Little Drifter Cairns
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1 night
1 room, 2 adults, 0 children
All properties in Cairns
Little Drifter Cairns
Renovated in 2025
1/7 Shields St, Cairns, Queensland 4870, Australia
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Highlights
Newly renovated
Sparkling clean
Excellent service
Lots to do
Ideal locationAmenities
Luggage Storage
Wi-Fi in Public AreasFree
Restaurant
Tour/Ticket Service
Smoking Area
Front Desk with Limited Hours
Lockers Available
Express Check-In and Check-Out
All amenities
Property Description
With a stay at Little Drifter Cairns in Cairns (Cairns Central Business District), you'll be steps from Cairns Esplanade and 7 minutes by foot from Cairns Central Shopping Centre. This hostel is 0.4 mi (0.6 km) from Reef Fleet Terminal and 0.1 mi (0.1 km) from Cairns Regional Gallery.
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9.1/10
Best style of a hostel can be
Comfy beds,great location, smiley workers, clean spaces.. :)
All 89 reviews
Surroundings
Airport: Cairns Airport
(6.6 km)
Train: Cairns Central Station
(670m)
Train: Freshwater
(10.7 km)
Landmarks: Timezone Cairns
(<100m)
Landmarks: Cairns Art Gallery
(100m)
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Overview
Rooms
Guest Reviews
Services & Amenities
Policies
10
Bed In 8 Bed Dorm
1 bunk bed
14m² | Floor: 1
No window
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
7
Private 6 Bed Female Dorm
6 bunk beds
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
13
Private Queen Room
1 queen bed
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
6
Bed In 6 Bed Dorm
1 bunk bed
No window
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
1
Quadruple Room
2 bunk beds
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
11
Private 8 Bed Room
8 bunk beds
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
5
Bed In 6 Bed Female Dorm
1 bunk bed
Has window
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
11
Private 6 Bed Room
6 bunk beds
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
8
Bed In 4 Bed Dorm
1 bunk bed
No window
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
4
Private 4 Bed Dorm
4 bunk beds
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
4
Private 8 Bed Female Dorm
8 bunk beds
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
7
Bed In 8 Bed Female Dorm
1 bunk bed
14m² | Floor: 1
No window
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
8
Bed In 4 Bed Female Dorm
1 bunk bed
No window
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
4
Private 4 Bed Female Dorm
4 bunk beds
Free Wi-Fi
Non-smoking
Air conditioning
Shower
Washing machine
Bedding: Blanket or quilt
Check Availability
Hide Room Types
Guest Reviews
9.1/10
Great
89 reviews
This property hasn't received any negative reviews in the past 1 year.
- Cleanliness9.0
- Amenities8.7
- Location9.7
- Service8.9
Average for similar properties in Cairns

Review summary
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Location: Convenient location allowing walking to various places with nearby supermarkets like Woolworths(based on 13 reviews)
Guest User
October 17, 2025
Best style of a hostel can be
Comfy beds,great location, smiley workers, clean spaces.. :)
Anonymous User
October 9, 2025
This places is definitely soo good, convenient location for everything!🙌🏻 You can walk to anywhere
Also staff are all friendly and helpful
Kate Canova
October 9, 2025
Can I put 6 stars? :)
This place is definitely one of the best hostels ever. Where do I start from?
Reception: everyone is always super kind and helpful, including offering help with luggage and everything else. The hostel looks very new and modern, so beautiful!
Room: it's great! Big enough, with hangers, curtains on each bed (amazing!), plugs and light for every bed and also some extra plugs around the room. Bed was very comfortable and I felt great there!
Bathroom: always clean, soap in every sink and in every shower, big and nice!
Kitchen: incredibly well equipped and open 24 hours. There are 2 doors separating it from the rooms so it's never noisy even if people are there in the night. They provide big boxes that fit in the (many) fridges so that it's all tidy and clean. Goodbye the hundreds of Woolworths bags and messy fridges with no space for other people's food! Even the cups, the dishes were perfectly clean, like everything else. I was seriously impressed, they did the cleaning multiple times a day. Free salt, oil, tea and coffee always available.
Common areas: really beautiful, full of books, games, with a huge TV and many tables and beanbags.
Events: they actually organize social events and the staff helps the "new" people to socialize. That's so important! Many long termers don't really mind about meeting new people but if the staff does his part then it gets a lot easier. And here, they do. On my first night they had a free cheese and wine event and we got a lot of tasty food and wine.
Location: perfect, just above Woolworths and a few minutes walking from everything. The Little Drifter feels more like an hotel than a hostel and I really don't know how people can rate it low.
As great as it is I would still like to suggest some possible improvement. Maybe at the Reception you can print a map with a few info about the hostel on the back. I didn't understand where the boxes for the kitchen were, I didn't find the labels. Also it took me 3 days to find out that I had another toilet a lot closer to my room, so for 3 days I was crossing a very long hallway in the middle of the night when I had to go.
I also didn't like the fact that I had to open the doors through the app and I discovered later that there is a code to open it as well (I try to leave my phone in my room as much as possible).
This hostel is a little more expensive than other places but it's totally worth it! If I'll be back in Cairns I won't hesitate to come here. Thanks!
