Rotorua Central Backpackers

Why for the love of god do you have every damn heater going in summer? Was in Rotorua for the UTMB ultra marathon along with thousands of others. Stayed in this place out of necessity as much as anything. The staff seem to have an emotional aversion to being helpful. For instance when I came to pay for my room key (sorry, what did we pay for when we booked?) the staff refused to take eftpos or give any helpful guidance on where best to get cash. The bathrooms are in terrible shape. They need a serious deep clean with like a chisel or something. All the emergency exits have chains across them so I would HATE to be here in a quake or fire. And for the love of gods, during a major summer storm with 90% humidity in 25° - they have every heater turned on. It’s like they actively don’t want you to be comfortable. Not sure what to expect from a company with illegal gambling advertising on their website though. Hardly demonstrates value beyond “take money for minimal anything”. Looking at the astonishingly rude replies the staff have given to reviews here, I’m pretty confident in my assertion they don’t care about customers or repeat business. If you can book elsewhere, do. If you can’t, be prepared.

Stay here and help make this place what it once used to be.||||I've stayed at Central Backpackers on my visits to Rotorua since 2018. Back then the property was owned by a couple that seemed to live on site, and was well cared for. Around the COVID lockdowns it seems that the property changed hands, and while it is still run as a backpackers, it is clear that this new owner just treats the property as an investment.||||What an investment it is! Heritage listed, the building is special by New Zealand standards. Original craftsmanship of good quality with cast hydronic water radiators (heating the entire property via geothermal water from a bore behind the laundry shed in the yard!), timber dowel door locks in the toilets even. This place felt like a home back when it was run well, and still does to a large degree thanks to that legacy.||||What is missing now is care: maintenance has been neglegted, security cameras very sloppily installed everywhere, and any personal touches are just those that remain from the previous owners. The geothermal spa out the back is always closed and the laundry with one of the two machines permanently out of action.||||Back in 2018 this was a bustling place with every room full with backpackers from all around the world. Now I always find it quiet, which I personally enjoy, but that I know does not bode well for the longevity of the place.||||The staff manning the office have always been friendly to me. The rooms large and the beds standalone. The geothermal heating system: top notch, this'd have to be one of the most comfortable backpackers in NZ to stay in during winter.||||Value is good: $40 per night in a spacious 6 bed dorm in this special place; the bunks and tightly packed dormitories of some of the other backpackers in town pale by comparison.||||If only the owner would look after the place property and not just treat it as a future investment cash cow.||||Stay here as the building is special. The location truly central. The heating system a boon in a country where heating is often done poorly with electric radiators or forced hot air. Encourage the owner via feedback to improve their operation. I hope to be able to stay here on my visits to Rotorua for many years to come.||||It won't take much: give the building a solid spring clean every year. Clean the thin film of grease from the windows in the kitchen and the rangehoods. Sort out those ugly security cameras that have been installed by an ameteur. Care for the place!||||To be clear: the bedrooms, bedding and bathrooms and still kept in a tidy and hygenic state. Even the kitchen is: it's the annual maintenance that is neglected in the daily cleaning.||||Stay here because it feels like it once was a home.

This place is okay, no more no less. Check in was easy, be prepared to pay $20 deposit per key with cash, otherwise you will lose the surcharge when being refunded onto a card. Rooms are okay, 6 bed dorm felt a bit cramped with luggage as there is no space to put bags anywhere, we were stepping over other people's luggage to get around the room. Beds were comfy enough with plugs nearby. Lots of ant powder everywhere though which made us a bit uneasy. Facilities need a real deep clean. Layers of grime in the kitchen on appliances under the counters, windowsills absolutely filthy, not just a few days of missed cleaning worth of dirt. Similar story in bathrooms/showers. Toilet itself clean, but the room was still filthy. Laundry was temperamental in accepting our coins to begin with, but eventually worked fine and we really appreciated the option to hang out and air dry on a sunny day and save $4 on a dryer cycle. Location was excellent, very close to the Government Gardens, I-Site for coach pickup/drop-off, and a short walk into town and to the lake. Overall, a quirky building that had a homely feeling but in need of a serious deep clean and updating in some areas.

Our dorm room was large, basic and moderately clean and comfortable. Location was good. They charge you to store luggage on checkout day which is unheard of! Also, worst staff experience we've had in our whole year of backpacking! The manager and another member of staff are very rude! After checkout we decided to wait in the common area for a few hours until our bus arrived. We had no luggage to store at this time. We were then told to leave as it was past checkout time. Despite us keeping calm and polite, the manager was very aggressive and rude. We left without a fuss. It is very typical to be allowed to use the common area space until your public transport is due, but not here! Also, a female member of staff quite rudely asked us to be silent or leave the kitchen at 8PM. We were simply chatting. The signage stated quiet time was from 10PM (which is normal for a hostel). Overall the staff ruined our whole experience. I would avoid here and choose different accommodation.

I spent one night at the hostel and that was more than enough for me. The staff say they are there until 8pm but I didn't see them from 7pm to 8pm. The staff are far too strict and unsympathetic. Some people from the hostel stole from me in the kitchen, and when I mentioned it to the reception, the only thing they said was "it happens". 0 empathy. What's more, there's no camera in the kitchen, which I don't think is professional at all, given that stolen food "just happens". The rooms are really good. As for the bathrooms, they're spacious but the taps are black and rusty. It doesn't give a clean impression. Even so, it's clean on the whole.

Reception friendly, sheets clean, beds comfy, showers spotless. Centrally located, parking right out front (free/paid depending on time of day). Carpets dirty, walls thin, kitchen not super clean or organized. The place overall feels run-down and not terribly well cared for. Locals watching TV in the common room (which is fine! Just heads-up depending what vibe you're looking for). I might be getting too old for backpacking hostels.

Not worth the price. There is quite a bit of mold, the windows are leaky and the kitchen are quite unclean. They need to clean the kitchen more and provide more tea towels. The wifi is good and the beds are comfortable. The people are friendly and it has a safe environment. Cozy but run down.

Run down hostel, but OK. We asked to leave our bags at reception after check out because our bus wasn't for a couple of hours but they said they would have to charge. Every other hostel in NZ I've been too offers this for free. For what seems to be a family run business, no staff member was friendly or that nice. There are better hostels around the area for the same price. Wouldn't recommend.

This is the first Hostel I've ever stayed in. The first of Many, I hope!! The beds were comfortable and came with sheets, pillows, and blankets. This hostel had a kitchen with four sinks, three stoves, fridge and freezer, and various kitchen supplies. It was located in a very nice place, near the Government Gardens and Tamaki Maori Village.