Kipara Tropical Rainforest Retreat

When I was off to the Whitsunday Islands, I concluded that Airlie Beach would be the perfect base for what I was looking to do. Here I also found the cheapest accommodation. I wanted decent, cheap. Really don’t know where my head was at when I chose this hotel, but if I was to do it again I would have looked for something more central, as this place is out of town, 2 km away, and you depend on a bus to get to and fro. Only upside to the location is that it is on the way to the harbor where the airport transfer ferry docks. It is a basic hostel, which kind of reminded me of a campsite, just for these hut looking constructions, not caravans and tents. There are common areas, like a kitchen, placed in same looking houses, with no doors. The door to my room consisted of a sliding glass door with curtains, which made it feel like people passing were passing right by me, in my bed, like inside my room. Creepy! Wifi was really bad. Some of my fellow guests had decent reception out on their porch, but I had none 🙁 Kipara staff was very welcoming and helpful. The lady of the house (they lived on the property) was kind enough to drop me off at the harbor when I decided to go for a walk in the woods nearby, even though she was going the other way. She figured I’d save time and money by her taking me there instead of me waiting for the bus. Hosts like that are always a huge plus! There’s also a grocery store a short walk away, so you get the basics without having to go into town.

Website: kipara.com.au