FORGET the four and five star resorts, a backpackers hostel has been named the best accommodation provider in Coffs Harbour by online travel site Trivago.

The Aussitel Backpackers in Harbour Dr opposite the Promenade has topped the Coffs Harbour section of the 2014 Australian Hotel Rankings.

Aussitel came up with an 86.26 rating, followed by the Park Beach Holiday Park (85.31) and Coffs Harbour YHA (84.96).

A Trivago spokesperson said while it might seem strange that hostels and holiday parks are securing top spots, it is usually the smaller providers that receive a lot of positive reviews online as they are great at personalising their services to make guests feel special and go that extra mile which in turn gets their guests online writing positive reviews.

Other local accommodation providers to feature on the Trivago Top 10 were Smugglers on the Beach (4), Bosuns Inn Motel (5), Ocean Park Motel (6), Pacific Marina Luxury Apartments (7), Caribbean Motel (8), Royal Palms Motor Inn (9) and Matador Motor Inn (10).