I was stunned by the service and luxury upon my arrival at Wake Up! hostel in Byron Bay.
Paid about $30 for a 10 bed dorm, and got upgraded to a 6 bed dorm with one heckova view!
But this is about the getaway to Byron! If you'd like a a hostel review in a separate post , comment below!
Kick off your shoes, take in the sand and walk along the beach as we go about another 24ish hours of sun grey, surf and sand, hip cafes and of course, the iconic lighthouse.
After the impressive first impression of the hostel and freshening up a little, I set off across the road... to the beach.
Affordable and across from the beach, heck yas.
But about the Byron adventure, not a hostel review!
Grey, nearly-winter day and I rocked my swimmers, sarongs and thongs (flip flops, not what you think ;)
Those thongs I carried in my hands, trekking barefoot in the sand!
Too cold to swim tho.
Too bloody cold!
After I'd arrived in town I aimlessly wandered , before heading to to Bay Leaf Cafe, famished.
Took the bar table, where I could watch the busy staff at 'The Brew Bar', and started with a chai latte & mandatory side of honey.
Asked the talented barista how he got into the gig (answer: apparently he was 14 when he started, at a 'crappy cafe')
The moment we've all waited for, LUNCH!
Deciding to break my comfort zone of avocado toast and throw my tastesbuds into the unknown, I opted for sweet potato flat bread with two fried eggs (yas), kale, baby beets & carrots, and cherry tomatoes.
Tastes and goes down like, well, health!
Ditch the bloating fries and opt for the goodies. Cliche, I know.
Just look!
Eventually my sandy feet trekked back to the hostel, via the beach again.
Having warmed up a little, having some fuel back in my gears and walking around, I was still not up for a swim.
Until someone else was swimming and I decided to jump in!
Freaking out, I struggled, then dived right in, quivering like anything!
A few moments later the sea was a salty bliss for one happy mermaid!
Back at the hostel was a delightful shower where I'd forgotten the soap AND the towel!
Had to dry off with tons of toilet paper!
(at least the shower was a warm and lush in an ensuite bathroom - again this ain't a hostel review so let's back away!)
Headed back to the city and wandered aimlessly for hours, finding random places to eat (not always worth it when the food is average, expensive and can be found at home - why!)
Decided at around 7-ish at night that enough was enough and I would turn off my phone and put away the credit card that it held, and look up!
Retired to bed, scrolled stalked on Instagram for another few hours before dropping of in the early AM... before waking up in Wake Up!, Byron!
Now, we all know that brekky is the most important meal of the day, so I took my A game seriously next door to at Treehouse Cafe.
Got a cronut!
Almond-nutella cronut, every woman's dream... look!
[edit: not actually a cronut, just a donut and croissant paired together...]
[edit: not actually a cronut, just a donut and croissant paired together...]
Before heading back to town, fueled by 101& a million and one calories and 43798r7 grams of sugar.
Got more sugar, frozen coyo with the essential granola. Boowya!
The sheer sugar and caffeine hit entailed a trekk to along the Easterly point route before heading to the lighthouse (download the app, All Trails!)
The route took me to the edge of the bay where countless surfers took some of the best waves along the coast. (Big statement based on no evidence)
Thought about getting into surfing after seeing that!
The perfect combo of excersise and vitamin sea...
Became the most easterly folk in Austalia and The Most Easterly Point!
Then set off to make the ultimate tourist mark... a famous Byron Bay cookie and the iconic lighthouse!
Comment below with a link of your recent (or any) travel adventures, yo!
This sounds like a great place to stay- hoping to head to Aus next year so I'll definitely keep it in mind! Thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou must! All the best for your endeavour to travel Aus x
DeleteThis looks like a little slice of paradise! Wasn't on my radar before, but now it is, so thank you!
ReplyDeleteglad you found it! Already saving in a jar for another trip!
DeleteI'm currently working on my Australian road trip itinerary and this is a great addition to the planning!
ReplyDeleteamongst the best, but I've not seen too much of my own backyard, but I know there is variety wherever you go from where I have traveled in Aus. I'd defs put Byron at the top at this rate!
DeleteLoved reading this post and getting a feel of your time in Byron. I’ve never been to Australia (it’s so far away from Europe..), but I would love to visit one day.
