Morgan R
Google
Tony and his wife, the owners, are wonderful people who are trying to make this hostel work. It's an old property, and no amount of patching and love can bring it up to modern standard. This is a low-budget place for low-budget travelers ... safe, clean, friendly, but not appealing or up-to-date. It is a 10-minute walk to downtown, 15 to the harbour. Fortunately, the nearest SkyBus stop is just a few of blocks away, well within reach while carrying your gear.||||The halls and common areas are covered in indoor-outdoor carpeting, the paint is peeling, the kitchen is small and dark. But the showers have plenty of hot water, the beds are clean, the linens fresh. Yes the towels are small, the bathrooms dark and poorly equipped, the staircase is steep and creaky, the common room table-tops are covered in plastic (like Saran-wrap, but industrial grade). But it is a friendly place.||||When we first arrived, we were dismayed at the decrepit building, and were convinced we'd made a mistake.||||But Tony and his wife went out of the way to make us feel at home -- so we feel conflicted -- it's hard to recommend this place, but at the same time, it provides safe and clean low-end accommodation, with lots of personal touches. So I guess it really depends on what you're looking for. We probably would not stay there again - but we also found it to be perfectly adequate as long as we kept our expectations in check.||||There was a school group on a holiday from Melbourne - and it was just right for those kids and their teachers and chaperones. And probably not bad for twenty-somethings looking for cheap lodging. Not so good for retirees traveling the world.||||And then there was a little issue with electrical - they had an electric heater plugged into a power strip -- something the Australian fire authorities were posting as a bad practice on posters in town.||||One other positive thing: right next door is an organic / cooperative grocery store with all kinds of high-quality food and some good produce. We particularly liked their granola and muesli.