We arrived around 2pm and were pleasantly surprised that we were able to park our van in Mad Monkey's personal car park rather than on the busy street outside. Headed into reception where we were greeted by smiley staff at the tour guide desk and the manager at the main reception. From the moment we arrived we felt welcomed into the Mad Monkey family!
We were given the ground rules, told about all the facilities within the complex, given some local advise on where to go and what to see and then shown to our room.
The Room
I loved our room! We stayed in a private double room with our own en-suite. The room was located on the bottom floor and had a window that looked out into the garden. Although it rained ALOT, the window mean't natural light could fill our room which made it feel airy and homely. The hostel has been fully renovated in 2017, meaning our room had a new subtle minimalist colour scheme of neutral grey running throughout. Clean side table and unique bedside light bulb lamp to decorate.
I don't know about you, but I can't get comfortable in a dirty hostel - but I felt right at home here! The room was spotless! Literally not a single thing I could find wrong with our rooms, I felt like I was inside a show home. All rooms now come with new Samsung Air Conditioning units which worked a treat when it's 32 degrees and 96% humidity!
I don't know about you, but I can't get comfortable in a dirty hostel - but I felt right at home here! The room was spotless! Literally not a single thing I could find wrong with our rooms, I felt like I was inside a show home. All rooms now come with new Samsung Air Conditioning units which worked a treat when it's 32 degrees and 96% humidity!
The bathrooms look like they've just been installed, perfect white tiles, a decent shower head with constant hot water and a large mirror which makes getting ready a breeze. The room even came with a strong hair drier and straighteners! (truely amazing, we were going to a gig on the most humid day I've ever experienced and it helped tame my mane!)
The Atmosphere
After making our way to the hostel, checking in and cleaning ourselves up, I thought we decided to have a well deserved beer. At the end of our corridor, in the communal area is the hostels bar. The bar serves draft and bottled beers/larger and ciders. They also sell spirits and mixers. We opted for the jugs, a steal at only $12! We were super lucky to be there while the Backpacker Village was celebrating their 1st birthday party so lots of games and fun to be had.
Within seconds of sitting down the hosts were rounding up contestants for the weekly quiz where you could also win yourself a jug of drink and some snacks! All v All! Just one of the events they hold every week - others include pub crawls, beer pong tournaments and movie nights. There's something on every night which makes it easy to chat to other back packers and experience Cairns the Mad Monkey way.
The hostel offer free breakfast in the clean, modern kitchens every morning including fresh fruit, cereal and even fluffy pancakes with all different sauces, tuck in and eat them on the long tables with the rest of your new pals. Then head off for a dip in their outdoor pool. Although it literally every second of our stay, it was still pretty warm so jumping in the pool was the perfect way to cool off in the crazy Cairns humidity.
If your a bit hungover from your night at Woolshed and don't fancy socialising, not a problem either! The hostel has a TV room, loaded with a large Samsung flat screen TV, Netflix and even a Playstation 4 with FIFA and Crash Bandicoot!
For those who can't stay away from the gym, you're in luck because Mad Monkey are partnered with a local gym so you can still get your work out FOR FREE!
For those who can't stay away from the gym, you're in luck because Mad Monkey are partnered with a local gym so you can still get your work out FOR FREE!
The Staff
From the moment we arrived the staff were nothing but polite, friendly and outgoing. After chatting to the lady on front desk about where we'd been, what our plans were and getting some insider insight into Cairns - I was super impressed when she remembered my name two days later when we wanted to book for for another night! Our original room was unfortunately booked but we were conveniently moved to another freshly cleaned room on the floor above with a view of our van out front. This room didn't include an en-suite but the shared bathrooms were just down the hall and again spotless! The staff on cleaning duties had the most attention to detail when cleaning the place I've ever seen. Better than some of the top hotels I've stayed in!
Another great thing about the staff here is that they are/were travelers themselves, so they were able to give us advise on the MUST see places during our trip around Australia, and you can even book your trips in the reception area at the tour guide desk!
The Location
I personally thought Mad Monkey Backpackers Village was in an ideal location. There are plenty of trendy bars and cafes a stones throw away from the hostel. You can visit the best bars and clubs Cairns has to offer within a 15 minute stroll (or a 5 minute Uber if you're like us!) You can walk to Cairns Central shopping center in just over 10 minutes also.
How to book
To make sure you are getting the best price possible you should always book though the Mad Monkey website. www.madmonkey.com.au - This way you know you're not getting ripped off and it's booked directly through Mad Monkey. The website is easy to navigate through, simply click bookings in the menu navigation bar, choose your arrival dates, room preference and your all set to book.
Stephanie xoxo
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* DISCLAIMER - This was a complimentary stay provided as part of an agreement between myself and Mad Monkey Backpackers. Although I received free accommodation the review itself is honest. I will only include Hostels that I would personally recommend on Blonde Daisy Chains.
