Apollo Bay Backpackers Lodge
23 Pascoe St, Apollo Bay, Victoria 3233 Australia
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HOTEL CLASS
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Budget
Property amenities
Free parking
Free High Speed Internet (WiFi)
Board games / puzzles
BBQ facilities
Baggage storage
Express check-in / check-out
Private check-in / check-out
Laundry service
Car park
Wifi
Non-smoking hotel
Shared lounge / TV area
Sun terrace
Room features
Kitchenette
Room types
Family rooms
Location
23 Pascoe St, Apollo Bay, Victoria 3233 Australia
Getting there
Somewhat walkable
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
Grade: 78 out of 100
78
Melbourne Airport
158.6 km•
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113Reviews0Q+A14Room tips
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Detailed Reviews
A budget hostel cum hotel for a short overnight stay. What works for it is the spacious cottage styled accommodation for families, clean rooms, parking, proximity to a supermarket across the road and a functional kitchen. Don't go looking for great views or a very high level of cleanliness in the cottage or the grounds but if you can accept some degree of general wear n tear but cleanliness in the essential parts then this should be ok. We were staying at a time when the hostel section seemed to be unoccupied so it was very quiet and peaceful. The odd wifi timings and a DIY breakfast of cereals and breads in the hostel wing I found to be the downers, otherwise quite fine for a short stay on your GOR tour.
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Date of stay: May 2015Trip type: Travelled with family
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We were on a leisure trip along Great Ocean Road and did book 2 days ahead via Internet, where appearently half the money for the overnight stay was taken off the credit card .
On arrival, the place that was advertised on the internet was an unlocked rundown old house, however there were some scribbled information by the door pointing to a nearby backpackers lodge. As it was nearly dark we decided to try there and asked about seing the room before hand as we were suspicious after seeing the other place .
The woman at reception was in general totally rude and said since we booked she would take the total amount off anyway, wether we take the room or not. So we had no choice other than to take a room in a appartment with total stranger (another couple).
Ants all over the place, no breakfast provided as promised on website and a lack of hospitality in general. The only good thing was clean bedding and towels.
So not at all recommended.
On arrival, the place that was advertised on the internet was an unlocked rundown old house, however there were some scribbled information by the door pointing to a nearby backpackers lodge. As it was nearly dark we decided to try there and asked about seing the room before hand as we were suspicious after seeing the other place .
The woman at reception was in general totally rude and said since we booked she would take the total amount off anyway, wether we take the room or not. So we had no choice other than to take a room in a appartment with total stranger (another couple).
Ants all over the place, no breakfast provided as promised on website and a lack of hospitality in general. The only good thing was clean bedding and towels.
So not at all recommended.
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Date of stay: June 2010Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
i booked a double room in a 2-bedroom property. what attracted me to this place initially, was the 'Wifi available' in all rooms. I was led to think that wifi was provided free in the room, because it was put in one sentence together with 'TV & DVD and wifi are available in all rooms. however I was wrong. it comes with a price. then, comes the 'continental breakfast included', I wonder which part of it was continental when I only found coffee powder and tea bags in the kitchen area. last but not least, the unfriendly service from the staff. haiz, I was glad to be out of the place.
on a good note, if you are looking for spacious, ideally located lodging, this is quite good as the supermarket as just across the road and is also within walking distances to other shops and eating outlets.
on a good note, if you are looking for spacious, ideally located lodging, this is quite good as the supermarket as just across the road and is also within walking distances to other shops and eating outlets.
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Date of stay: July 2012Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from BaliReggie, Owner at Apollo Bay Backpackers Lodge
Responded Aug 3, 2012
If you write reviews they should have wrong or misleading information. 1st nowhere do we advertise free wifi . 2nd The photo & information regerding breakfast is incorrect. The photo is free tea & coffee supplied to apartments not breakfast. If you took the time to listen on checkin the breakfast is served in Hostel dining area
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Stay here at your own risk - rooms are dated, but acceptably clean. However, you risk facing an extremely rude host. Take the time to read the reviews if you are considering staying, the owners poor attitude is in line with what I experienced. Also, take note of the owners defensive and aggressive responses to anything remotely negative. I already know he will reply and try to refute everything I've said, so be prepared for it below :) I have better things to do than to waste time typing up a negative review like this, but, I have never been treated with such hostility at ANY type of accommodation before, whether budget or not, so I made it a point to write down everything right after it happened.
Anyway, here's my review.
Arrived with the missus at 5pm. The office was empty, but there was an older gentleman in the laundry next door, so I went over to ask if he knew where the office staff was. He replied in a sarcastic tone "well he's right here" pointing at himself. I thought he was just joking, so I chuckled and and told him I wanted to check in. He asked if I had a booking in a slightly aggressive tone, to which I said yes. He asked what kind of booking, and I told him it was through Agoda. He replied in the same annoyed tone, as if I had really offended him with my response, saying "I don't know what that is, it doesn't tell me what kind of booking you have. What type of booking do you have?". A bit stunned, I told him to hold on while I checked my email. We were walking over to the reception, and after checking on his computer, he then just told me flatly that I had booked a 1 bedroom apartment. He then handed me the keys. I looked over to the missus, and she gave me a weird look, so I knew I wasn't misinterpreting his tone.
