Southern Laughter Backpackers

I loved this place. Super friendly staff, and simply overall nice people! The room was clean, and so were the amenities; they were on the older side, but everything worked and was clean. The location was great, close to everything; walking distance! They had a free of charge luggage storage area which was great as our flight was later at night. Also very cute dog behind the counter. We only stayed one night but i would definitely stay here again ☺️

Everything was horrible apart from the location. This place is dated, dirty, and noisy. Besides the location, there is nothing positive about this place. Let's start with the room. Tiny, can barely stand a suitcase up and have enough room to walk around it. The pillows seemed so soft they lacked any density whatsoever. The blinds were roughed up and damaged so they didn't close properly, and the room faced the main road and the entrance, so no privacy at all. The entire place is made of cardboard, so you hear every little noise, and the international people who reside there are loud, slamming doors at all times of the night. The showers are freezing!! The first night, I couldn't get any hot water, the second night, 5 minutes of hot, then freezing. The toilet paper is the cheapest toilet paper they could find, I don't think you can even classify it as toilet paper. I went to heat something up in the microwave, and a pool of old yellow liquid sat in the bottom of it, disgusting. It's like the owners just don't care, they know people will come because it's Queenstown. I would rather sleep on the street than come back here. Owners need to take a drive up to Franz Josef and go see what Wild Kea Lodge is doing because that's how you run a backpackers.

This place can only be described as disgusting. Cigarette butts EVERYWHERE. People smoking inside? Filthy towels and sheets. Hair abounded in the shower, which is the size of a shoebox. Green snot on shower walls. People smoking illicit substances right outside our room. Its a cesspit. Needs demolishing. We left in the middle of teh night as we felt unclean and unsafe

Never again. Arrived at reception 2.15pm, check-in from 2pm. No one at reception, called the three numbers provided - no answer for 10mins. Was told the guy from reception would be there in 30mins, he has a lunch break... very arrogant behaviour over the phone and when handing the keys. We needed to be on a booked activity shortly after. Room below average. Walls made of cardboard, you can hear everything. Shared showers (clean) with another room where long term occupants (presume backbackers working in QT) live. Wednesday night, big groups of drunk young people around the premises.

I would not recommend this hotel to anyone. Absolutely the worst hostel we have stayed at. The state of the showers and kitchen 🫣 were horrible. A total rip off...clean your act up..... backpackers deserve better than what you have to offer , I'd rather sleep my car than enter the hostel,very disappointing.

The staff at the hostel are incredibly friendly and helpful, they were very welcoming when we checked in! As many have said, the facilities are on the older side. However, everything works and everything is clean—which is the most important. We stayed in the twin room which was close to the kitchen, bathroom and toilet. The location of the hostel is amazing, within a short 5 minute walk you’re in the centre of Queenstown. Overall, I think the hostel offers good value for what you pay for.

There was no water draining in the shower and the bedding was not cleaned. Also, one guest can't sleep because he is talking loudly on the phone without sleeping. It's really the worst

Not like in the pictures, this place was an absolute dump. The showers were filthy and smelled like mold, and the rooms were just as bad with stained sheets and towels. To make matters worse, inconsiderate guests made noise till late at night. The wifi didn't work at all, and when I complained to the staff, they were incredibly unhelpful. While the $50 savings compared to other hotels initially seemed like a good deal, I would gladly pay $150 more per night to avoid ever staying in this horrendous place again.