Chester Street Backpackers Long Term Accommodation - BBH

I've stayed in Chester Street for 4 months and could have easily stayed for much longer (and I wish I could have!!). The place feels like home away from home. All the other backpackers staying longterm makes it feel like you are living in a shared flat with the nicest and funnest flatmates. The place always looked tidy thanks to the lovely staff (thank you Karen, Lucy and Antony!!), the house would often smell like freshly baked bread or crêpes (thank you Mowali and Justine), there would always be fresh flowers on the kitchen table, often there'd be fresh free range eggs from the owner's farm, and of course there is Pipi the cat to really top off that homely feeling! The owners are super accommodating and helpful and truly only a phone call away. Antony sells campervans for backpackers and was always willing to help you out with any car-related issues or help you think along to find solutions. Karen was super sweet, always in for a fun little chat, and made sure to keep the house and garden nice and clean. She'd always put fresh flowers on the kitchen table and made a lovely fruit cake for christmas. The house and location itself are great! Only a 15/20 min walk from the city center, in the prettiest street of all of Christchurch, and with the Avon River and the surrounding green area very nearby, perfect for a run, bike ride or picnic! The house has a very nice and warm interior. Big kitchen table, lounge with comfy couches, a big tv, plenty of books, films and games to choose from, a backyard with two picnic tables, so plenty of space to hang out with your flatmates :). The porch especially is great for a nice little morning coffee in the sun. Chester Street Backpackers and all the people I've met there is what made my time in Christchurch very special and would definitely recommend to any other (solo)travelers!

I was living at Chester Street for about 4 months, and I honestly could not have imagined a more beautiful place that I am so lucky to call my New Zealand home. The location is perfect as the city center is just a 20 minute walk away and you can reach really nice cafes, museums, pubs etc, and the owners always have great recommendations for things to do around. The rooms were very cosy with comfortable beds, the kitchen has everything you could need for cooking and baking, and the lounge is perfect for movie nights and board games. Karen and Antony (the owners) make sure that everybody feels cared for and at home, thank you Karen for sharing so many beautiful (travel) stories and advice, for always bringing fresh flowers that lit up the space and helping out with any bumps along the road. Also a huge thanks to Antony for sharing so much knowledge about cars with me, I would have been lost without you! During my time at Chester Street, I have met so many lovely, kind, and interesting people from all over the world, and having a place to stay long term that makes you feel at home away from home really allowed us to grow really close (can't forget our princess Pipi the cat, of course, the star of the show!). This hostel is truly one of a kind! :)

While we didn't stay at the accommodation, we bought our campervan from Antony here. He's a genuine and trustworthy seller who made the whole process extremely seamless and stress-free. He was great at communicating even before we arrived in the country, taking our calls and giving us photos and specs in advance. If you're in the market for a van in Christchurch, I can definitely recommend reaching out to him.

A place to be home: The hostel and especially its owners create a perfect place to feel at home. The location is very central in Christchurch and yet it is very quiet and beautiful to look at with nature. Fresh flowers can be found on the kitchen table every day and there are fresh eggs regularly. The hostel is very tidy and clean so that I always felt comfortable in there. This place is just too beautiful to leave. Thank you very much for the great time.

It wasn’t just a hostel—it was my home. Over the past six months, I made so many wonderful memories with amazing people. Everyone was always kind, welcoming, supportive, and considerate. Karen keeps the place clean and cozy, provides organic eggs, and cares about how we’re doing. Antony shows up whenever we need him and can fix just about anything. Lucy, the staff member, is the friendliest and most amazing person! And I miss Pipi the cat so much. The location is great—15min walk to the CBD—and the environment is very safe. I feel so lucky to have spent such a valuable time at Chester St Backpackers!

