Arcadia Beach Guest House

We hired a car for a fun day on the island. The Suzuki was a great car for a beach holiday: it got us everywhere we wanted to go. Definitely not a luxury car: but good fun to drive and our kids loved sitting in the back in the open. The bloke we hired it from was full of information and gave some good ideas for a day out. Would definitely hire another car from them.

We haven't stayed in Arcadia Beach Guest House but we rented a car with them. We do NOT recommend renting a car with them. The car was definitely not in a roadworthy condition and turned out to be an absolute safety hazard: - The passenger seatbelt could not be fastened properly. - The car stopped in the middle of the road (engine just went off). - The car did not start properly. Sometimes it took 20 attempts and a call with the boss to make it start. - The tyres were absolutely run down. We confronted the owner via the phone. He became very rude and blamed us for all of these issues. Think twice before you choose this car hire for $120 a day.

We came for the day and beforehand did some research that said ferry and island is dog friendly but it’s definitely not as we got refused entry on hop on hop off bus. Only choice now was to rent a car but all but acacia refused lap dog. Look the Suzuki 4wd car was rough and expensive at $90 for 5 hours but we had no other option. All popular walks and locations were no dogs so recommend leaving pooch at home

If I could give 0 stars I would. This doesn’t even deserve 1 star. Myself and my girlfriend had an absolute horrible experience. I rang to organise a 4x4 rental a few days in advance. The car I rented was a suzuki sierra 4x4. We planned to rent this motor for 2 days. We met Ian at the ferry terminal and all went well until we got to the car rental place. Immediately there was a rust box waiting for us. We sat down with Ian and he told us to sign some paperwork and give our bank cards and licences. He gave us some info on the island. After that Ian took us to that car. It had dents, bashes and cracks all over, rust absolutely everywhere and did not look safe. We were not happy with it and asked to change car. Ian refused to give us a different car and told us it was roadworthy. It absolutely was not. The clutch felt non- existent. The steering fluid felt low which resulted in stiff steering. The steering wheel itself did not feel secure at all and very loose. The car would not go into gear properly. The horn did not work. The seat did not move position. Radio did not work. Mirrors were very stiff. The car kept conking out. When accelerating I felt like I would flood the engine with petrol. You could smell fumes the whole time while driving. Although this car was a 4x4 we were told to keep it as a 2 wheel drive in a low gear. We wanted a 4 wheel drive for the island. We drove from Arcadia to Nomads hostel (about 5 minutes drive). The engine smelt like burning. When I rang Ian and asked to drop me over a different car, he shouted down the phone telling me how useless of a driver I am and that “there is nothing wrong the car and it is roadworthy”. “I watched you leave and you couldn’t drive it so your girlfriend did” (we are both used to manual cars and struggled to get this car to go). He insulted both of our driving abilities and told me “I’d rather not have you drive it so I’ll give you a refund” I told him that’s fine and give me my money back and he shouted down the phone to meet him outside nomads in 5 minutes for a new car and just hung up on me. He refused to believe there was anything wrong with the car by saying “you don’t know what you’re talking about, there’s nothing wrong with my cars, they’re completely road worthy”. Also what’s very important to note is that we only had this car for approximately 10 minutes before we called Ian up. Once he arrived (with a replacement car) we told him this car is not safe to drive and we want our money back. He angrily shouted at myself and my girlfriend and told us to drive his incompetent car back to Arcadia. (After a short row we drove the replacement car back and it seemed to have no issue apart from having no radio and loose cables inside, while he took the original car back. Also he had to fully rev the car all the way to get it started and did so in an angrily manor while telling us to “drive that f*****g car to my joint and make your own way f*****g back”) Once we got back to Arcadia, I got a refund. We both received a lot of verbal abuse and horrible attitude. He appeared to want to try and fight my girlfriend who was with me instead of me. Once we gave back the key he told us to get off his property and started to bad mouth us to other customers which we could clearly hear while walking away. We could smell the alcohol off of him when he came to meet us at Nomads. We also had to walk back 45 minutes from Arcadia to Nomads hostel. I would 100% recommend to go elsewhere with your business and do not come here at all. These cars are an accident waiting to happen. They clearly never get serviced or even repaired. It ruined our trip to the island. This man Ian is a scam artist. We done the right thing in returning this vehicle and organising a refund. What a waste of time and a waste of $250. Also he told me the car I rented was worth $8000 and I would have to pay this if any damages were occurred which I thought was ridiculous. The excess in the insurance was worth way more than the car. ($1800).

We were meant to stay at Nomads but due to the cyclone they had to close but did not help us get any replacement hostel, and told us we should not come to the island. Thankfully we rang another hostel (this one) and Ian (the owner) helped us greatly and sorted us out with accommodation within minutes as we had nowhere to stay and could’ve been stuck on the island. The rooms were great value for money and the location was perfect. If you had any questions or needed any help with what you wanted to do on the island Ian was great at assisting you in anyway possible. Definitely recommend staying here.

the most seedy hotel I have been to, the boss is always drunk and aggressive, we arrived in a room with holes everywhere, windows that cannot be closed. BUT the worst is that we rented a car, I took videos because it was so memorable, the brakes don't work well, the handbrake was completely destroyed and the clutch pedal completely jammed, what's more we We paid 135 dollars for 24 hours. conclusion, run away, if I could give 0 stars I would

Our experience with hiring a 4x4 Toyota Landcruiser from this company was terrible. The rear driver's side tire was cracked, lacking grip, and the steering felt dangerously loose. At times, the steering became unexpectedly heavy, indicating possible low steering fluid. Additionally, the full beams didn't function properly, Which resulted in a very dangerous drive back to our hostle after sunset. When we raised these concerns with the owner upon returning the vehicle, he became aggressively defensive, resorting to shouting and swearing. He even refused to provide the promised drop-off service, insisting we find our own way back. Thankfully, one of the employees eventually helped us. While the staff were generally pleasant, the owner's behavior was unacceptable. I strongly recommend avoiding this rental service if you prioritize safety while driving. Invest a bit more in a reputable company for a better experience.

Very nice location we had a room which I definitely would recommend compared to the tents. But you must know that there are ants everywhere in the rooms and especially worse in the kitchen drawers. The hostel kitchen in general was literally the worst I have ever seen/tried to use. Everything in there was so rundown. You can boil an egg but that’s probably it. Apart from that it was a very nice stay Ian had great tips on what to do and the beach is just across the road. You can walk to the rock wallabies at low tide in no time, which is really nice.

Great location, comfortable stay! LOCATION: Conveniently located in front of Geoffrey Bay and not far from Horseshoe Bay (which is supposed to have great snorkeling, but sea conditions were not cooperative during my visit). SERVICE: Great advice from the owners on where to go for snorkeling and to see rock wallabies nearby. The snorkel trail that runs in the water in front of the guest house would be great when the visibility is better. ROOM: The three-person dorm had an ensuite bathroom, comfortable beds, and soap and towel provided. FACILITIES: The kitchen and dining area are fairly spacious with a pool table as well.

Lovely place in Arcadia with professional and helpful managers Shaun and Dana. The place is neat and clean. We stayed in the safari tent for two nights an in the Joyce Bay room for a night. Shared facilities are in good condition and clean. The managers were helpful and provided us with a suggested to-do list and snorkelling gear, and drove us to the ferry. Any questions we had were kindly answered. We were missing more competitive prices for their car rentals and an option for borrowing/hiring a push bike directly with them, but this is minor. Would come again. Stayed September 2015