Pei Yeing
December 19, 2024
There are share restroom among entire floor. The facilities in the restroom need to be upgrade due to not function well
The location wise is easy to travel everywhere. There are Woolworths just few step away from the stay
Ji around the world
January 6, 2025
We’ve stayed at a The Village hostel in Canberra before and had a rather good experience, this was our first time in Cairns and we greatly appreciated their hospitality once again!
The hostel was huge, the rooms were very spacious and we overall were offered everything we needed (laundry room, all equipped kitchen, bathrooms, etc).
It was a short stay but we really enjoyed how close the hostel was from the local pool and night market!
It’s a 20-min taxi drive from the airport (note that there’s no public transport in this area of the city).
Would definitely recommend The Village overall, why not try some of their other locations in the upcoming future!
Guest User
November 6, 2025
clean, convinient, quit
Guest User
July 27, 2024
무엇보다도 위치만 봐도 100점입니다. 사람들은 모두가 착하고 또한 매우 조용하며 재미난 숙소였습니다.
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M28264****
July 25, 2024
很滿意!方便來回景點!
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Services & Amenities
Most popular amenities
Luggage Storage
Wi-Fi in Public Areas
Free
Restaurant
Tour/Ticket Service
Smoking Area
Restaurant
Restaurant
No additional info available
More Amenities
Internet
Wi-Fi in Public Areas
Free
Parking
Parking
Front desk services
Front Desk with Limited Hours
Lockers Available
Express Check-In and Check-Out
Luggage Storage
Tour/Ticket Service
Food & drink
Alcohol-free property
Halal meals provided
Off-site
Health & wellness
Yoga Session
Activities
Eco Tours
Off-site
Public areas
Elevator
Shared Kitchen
No Smoking in Public Areas
Picnic Area
Outdoor Furniture
Smoking Area
Cleaning services
Clothes Dryer
Accessibility
Handrails in Stairways
Safety & security
CCTV In Public Areas
First-Aid Kit
Fire Extinguisher
Smoke Detector
Property Policies
Check-in and Check-out Times
Check-in: 14:00–24:00
Check-out: 08:00–10:00
Front desk hours: [Mon-Sun]08:00–24:00
Child policies
Children can stay in some rooms of this hotel.
Additional fees may be charged for children using existing beds. Add the number of children to get a more accurate price.
Cots and Extra Beds
Extra bed and crib policies may vary according to room type. Please refer to the room type details for more information.
Breakfast
Breakfast not provided.
Pets
Pets are not allowed
Service animals
Service animals are not allowed
Age Requirements
The main guest checking in must be at least 18 years old
Parties
Parties and activities not allowed
Paying at the hotel
Property Description
- Opened: 2019
- Renovated: 2025
- Number of Rooms: 94
Phone:+61-7-42488091
Email:info@driftercairns.com.au
With a stay at Little Drifter Cairns in Cairns (Cairns Central Business District), you'll be steps from Cairns Esplanade and 7 minutes by foot from Cairns Central Shopping Centre. This hostel is 0.4 mi (0.6 km) from Reef Fleet Terminal and 0.1 mi (0.1 km) from Cairns Regional Gallery.
Take in the views from a terrace and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access and concierge services.
Featured amenities include luggage storage, laundry facilities, and microwave in a common area.
Make yourself at home in one of the 54 air-conditioned guestrooms. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Bathrooms have showers and hair dryers.
Take in the views from a terrace and make use of amenities such as complimentary wireless internet access and concierge services.
Featured amenities include luggage storage, laundry facilities, and microwave in a common area.
Make yourself at home in one of the 54 air-conditioned guestrooms. Complimentary wireless internet access is available to keep you connected. Bathrooms have showers and hair dryers.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the check-in and check-out times at Little Drifter Cairns?
Check-in at Little Drifter Cairns is from 14:00-24:00 and check-out is by 10:00.What are the check-in and check-out times at Little Drifter Cairns?
Does Little Drifter Cairns have a swimming pool?
No, Little Drifter Cairns doesn't have a pool.Does Little Drifter Cairns have a swimming pool?
Are pets allowed at Little Drifter Cairns?
No, pets are not allowed at Little Drifter Cairns.Are pets allowed at Little Drifter Cairns?
Does Little Drifter Cairns provide breakfast?
No, Little Drifter Cairns does not include breakfast. You can find nearby restaurants and cafés that serve breakfast. Does Little Drifter Cairns provide breakfast?
How much does it cost to stay at Little Drifter Cairns?
Prices at Little Drifter Cairns may change depending on dates, hotel policy, and other factors. Enter your travel dates to see the latest prices.How much does it cost to stay at Little Drifter Cairns?
Which airport is closest to Little Drifter Cairns?
The nearest airport is Cairns Airport, just about 13 mins from hotel by car (6.6 km) away.Which airport is closest to Little Drifter Cairns?
What is the cancellation policy for Little Drifter Cairns?
The cancellation policy for Little Drifter Cairns depends on the room type and booking terms.What is the cancellation policy for Little Drifter Cairns?
About This Property
| Nearest Airport | Cairns Intl. Airport |
|---|---|
| Distance to Airport | 6.76KM |
| Nearest Train Station | Cairns Central Station |
| Distance to Train Station | 0.67KM |
| Average Price From | NZD245 |
| Hotel Star Rating | 2 |