We found Chester street campers in advance of our trip to NZ and had to pay a non refundable 10% deposit based on a couple of pictures and a brief description of the camper car. Anthony agreed a buy back price with a fresh WOF over message and again in person when we picked the car up. The van was filthy when we arrived to pick it up, the front windows motors had broken and the side ones siliconed in (none of which was mentioned when agreeing to buy the car). Following this, the mattress was covered in mould as was the kitchen equipment, we had to throw pretty much everything away. Additionally as soon as we drove off we noticed a large chip to the windscreen right in the drivers field of vision - unsure how it passed the last WOF in this condition and also strange that Anthony made a point to remind us to get windscreen insurance before we left. Other than this the van did its job for the 4 months we used it over the summer season. However when it came to selling it we went back to Anthony to discuss our buy back arrangement, over text he agreed to a price without a WOF and asked us to drive a further 30 minutes out of Christchurch to his house to sell it. When we arrived Anthony told us that he was planning on giving up the business and didn’t really want the van back, claiming it was now too old (we bought end of October 24 and went back to him start of March 25) also claiming that there was a water leak (verified from a garage to be incorrect). He sent us away and suggested we took it to the scrapyard. We managed to sell it privately the same day for a decent price but would definitely avoid if you are a backpacker looking for a trustworthy car and buy back option!!

Me and my boyfriend stayed here for 8 months while we were working, it’s the best! I loved Chester street backpackers, so much that I still call it home. The owners Anthony and Karen are the kindest, loveliest and most helpful people I’ve ever met. Sometimes they would leave eggs for everyone to share in the kitchen from their chickens at their farm 😆 If you need help they are only a phone call away, they have helped me and my boyfriend multiple times, with things that were nothing to do with the hostel! They are always happy to lend a helping hand wherever they can 😊 If you need somewhere to stay, even if only for a couple days or long term then this is the perfect place. It has a beautiful back and front garden that is maintained weekly, a front room with lots of books and DVDs you can flick through and is a peaceful place to relax. Affordable, clean and in a great place to be able to walk into Christchurch, 5/10 mins! My only regret is leaving! Thank you Anthony and Karen, hopefully I’ll be back to stay again one day!!!

If you want a cozy and affordable home close to town for a few weeks or months while staying in Christchurch this is THE place! I stayed here during all of winter and most of spring, and loved every second of it! The house is a bit older, hence the charm, but even during the cold Christchurch winter the owners, Karen and Antony, made sure you’d stay warm with radiators and heated blankets in all of the rooms. For the warmer months the front porch is perfect for soaking up the sunlight during the day, and the back garden has loads of lovely greenery maintained by Karen, that gives you the perfect balance of shade and sunshine (especially during the evening)! With hostels, be it long or short term, you never really know who you might be staying with, however since Chester Street is made to feel like a home most people also start feeling like family! The kitchen, with its big dining table was great for socialising. The tv-room was also great when you just wanted to relax on a comfy couch, and usually the only one that would disturb your peace was the hostel cat Pipi, which was more than anything a fluffy and cuddly bonus! There’s a live in housekeeper, that makes sure that the hostel is clean and takes care of day-to-day stuff like restocking toilet paper replacing tea towels, taking out the garbage etc. In addition to that, Karen comes by at least once a week, and every time someone moves out, to make sure that the hostel is extra tidy, hoovered, stove and oven is cleaned a bit extra, and if you’re lucky she might even bring fresh eggs and flowers from their own chickens and garden! There’s also lots of cupboard and fridge space to store your food, there’s a washing machine and dryer for 1$ per use each, and since it’s a smaller hostel you would never have to wait long to use either of the two showers. Plus if there ever were any issues with any of the amenities, which there rarely was, you could call/text Antony and he’d have it sorted usually within one or two hours! Location is also great, it’s just a 7 min walk to New Regent Street which has loads of great boutiques and cafés during the day, as well as great restaurants and bars during the evening. 5 more minutes, if that, and you’re in the center of town. If you’re not a fan of walking, parking along the street is free, and you’ll always find a spot close to the hostel during the evening since most people park along there for work in town and then leave in the afternoon. Plus there’s always one or two electric scooters either outside the hostel or around the corner to make commuting into the center even quicker. Despite being so close to town the actual street is super quiet and peaceful, with a lovely park a few houses over and walks along the river in the red zone 5 minutes away. In case you couldn’t tell by all that text I really recommend this place, but to reiterate the place is super cozy, affordable and great location. Karen and Antony were also awesome, and I’m missing their great hospitality, the house and especially the cat Pipi loads!