Not wanting to "offend" the man any further, I asked where I could park my car. He said right in front of my unit, which was unit 1. I didn't know where unit 1 was, but I saw a big lawn around where he gestured at, so I asked if he meant that I should park right on the grass. He replied in a threatening tone, saying "no, you park in front of your unit. If you park on the grass, I'll get your car towed/impounded". Why would you threaten a PAYING customer, who is asking a question so as to NOT break your house rules? I pretended to not be affected by his threat, and asked "ok, so where exactly do I park?" This time, he raised his voice and motioned in that direction again, saying "there's a parking spot right in front of your unit! You turn out back on to the road, and turn back in to your spot! You wouldn't park on the grass at this time of the year anyway, it would just get bogged". At this point I said to him in a firm tone "Look, I'm just asking to clarify". He then muttered "Well I'm just telling you that you park in your spot, in front of your unit". I didn't bother saying any more, and moved my car, and went into the room.
The next day, when checking out, went to his office but he wasn't there. Then I saw him walking over from across the street. As he approached, I said "Good morning", hoping to catch him in a better mood. He replied with "what's the problem?" in a rude tone. I told him I just wanted to check out. He didn't say anything, as I passed him the key. He had an annoyed look on his face, so I asked "isn't that normal procedure?" He then replied in a sarcastic tone, saying "most people just leave the key in the door". I didn't bother saying anything and just left. As I was walking away, another guest was approaching to check out. The host then said "Thank you~" - I assume to me - in a neutral tone, at a louder volume, which I felt was a bit out of character, given the tone he had been using with me since I had arrived. After a few steps, I turned back to see if he was being rude to the other guest as well, but the guest had a big smile on his face, and was actually having a conversation with the owner. Which then made me wonder: Was he was being rude to me because of my "demographic"? I have no idea. But based on the reviews here, complaints tend to come from a certain demographic. Or maybe I'm just imagining things.
Well that's it. I've wasted enough energy on this. Hopefully someone finds this helpful.
P.S. the owner may point out that a bad experience travels much further than a good experience, which explains the poor reviews received. I would suggest to think of things in relative terms. How do the guests ratings compare to other accommodations at Apollo Bay? Well, it looks like this is more or less at the bottom. Have a look here.
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotels-g261654-c3-Apollo_Bay_Victoria-Hotels.html
Anyway, here's my review.
Arrived with the missus at 5pm. The office was empty, but there was an older gentleman in the laundry next door, so I went over to ask if he knew where the office staff was. He replied in a sarcastic tone "well he's right here" pointing at himself. I thought he was just joking, so I chuckled and and told him I wanted to check in. He asked if I had a booking in a slightly aggressive tone, to which I said yes. He asked what kind of booking, and I told him it was through Agoda. He replied in the same annoyed tone, as if I had really offended him with my response, saying "I don't know what that is, it doesn't tell me what kind of booking you have. What type of booking do you have?". A bit stunned, I told him to hold on while I checked my email. We were walking over to the reception, and after checking on his computer, he then just told me flatly that I had booked a 1 bedroom apartment. He then handed me the keys. I looked over to the missus, and she gave me a weird look, so I knew I wasn't misinterpreting his tone.
Not wanting to "offend" the man any further, I asked where I could park my car. He said right in front of my unit, which was unit 1. I didn't know where unit 1 was, but I saw a big lawn around where he gestured at, so I asked if he meant that I should park right on the grass. He replied in a threatening tone, saying "no, you park in front of your unit. If you park on the grass, I'll get your car towed/impounded". Why would you threaten a PAYING customer, who is asking a question so as to NOT break your house rules? I pretended to not be affected by his threat, and asked "ok, so where exactly do I park?" This time, he raised his voice and motioned in that direction again, saying "there's a parking spot right in front of your unit! You turn out back on to the road, and turn back in to your spot! You wouldn't park on the grass at this time of the year anyway, it would just get bogged". At this point I said to him in a firm tone "Look, I'm just asking to clarify". He then muttered "Well I'm just telling you that you park in your spot, in front of your unit". I didn't bother saying any more, and moved my car, and went into the room.
The next day, when checking out, went to his office but he wasn't there. Then I saw him walking over from across the street. As he approached, I said "Good morning", hoping to catch him in a better mood. He replied with "what's the problem?" in a rude tone. I told him I just wanted to check out. He didn't say anything, as I passed him the key. He had an annoyed look on his face, so I asked "isn't that normal procedure?" He then replied in a sarcastic tone, saying "most people just leave the key in the door". I didn't bother saying anything and just left. As I was walking away, another guest was approaching to check out. The host then said "Thank you~" - I assume to me - in a neutral tone, at a louder volume, which I felt was a bit out of character, given the tone he had been using with me since I had arrived. After a few steps, I turned back to see if he was being rude to the other guest as well, but the guest had a big smile on his face, and was actually having a conversation with the owner. Which then made me wonder: Was he was being rude to me because of my "demographic"? I have no idea. But based on the reviews here, complaints tend to come from a certain demographic. Or maybe I'm just imagining things.
