Arts Factory by Nomads

Let’s start with the good stuff: The community is pretty incredible. People from every country, every walk of life could be found, and can come together to bond. It’s a very welcoming place where socializing is at the forefront. Customer service from the staff was good, easy check-ins, check-outs, and I saw the manager interacting with a few guests and it was always very pleasant. The amenities of having a pool and volleyball court, outdoor and indoor seating, decent WiFi, chargers in the social areas, and hammocks were a nice touch. I’d come to hangout, but I wouldn’t spend money and stay the night here again… Now for the not-so-great stuff. Cleanliness 2/10 unfortunately very poor maintenance. It all feels broken down, abused, and grimy. I think there’s a general lack of respect because of how gross things are, that nobody bothers to be the Good Samaritan if everyone else is gross. This goes for the bathrooms, the kitchens, common areas for dining, the pool, and of course the dorm rooms themselves. It’s over-priced for how dirty you feel while staying here. I’d probably prefer to stay in my own pitched tent over the dorm rooms, in the dry season. It is quite a ways away from town, around a 15-20 minute walk doesn’t seem like much but without shade, in direct sun and humid heat during the summer, it’s rough. Especially if you’re backpacking, plan to take an uber or taxi from the bus stop. I wish they offered a bus to/from town like the other hostels in the area do. Bring a bike AND A LOCK if you don’t have a car/ van for transport. Randoms are fine, but it does feel a bit odd that anyone from anywhere can come and go, without having a room reserved. I bet many people take advantage of that, which probably adds to how unclean it feels. I didn’t have any bad interactions, but many people are using some form of *medication* so limit your expectations on community behavior. The rooms do not have AC, and I found it to be pretty hard to sleep in with only a ceiling fan and a floor fan while it was so hot and humid at night. Again, the general lack of accountability leads to very dirty rooms. If this place was cleaned from top to bottom, sterilized of grime and given some real TLC, it has the potential to be a much better space. Either more volunteers, more cleaning staff, or more strict security needs to come into play if the prices are to remain what they are. I hope to come back and have a better experience, for now it just has memories of some good people ❤️

This is a very unique hostel, on the edge of Byron Bay and backing out directly onto a Nature Reserve. Surrounding the main building are a campsite, glamping tents, volleyball court and a pond/water feature. Wildlife come and go through the grounds, which is pretty special! There is a good atmosphere at the hostel generally and people are friendly. The bathrooms were clean and the laundry facilities were excellent. There is also a luggage storage area and coffee shop on-site. We were staying in the glamping section (the ‘island’), which was a little basic and a bit cold in September (the tent has ventilation/windows which can’t be shut). Due to the climate, the tent walls were also slightly mouldy. It would have be useful to have some shelves for storing items during our stay. Although the site Wi-Fi reaches out even to the tents, which was great! N.B there is a pub/music venue nearby so music is playing loudly throughout the venue until about midnight on some nights. The walk back at night is also quiet dark (there are no street lights), so if you are alone you may want to take a short Uber ride back. However, the location and overall atmosphere make this a very peaceful and unique spot. Staying here was a special experience - a highlight of our time in Byron Bay!

Great hostel. The Private rooms are Great, ours even came with a small fridge and a water Boiler. The facilities were clean, but as little cold as they are basically outside. The kitchen was big and clean and the rooftop balcony was a big Highlight. The location is a little downside, as it is outside of Byron bay, like a 20 min walk. But this makes it a very quiet location. Overall a really good hostel.

I recently booked a stay at Arts factory lodge and was beyond impressed by this place! I booked a very large group of people and the team at the hostel was so accommodating and made the process so simple. The facilities were awesome and rooms were fabulous. Nicole took care of our booking and was genuinely amazing with everything, 10/10 would recommend!

After reading all the reviews about the filth in the common areas, I was skeptical. However, everything turned out better than expected. We stayed in a private room/tent by the lake, which had a welcome swampy smell, but that didn't detract from the cozy and slightly festival-like atmosphere. Everything was very relaxed, and everyone went their own way, but there were definitely social groups within the hostel. The bar and the tacos are highly recommended, especially during happy hour. Overall, I didn't feel like I fit in with the hostel's target audience and I did feel a real sense of social pressure to interact. Which did happen, but I really came to visit Byron Bay, not just to make friends in a hostel. Overall, my stay was absolutely fine!

I can’t speak for recent times, but 12 or 13 years ago this was the spot! In walking distance to the beach and everything else, perfect hippy/artist vibes, with the most diverse melting pot of human culture imaginable. I think of this place not only as my favorite hostel ever but as a safe haven of nostalgia when revisiting yesteryear! Cheers, mates

I feel like the Arts Factory Lodge is living off its reputation rather than its current reality. You can tell it used to be a cool and iconic place, but now it feels pretty run down and tired. It’s still trading on that “authentic Byron” image, but what it really needs is some care and investment. On my first night, a small group of us were scolded like school kids for quietly having a couple of beers in the garden after 10pm; fair enough, the bar was closed and they don’t have a licence but right next to us another group was openly preparing to use drugs in front of staff and nothing was said. Seems like priorities are a bit backwards. A liquor licence should be the least of your worries if the police ever come knocking. At $55 a night, it’s hard to justify when you can stay somewhere newer, cleaner, and closer to town for just a few dollars more. The atmosphere is still social and the location is fine, but overall it feels like the Arts Factory’s best days are behind it.

So its a very authentic place. And we really loved the vibe. Just a little advise only book the tipi if you are not afraid of turkey's they can come in your tent and get in your stuff.