This is an absolutely beautiful hostel. You feel like you’re staying in the trees. The staff there are lovely, Tim, the owner, is so helpful with booking tours and helping to organise an extension on your stay when you inevitably decide you can’t leave just yet! The kitchen has lots of utensils and everything you’d need. There is hobs, a microwave and an air fryer for cooking. No oven, but I didn’t feel I needed it because of the air fryer. The kitchen was clean, people were very respectful with doing their washing up and cleaning up after themselves. The bathrooms were also clean, there were 3 showers dotted across the hostel so usually you can find one to use even when it’s during busy times in the morning or evening. The toilets are separate, so you don’t need to worry about all of the bathrooms being taken up by people showering. The outside area is such a lovely environment. There is a BBQ area, lots of areas to relax and chill out. A very cute little pool that is open until 9pm. The staff often play gentle quiet music during the day around the pool, which just makes the space feel even nicer. The rooms themselves are so adorable. I stayed in both the 5 bed and the 4 bed dorm on different occasions and both are lovely. The girls I shared with were fun and welcoming, it felt like a very cute girly experience sharing a room with them. There are no bunkbeds so it feels really spacious. People are quiet and respectful with noise. This is the perfect place to stay if you’re like me and didn’t want to be in a party hostel but still like the idea of meeting friendly people. I made 5/6 new friends here, which made the whole experience even more fun, but you can also quite happily exist on the solo, and everyone will be friendly either way! I would highly recommend staying here, don’t look any further!! I would come back in a heartbeat!!! Thanks for a great stay Tim!! :)

Some plugs by the beds would be great. There's one main set of plugs in the middle of the room that everyone's has to share, so make sure to bring an adapter. But honestly it wasn't a big deal at all!!

The whole feel of Dreamtime is exactly how the name implies, a dream. It was small enough to be a home away from home but big enough to allow socialising on an evening. The pool was lovely and cool after the hot days.

The plug sockets in the bedrooms weren’t near the rooms so I had to charge my portable charger up then have that by the bed for alarms etc. The extension lead also could not fit all five girls adaptors.

Excellent place to stay, probably the best I had in my whole trip around Australia. It was a quiet place but very conveniently located just steps away from the bus/train station. It serves a perfect amount of guests, not few so you can't meet people, but not many so it feels cramped. It also has several toilets, kitchens and common rooms distributed around the house, so it helps. But what shines the most about this place is their owners, the kindness and good will they put when interacting with the guests and helping them with every need they might have. Thanks for all your help!

I liked that the hostel was located far enough from the city centre, but by no means too far. The hostel has a nice homely vibe with plenty of facilities, the place is kept very tidy, and you can see the effort that is put into maintaining a high standard by Paul the owner, and staff. Check-in and out was effortless and pleasant, the bed was comfy, ceiling fan and air-conditioning available, there are individual toilets and showers nearby to each set of rooms, including multiple kitchens. You have a BBQ with outdoor seating next to the pool surrounded by tropical plants and trees, the people the hostel attracts are of a friendly sociable nature. You don't need much more than that at a hostel. I'm glad I followed my intuition and stayed here. I made a video on youtub, just search 'Tyler Martin Cairns' showing some of the hostel, and some ideas of places you can visit while in cairns, plus of course the main reason for my stop in Cairns - Australia's only bungee jump.

Initially booked this hostel for three days, but the atmosphere was so wonderful and relaxing that I ended up staying for nearly a month. There are no bunk beds—just regular beds—so it feels much more comfortable. Almost every room has its own fridge, and there are plenty of bathrooms and kitchens available, the place also very clean which adds to overall comfort. The garden is incredibly peaceful; you might not even want to leave once you settle in. There’s also a cool common area on the second-floor balcony with a red sofa where I spent most of my time. This is definitely not the typical party hostel full of loud drinking or drugs. Whenever I came in, people were meditating, doing yoga, reading, painting, or writing. If you’re looking for a party-all-night vibe, this may not be the place for you. The guests here have a different energy—more mature, quiet, and respectful. It’s also a very safe choice for solo female travelers. Another unique aspect is that the owners are often at reception, which makes the place feel safer, and they address any issues immediately. However, if you’re a digital nomad, be aware that the internet can be spotty in some rooms—especially in rooms 6 and 7, where it doesn’t reach at all. Even a Telstra hotspot wasn’t sufficient there. The internet in room 19 was much better, and it’s very good in the common areas. But working in the common area during the summer without air conditioning can be tough due to the heat. In the winter, though, it could be a great environment for digital nomads. It might be even better if they added two or three small coworking or meeting areas in the garden—then it would be a digital nomad’s paradise. They’ve created an incredibly peaceful atmosphere overall. If you’re looking for a calm, relaxing place rather than a party hostel, this is a wonderful place to stay. If you visit Cairns, don’t bother looking anywhere else!

