BUG Review
Calypso is a colourful and fun hostel. It is farther from the centre than some of the others, but has its own bar, good facilities and a great atmosphere. The dorms are simple, spacious, air-conditioned and kept very clean. The bathrooms are spotless with good showers. There is a lovely swimming pool and a barbecue area and plenty of long wooden tables outside where everyone hangs out. They do a cheap buffet barbecue regularly and they have cheap internet access ($3.50 per hour), laundry facilities and a good tour desk.
Price Dorm bed $24 ($23 VIP) Single room $38 ($37 VIP) Double/twin room $54 ($52 VIP) Apartment $64 ($62 VIP) Prices are in Australian dollars and are inclusive of all taxes.
Credit Cards American Express,MasterCard,Visa
Reception Open 7am-10pm daily
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No booking fee when you book Calypso Inn online through BUG
Pros:
Helpful staff, spotlessly clean, good value food
Cons:
Out of town - this may be an advantage
bubbles
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
Stayed here in May 2008. The hostel is just under 15 minutes walk from the centre, but there is a regular free shuttle. I liked the location as Cairns town centre is noisy anyway. The staff here was incredibly helpful with tour booking, but I didn't feel like they were at all pushy (I even cancelled a tour I had booked through them as I changed my mind and they had no problem with doing this at all). The hostel itself is full of character, great atmosphere with lots going on and a decent all you can eat buffet every night which was good value. Only downside was the kitchens - too small, not enough fridge space and not as clean as the rest of the hostel. Overall I loved this place and would stay again.
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(Review ID: 7432)
Best hostel I've ever stayed in., December 7, 2007
Pros:
Fantastic atmosphere. Great bar. Friendly staff.
Cons:
A little out of town.
Tengo
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
The best hostel I've stayed in. The staff is really friendly and the place has a lot of atmosphere. Free shuttle service into town. Cheap all you can eat buffet every night and great bar. Recommended for everybody looking for a good time.
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1 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 6005)
Great atmosphere, DONT WORK IN KITCHEN, drunken nights aplenty, August 9, 2007
Pros:
Atmosphere, backpackers who are employed as staff, bar
Cons:
Mum the bully chef, showers
paula112uk
saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(2)
Atmosphere
(5)
Great hostel, had a good time, the best part is they employ backpackers to work as staff so those staff are cool as they know what backpackers want, the bar can be a bit quiet but its good to start a night out, cheap bar, the food is ok, different each night. All i can suggest if you need a job, dont work in the kitchen, work behind the desk or anything else but the main kitchen chef "Mum" is a nasty piece of work, twice he had me in tears for something minor (i forgot to check knives and forks), he also had a few other of my close friends whilst there (also workers) in tears. All i can say is your on a working holiday, you dont deserve to feel like shit whilst staying at a hostel just because they pay your accomodation, work elsewhere, but definately stay here!!! the atmosphere is fab. 99% brilliant hostel, sack mum and this hostel would be 100% class!
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1 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 4678)
Very clean, very friendly staff and an excellent atmosphere, April 27, 2007
Pros:
the atmosphere
Cons:
nothing. i love it here.
tconnor
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
Calypso is an extremely nice hostel. The staff are excellent and the guests are generally very friendly which can be attributed to the great atmosphere here. They offer a $9 all you can eat buffet every night & the food is outstanding. And $8 jugs of beer during happy hour. Crazy! Definately a great place to stay.
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(Review ID: 4392)
Friendly staff, bright colors, and helpful booking info, April 16, 2007
Reviewer: goofren from FL, USA --> Wollongong, NSW, Australia
Pros:
The people who work here! Really nice and helpful and at your level. Actually like what they do
Cons:
The rooms were a little dim and only one of the shared showers worked.
goofren
saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(5)
They have good, cheap all-you-can-eat dinner buffets every night, and they also serve a pretty good breakfast/lunch and a welcoming atmosphere. We were told we can order sandwiches for $5 the day before and have them ready for pickup the next morning so we can take them with us on our tours and things, but we never took advantage of that. The staff jokes around with you and is really nice. They have a free shuttle that goes to and from town pretty often, as well as to and from the airport (also free, so that's nice!). Everything is brightly-colored, but the rooms were not very brightly lit. Everything was pretty clean, the maintenance lady cleaned every morning. They had safe storage at the office, both for wallets and our big bags for after we checked out. Downstairs there were a bunch of computers with internet set up that were $4/hr to use, and multiple payphones. There's a kitchen a few feet from the room with a fridge you can use, a sink, stove, utensils, etc. There's also a grocery store just around the block and a 24-hr convenience store too. There are restaurants closeby if you don't want to go into town. They have lots of brochures and the staff know what to recommend, and they can book and confirm your bookings for you. The people who stayed there while we were there were pretty friendly. Cairns is a great town!