ReplyDeletedefinitely make a visit if you decide to come here :) Maybe we could say hi in person!
DeleteAhh this takes me back to my time in Byron! I also encountered rather dreary weather on my visit, but it made for a great excuse to try all the delcious food at the great cafes :) Glad to see you made the most of your time there!
ReplyDeleteyeah, Byron's cafe seen is the best, esp. in the category of healthy hipster. Sadly I didn't research enough and come up with a shortlist of the best cafes to stuff my face at, only found one decent one and the rest of the places I ate were not Byron-worthy (as in, unique to byron in true hipster form) Ended up finding a bunch of good ones on Instagram after my trip, so I'm saving up in two jars for my next one, one jar for the travel and the (larger!) other jar to fund those cafes.
DeleteOmg that cronut looks so good!! That's enough to make me want to go haha
ReplyDeleteask the staff if they can toast it for you :) I didn't do so myself, but just a thought if you come in when it's reasonably quiet.
DeleteWow that is such a gorgeous place, the beach and the food looks great. The cronut is tempting and the sweet potato flat bread, that's just mouth-watering in itself :)
ReplyDeleteholy shoot, yes the sweet potato flatbread is a game changer!
DeleteWow! This definitely seems a great place to stay. The beach looks beautiful too! I am sure you had a great time!
ReplyDeleteabsolutely! Could not recommend wake up hostel enough, and I'm planning to go back asap, this time choosing the truly Byron cafes first.
DeleteThis looks like a unique place. The hostel, the food and the unforgettable shower place! I would love to experience staying in such a place. Thanks for sharing your experience!
ReplyDeleteheck yeah, there is no other byron. Other similar coastal towns I suppose, but Byron it is! You're welcome x
DeleteI travelled through parts of Australia few years ago but didn't get to Byron Bay. Looks like I missed something amazing. Looks like a great hostel! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! Maybe next time. Growing up, I actually though Byron was boring (family car trips to Gold Coast would pass through Byron and the part I saw was not the town centre where all the hype is)
DeleteI absolutely love Byron but have never heard of Wake Up before! I'll definitely have to check it out next time I go :)
ReplyDeleteyes yes yes! I won't shut up about this fantastic hostel, great architect design, location, surrounded by palms, exceptional service, laptop charging points on wifi... only problem is, no TV with Netflix (in the common area)
DeleteI am hanging to visit Byron. Hitting the Gold Coast next week and was thinking of hiring a car out there. See how I go. Byron is definitely a pretty city to visit - with so many food options which I love.
ReplyDeleteyou heading north or south? You should definitely go, I actually prefer Byron over Goldy, from having visited both this year. I used to think Byron was boring from driving through on the way to Goldy, which is full of urban and seaside awesomeness. Now I think Byron is rad & Goldy was a bit lost on me the last time I visited.
DeleteThat hostel sounds like a dream! I've never been to Australia, I'm taking notes for my future trip :)
ReplyDeleteDefinitely go to Byron, & definitely that hostel.
DeleteYou won't regret it!
Haha I've definitely forgot a towel in a hostel shower! Thanks for this guide hoping to get back there in the next year or two.
ReplyDeleteyeah, I'm actually saving my loose change in a jar (two jars, actually) to go back asap and have plenty leftover to indulge in all the hipster oh-so-healthy cafes there.
DeleteI was so close to visiting Byron Bay when I visited Australia a year ago but just couldn't make it there. The beaches look so pristine.. I might have to go back! Ohh and the cronuts.. what!?! My mouth is watering right now :)
ReplyDeleteAww! Sorry the water was a little chilly for swimming but all that yummy food certainly made up for any disappointment I'm sure!! Great post! We were in Australia in January and it was soooo hot, almost too uncomfortable to do things at times, so I bet the fresh breeze would have been nice for exploring!
ReplyDeleteMy mind was also blown when I started using hostels. Some of their amenities can be so thoughtful, on part with a much more expensive hotel. Glad you were able to convince yourself to take a dip.
ReplyDeleteThe place looks great for a short vacation. yes, cronut is definitely every woman's dream! ;-) And I literally want a donut as soon I finish this off! Great post and lovely pictures.
ReplyDelete