One recommendation I have is to add small lockers under each bed (with keys) for personal items in sharing rooms. The only other thing is, maybe it’s just a personal preference, but I found the pillows too soft and small for my liking—though others might actually prefer them that way.

Attractive, quirky place with lots of comfy corners for hanging out. I chose a bed in a 4 bed female dorm and we were only 2 that night so it was perfect. Great location opposite the station so not far to walk for buses and trains. Lovely and quiet at night.

There seemed to be a shortage of toilets and bathrooms, only one of each upstairs. In the end it wasn't a problem but that's because the hostel wasn't full. From my dorm it was quite a walk to the loo, through the kitchen and public areas, so not great if you want to go in the middle of the night. Reception closes early. As I didn't arrive until late, I wasn't able to get a towel. Good job I'd already had a shower.

Location was good. Close to Central Cairns, the Lagoon and the harbour. Bed was clean and reasonably comfortable. Apart from the rooms, the public facilities were cleaned twice a day. Showers were warm enough. Was able to extend my stay without any problems because of me being sick.

This 1 girl was foodprepping the whole day for the staff. Had to order a pizza instead of doing some healthy cooking. It doesn't matter that the pizza was delicious. Have some decency and allow other people to cook as well. I can agree with the girl who mentioned the weird spiritual vibe. Think it's the drawing near the stairs. The manager was constantly telling horrific stories about his traveling which left me not being able to have some down time alone time in silence while smoking a lovely, (silent) cigarette. Overall, I had to do way too much socializing in this tiny, cosy hostel.

It’s been my best hostel experience of my 3-month East Coast🌊🏖️ trip🚘. The beds were quite comfortable and SINGLES! into a old wooden house which made u feel really cozy😊. People were friendly, polite, respectful and pretty clean and the owners were also nice and very helpful. It’s the first time I feel like a home in a place like that🥹. Actually, at the beginning I’d booked 4nights but I extended ‘til 12 more!). And just next to the hostel, a cool cafe-bar with amazing coffee, some nights live music and good vibes! Thanks to everybody that made me feel so good!

A bit annoying the location (behind the railways) but also convenient (behind the city mall and quite).

Loved the tropical and laid-back vibes of the place! Different—much nicer!—than any other hostel I've ever stayed at. It was lovely to chill in a bean bag chair and listen to the birds chirp in the palm trees. Lots of shared spaces, all of them colourful and cozy. Well-equipped kitchens, and enough toilets and showers that I never had to queue. Staff was friendly, and the location right next to the station is very convenient if traveling by train.

A budget single room is just that—it's tiny and very simple. Not a problem for me, since I just wanted a bit of private space and bed to sleep in, which is exactly what I got; just figured I'd mention this, in case anyone is expecting anything else. The only real issue I had with my room was the lack of noise isolation. I could hear snoring from the next room as if that person was sleeping next to me. Luckily, everyone respected the silence at 10pm, and there were no other noises.

All areas of property were fantastic. Very homey and quaint and cool at the same time. I liked there was no food allowed in rooms. Cleaning staff were friendly, helpful and did a great job. As well, owner was accommodating when I checked out.

I tried to contact the owner about a quick issue with the code via text message and phone call but he never picked up or replied.( He had left for the day but left his after hours contact info ) Thankfully I sorted it out myself with the help of another guest. But it would have been nice for him to check up to ensure all was okay I never heard back.