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(Review ID: 913)
Cracking atmosphere, the perfect hostel!, October 23, 2006
Pros:
Atmosphere and friendly knowledgable staff
Cons:
Not a lot, but some of the beds are pretty creaky
arcing
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(5)
We arrived here just over a week ago, on the recommendation of a mate that passed through last year. We've been delighted. The place just looks cool to start with. With a nice pools, palm trees dotted all over.
We've been staying in dorms, the seem to range between 4 and 8 people, and they're fine. Some of the beds are a little creaky, so it's hard to move around without making a lot of noise. Air con in some rooms works better than others.
We're not doing this trip on a budget, so haven't even attemted to cook, so I won't comment on the facilities. The food onsite is excellent though. Both the breakfasts and the evening ll you can eat are excellent.
The hostel is about a 15 minute walk into town, but don't let that worry you. They run a regular free bus into town.
One of the best things bout this place is Glenn, Axel etc behind reception. We've bokked everything through them so far, they have extensive first hand knowledge of most of the trips they sell, and in some cases offer discounts. We've booked everything from 3 day trips to Cape Trib, to our 6 month Greyhound ticket.Come here and have a great time!
Been here twice now and its a really nice hostel, one of the best! clean, great facilitys and good nites!
with the lack of cooking space its always good to have the all u can eat $7-8 themed food nites... unless ur the noodle, spag bog travelers($2 per week) They have a nice bar there which does offers on booze so enjoy the happy hours! and good areas to relax/lay down and do nothing... but overall its exactly the same as the brochure says and trust me thats a first out in oz!!
Pros:
Top atmosphere and colour lit garden/bar eat area
Cons:
25min walk into town
Combo The Cat
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
Not much kitchen if I remember but nightly cafe... good internet, nice pool great place to stay.The place comes into its own in the evening colourfully lit outdoor area, with alternating meals... well subsidised if I remember right... Pool good with the heat...
This is about the only hostel I've ever stayed in that lives up to its borchure. The pics on the brochure portray a really nice relaxed atmosphere with people lounging by the pool and thats exactly what you get. During the day there is plenty of communal space to kick back and read either by the pool, in Zanzibar's or in the hammocks (just need to put on the old Aerogard first as the mozzies are everywhere) The kitchens are clean and tidy as are the bathrooms and laundry. The staff are helpful and efficient especially when it comes to recommending tours on the Great Barrier Reef or around Cairns and will even reserve tours for you. The shuttle bus into town is a great idea and runs every hour during the day- could do with it at night too as town is just too far to walk and it would save on taxi fares.
Every night there is a different all you can eat buffet for $8 which is worth it.
There is also a great atmosphere in the bar, everybody talks to everyone else whether it be over a game of pool or just at the tables. Met so many great people here. Most nights there is something to do in the bar, National flag fae painting, drinking games and the like with oppurtunities to win reef trips. The only problem is that these start about the same time as the bar crawls in town. I would highly recommend this hostel to anybody staying in Cairns and would definately go back there myself!
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2 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 147)
Honestly the best hostel in Australia!, February 18, 2006
Pros:
Zanzibar,great staff,best atmosphere,real character
Cons:
umm-nope loved it all
awayfromhome
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(5)
I had the best time at this hostel, we heard about Calypso back down in Sydney (word of mouth) We were not planning on staying in Cairns long but we fell in love with the staff and vibe at Calypso and ended up stayin 2 months.Ive met some really good people here that I am going to keep in contact with. The Zanzibar is fantastic the best dinners (all you can eat) for only $8 and a perfect busy little bar with great music! The pool is average but good and deep so you can dive in! There a beautiful plants and tree all around the hostel.They have all the usual washingrooms, internet, kitchens and a good choice of different rooms at good rates. Dont let the fact it is 10 minute walk away from town-its away from the noise, there is great free bus runnin all day and the walk home after a night out helps sober you up!!You wont stay at another hostel as individual and special as this one!!! * * * * *
and good areas to relax/lay down and do nothing... but overall its exactly the same as the brochure says and trust me thats a first out in oz!!
I had the best time at this hostel, we heard about Calypso back down in Sydney (word of mouth) We were not planning on staying in Cairns long but we fell in love with the staff and vibe at Calypso and ended up stayin 2 months.Ive met some really good people here that I am going to keep in contact with. The Zanzibar is fantastic the best dinners (all you can eat) for only $8 and a perfect busy little bar with great music! The pool is average but good and deep so you can dive in! There a beautiful plants and tree all around the hostel.They have all the usual washingrooms, internet, kitchens and a good choice of different rooms at good rates. Dont let the fact it is 10 minute walk away from town-its away from the noise, there is great free bus runnin all day and the walk home after a night out helps sober you up!!You wont stay at another hostel as individual and special as this one!!! * * * * *
