A beautiful place to stay on a budget

After a pretty terrible stay in Brisbane, a few friends and I headed up the coast toward Noosa Head on the Sunshine Coast. Noosa Head is known for boasting beautiful surfing, good night life and a small town feel. After being in big cities and needing some beach rejuvenation, Noosa seemed like the perfect destination.

While the town itself can only be described as paradise, one of the greatest aspects of our getaway was staying at the Halse Lodge. Located about 400M from the main beach, Halse Lodge is clean, vibrant, budget accommodation that offers a multitude of different housing and activities. Located on top of a small incline, even the tiki torch lined walkway exudes an inviting feel.

For those on a budget, Halse Lodge offers clean, quiet dorm rooms for $28/night. The rooms range from 8-16 people, and each resident is given a set of clean sheets to put on their bed when they arrive. Attached to the dorm rooms are shared bathrooms, as well as a large kitchen area. The kitchen is equipped with huge fridges, all the supplies you need to cook a good meal and an open air eating area to enjoy the fruits of your labor.

The reception desk is accompanied by a large common room, backed by an indoor/outdoor bar and restaurant. The food and drink is decently priced relative to Noosa, and is prepared and served by traveling employees profiting on the lodge's offer of free room, board and Internet, in exchange for five hours of work a day. Beers costs about $5 dollars and a full meal runs between $8-$15.

Along with a great atmosphere, Halse Lodge also helps guests maximize their time in Noosa. The lodge offers free surf board rentals, discounts on surf lessons, package tours to the nearby Fraiser Island and free buses to the local zoo. The people at the reception are warm and friendly, and are happy to help you book anything you want to do, as well as offer free advice on the rest of your trip.

For those making their way up to Noosa Head and are looking for accommodation above camping but below an actual hotel, make sure to head to Halse Lodge. The $28 for the dorm room is definitely worth the money.

Photo courtesy of Phil Bazzo