Well that's it. I've wasted enough energy on this. Hopefully someone finds this helpful.
P.S. the owner may point out that a bad experience travels much further than a good experience, which explains the poor reviews received. I would suggest to think of things in relative terms. How do the guests ratings compare to other accommodations at Apollo Bay? Well, it looks like this is more or less at the bottom. Have a look here.
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Hotels-g261654-c3-Apollo_Bay_Victoria-Hotels.html
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Date of stay: August 2014Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Rooms
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The first negative thing was an hostile and rude welcome, then my room (4 bedroom dormitory) was really small with dirty bed and in addition to this the wall was really thin so during the night was so noisy (4 guys were drinking and partying till 3 in the morning in the common area).
The only positive thing was the included breakfast
i would not reccomend this hostel and I don't think it's worth the money.
The only positive thing was the included breakfast
i would not reccomend this hostel and I don't think it's worth the money.
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Date of stay: May 2014Trip type: Travelled solo
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reading some of the reviews on here it is hard to believe that we stayed in the same place. We booked a double room on the internet and we too were placed in "the cottage" as opposed to the main hostel. Previously we had stayed at the Sydney Harbour YHA and whilst this was considerably cheaper it was a massive anticlimax. The staff were surly and although the rooms and bed linen were clean the place had a certain musty smell to it which meant we spent as little time as there possible. The night we checked in the screendoor fell off and no one bothered to repair it. We were booked in for four nights but left after three... My husband has done alot more hostelling than I and he said this was the worst place he had ever stayed
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Date of stay: December 2009Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The apartment we had smelled like dogs had lived there. The benches were dirty with food and drink spills and the carpet was visibly dirty with hair and sand on it.
Not cheap .. would not go back and would not recommend .. unless you're happy to clean the place yourself when you get there!!
Not cheap .. would not go back and would not recommend .. unless you're happy to clean the place yourself when you get there!!
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Date of stay: October 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Arrived in the evening after driving all day. Receptionist was very friendly. Accomadation was better than expected! Place was clean, supplied towels, tea and coffee. Had a tv and big bath tub in the lodge that slept 4! Supplied free breakfast- oats that's and cereal in Am! Perfect for one night while doing the great ocean road, could have stayed longer! Good location by sea front also! Free wifi also worked!
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Date of stay: March 2016Trip type: Travelled with friends
Rooms
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from otwaylodge, Front Office Manager at Apollo Bay Backpackers Lodge
Responded Apr 5, 2016
Thank you for your review! I am a new manager here and I hope to make our guests stays pleasant! Warm regards
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This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
It definitely offer a good wifi however you have to compensate with a cold night during winter because the heater is outside the rooms and you have to sleep with bedrooms door open just to get the heat from the heater ( however it is still a cold night for us). The kitchen was quite okay but we didn't get to use it as we arrived quite late.
The other downside is we expected at least a decent breakfast in the morning but all they have is basic bread and juices which you have to prepare on your own. Not even eggs to be boiled or scrambled.
Good for short stay if you don't mind the cold during winter and very simple do it on your own breakfast
The other downside is we expected at least a decent breakfast in the morning but all they have is basic bread and juices which you have to prepare on your own. Not even eggs to be boiled or scrambled.
Good for short stay if you don't mind the cold during winter and very simple do it on your own breakfast
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Date of stay: July 2015Trip type: Travelled with family
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
When I arrived to stay in one of the dorm rooms there was some washing up drying on the side in the kitchen. The following morning at breakfast the owner asked if it was mine which I replied no it wasn't. Annoyed he said "that's what they all say". He then left and 5mins later came back with a sign (see photo) saying "to the lazy pigs read the bloody sign"
So rude and aggressive. Would not recommend.
So rude and aggressive. Would not recommend.
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Date of stay: September 2014
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
LOCATION
AustraliaVictoriaApollo Bay
NUMBER OF ROOMS
10
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Frequently Asked Questions about Apollo Bay Backpackers Lodge
Which popular attractions are close to Apollo Bay Backpackers Lodge?
Nearby attractions include Great Ocean Walk (0.2 km), Bay of Apostles (0.5 km), and Apollo Bay Beach (0.2 km).
What are some of the property amenities at Apollo Bay Backpackers Lodge?
Some of the more popular amenities offered include free wifi, free parking, and laundry service.
What food & drink options are available at Apollo Bay Backpackers Lodge?
Guests can enjoy barbeque facilities during their stay.
Is parking available at Apollo Bay Backpackers Lodge?
Yes, free parking, a parking garage, and secured parking are available to guests.
What are some restaurants close to Apollo Bay Backpackers Lodge?
Conveniently located restaurants include Dooleys Ice Cream - The Ice Cream Tub, Apollo Bay Bakery, and Casalingo.
Is Apollo Bay Backpackers Lodge located near the city centre?
Yes, it is 0.4 km away from the centre of Apollo Bay.