody who goes to Dougies wish they could stay longer and some lucky ones get work and stay 6 month or longer. Full moon beach parties, pool comps and bbqs are regularly organised and you couldn't fail to have an amazing time. I would love to go back there one day.
29 of
34 people found this review helpful
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Claire
Portsmouth
Live the dream at dougie's!! 11 November 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Claire
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 10100)
Came to Port Douglas for a week and stayed four months-which after arriving was the usual story with everyone here. Arrived in mid June which is peak season-have a feeling that this is the best time to get here. There's SHED loads of work around and the hostel is busy so there's a good buzz to the place.Me and my friend are older than the average age of backpackers (31!) and we still felt like we fitted in with the wide range of ages and nationalities at this hostel.The owners-Steve and Heather are the most caring, laid-back and non-money grabbing owners I've ever met.Only warning is the cheap bar. It'll get you going back every night for the booze, pool and table football.Ended up camping here as well-after vowing never to camp in Aus-and lived in a tent very cheaply for four months. Nice little camping community at the back of the hostel.Port Douglas rocks with it's chances to go sailing, beautiful beaches, river with croc's in which you can spot if you hire your own boat out, and nearby Mossman gorge for river swimming.Go!
12 of
12 people found this review helpful
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shane@poodog.net
London
One of the best I have stayed in 8 September 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
shane@poodog.net
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 10101)
Great friendly and relaxed hostel. Good facilities, close to the beach, clean and super tidy, great fun bar and the best hostel staff I have ever come across. So many hostels are like 'give us your money and keep out of the way', At Dougies I was made to feel like part of the family right from the start. Super place!
1 of
17 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
Beckenham, UK
Noisy and awful sponge beds, but friendly staff 27 August 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
Atmosphere
(1)
(Review ID: 10102)
The beds were made of sponge and I had an awful night sleep due to back pain from the dip in "mattress" and noisy bar next door. All this for AU$65, what a bargain.
1 of
12 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
Montreal, Canada
Great place to stay, Great staff 17 January 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 10103)
This is a not so expensive (relative to Port Douglas) and nice place to stay. The staff is extremely friendly.
