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When searching for reasonably priced lodging on the Nice Ocean Highway, you can’t go mistaken with the YHA Apollo Bay.
It has a pleasant ring to it – you’ll be able to image your self strolling by means of the halls quietly singing it to your self, “I’m staying on the YHA, Apollo Bay.” Perhaps do a little bit of toe tapping up the steps and a shoe shuffle into the nippiness out room.
However the truth that the title rhymes isn’t the one cause we loved our keep on the YHA Apollo Bay opposite to what folks may suppose, the YHA is a superb alternative for households with children, in addition to help you get monetary savings on lodging.
If you happen to’re considering of staying on the Apollo Bay YHA, right here is our full and trustworthy overview based mostly on our keep.
About YHA Apollo Bay Eco Hostel
The Apollo Bay YHA is an eco-friendly hostel completely designed to scale back its affect on the surroundings and assist you might have a fantastic keep in one among Australia’s most well-known locations – The Nice Ocean Highway.
Apollo Bay is roughly half-way alongside the Nice Ocean Highway, simply 2.5 hours drive from Melbourne. It’s situated on 5 Pascoe Road, Apollo Bay, only one avenue again from the Nice Ocean Highway within the middle of Apollo Bay, and has free on-site parking out there.
The constructing is designed in order that the higher wing may be shut down within the winter to preserve power, and it additionally permits a whole lot of pure lighting so that you don’t have to activate gentle switches within the day.
There’s quite a lot of lodging sorts out there, from dorm rooms to personal rooms to household rooms.
Additionally they have an natural herb backyard and veggie backyard that’s out there for visitors to make use of totally free.
Nothing will get me extra excited to prepare dinner than a backyard that provides me with recent elements, particularly a sprig of rosemary for my cooking companion: G & T. (In any other case often called a Mum’s 5 o’clock Gin and Tonic).
What We Like About YHA Apollo Eco Hostel
The Dwelling Area
The hostel is spacious, fashionable, comfy and really clear. The communal lounge has comfortable chairs, just a little love seat nook, excessive ceilings, stunning lighting, and a hearth that burns for seven months of the 12 months.
There’s additionally a separate Tv Room, so within the communal areas there’s no TV – it’s only for permitting some down time into your life.
The Kitchen
The 2 communal kitchens are fashionable and really properly geared up on your self-catering wants. There’s one on each ranges to scale back the crowding. We discovered the higher stage was the quieter of the 2.
We additionally like that there’s an out of doors patio related to the kitchen with BBQ services, so you’ll be able to take pleasure in your night meals al fresco fashion.
Ensure you rise up early to observe the dawn from the rooftop deck and even relax up there of a day with ebook and a few views. Sundown provides you with simply as fairly views.
Glorious services
All rooms are air-conditioned, there’s free wi-fi all through, a tour desk and many house to sit back out in – together with a rooftop terrace.
There are additionally wood-fire heaters for the winter, and BBQ facilities for the coastal summer time climate, so you’ll be able to keep right here all 12 months spherical. There’s additionally a washer so you are able to do laundry, and the bogs are clear.
There aren’t that many showers out there, however we by no means needed to queue to make use of a bathe or rest room.
If you happen to’re staying in a dorm room, you get your personal particular person lockers and mattress lights, plus loads of place to go away your luggage.
It’s good for households
The YHA Apollo presents household rooms that may sleep 4, and the rooms are comfy and clear and in separate wings, so it’s actually quiet. Everybody in our household had night time’s sleep.
We met a Danish household who had been staying there and couldn’t cease raving about how nice the hostel was.
It was quiet with loads of house to take pleasure in a household meal collectively after which relax within the lounge room with some motion pictures, doing puzzles or enjoying board video games.
Youngsters of all ages are welcome, although any baby over 3 years of age is charged as an grownup.
I really like that infants aged 0-2 can get a crib totally free, although they’re topic to availability and you might want to inform them on the time of your reservation.
Nice location with heaps to do
The Apollo Bay YHA has a improbable location only a 2-minute stroll from the city middle, only a block again from the closest seaside, making it a fantastic place to remain on the Nice Ocean Highway.
Apollo Bay Coach Terminal is simply 200 meters stroll away.
Not solely that, it additionally has a whole lot of issues to do within the city, that means you might keep right here a number of days between driving days. The pleasant employees are all the time readily available to supply suggestions and native insights.
It’s additionally a brief drive to most of the points of interest the Nice Ocean Highway is known for: The koalas at Kennett River, a 45-minute drive to the Nice Otways Nationwide Park and the Cape Otway Lighthouse and a 90-minute drive to the Twelve Apostles.
Don’t miss the views over Apollo Bay from Mariner’s Lookout simply on the hill behind the city – beautiful.
Issues We Didn’t Like About YHA Apollo Bay
There weren’t a whole lot of issues we didn’t like about YHA Apollo Bay, but when we needed to nitpick, then we’d say the next issues can be a put-off for travellers:
- The partitions are fairly skinny, so in case you’re a light-weight sleeper, carry earplugs as you’ll be able to usually hear gentle noise disturbances from folks strolling round. We’re used to the noise, so it didn’t hassle us.
- Shared bogs. If you happen to’re not used to toilet services being shared, then this may be off-putting, but it surely’s normal in hostels so in case you’re searching for funds lodging you will want to get used to it.
- If you happen to keep in a shared dorm, there aren’t any curtains for the bunk beds. Once more, we had a household room so this was not our expertise, however future guests could need to find out about this.
- The household rooms include bunk beds, which is mostly tremendous, however you do get some squabbling over who sleeps within the prime bunk.
The Verdict: Would We Advocate YHA Apollo Bay?
If you happen to’re searching for locations to remain on the Nice Ocean Highway, that appears like a home-away-from dwelling at an inexpensive worth, contemplate the YHA Apollo Bay.
We had a fantastic expertise staying there are would advocate it to different travellers, particularly households on a funds.
Total it was clear, comfy, and had the very best charge for a household of 4 of all of the lodging decisions in Apollo Bay. Close by lodges would have value us double what we paid.
We additionally preferred the way it had facilities that allowed us to make it our dwelling away from dwelling. Our women might unfold out and benefit from the communal areas, and since different households stayed there too, we didn’t really feel misplaced or like we had been disturbing a backpacker group.
What’s to not love?
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