Wickham Retreat Backpackers

I had a great stay at Wickham Retreat. Everyone was incredibly friendly - I was welcomed right away by both staff and longer-term hostel guests. There are two huge kitchens, which is tons of space considering the hostel's small size. It's very quiet in the rooms, but also quite social in common areas with games and people hanging out. Things were kept very clean. I would absolutely stay here again.

One of the best hostels I’ve ever stayed in! A great, small but family orientated place to stay for a while! There’s a free section and lots of stuff being planned in the hostel. However, I have to deduct one star due to the owner’s outburst I had to witness one day. I hope he learns from it seeing this review. Anyways, I’d still recommend staying at the Wickham ! You will surely not regret your time.

Wickham Retreat Backpackers is FANTASTIC!!! I'm now living and working here since one month and I couldn't be happier!! Charlie is the most friendly and kind, helpful and relaxed hostel owner you'll ever meet!! The Hostel itself is smaller than any other hostel and that's what makes it special. We are like a big flat with people from all over the world who spend their days and evenings together and go out to have some fun. I'm looking forward to the coming weeks where I'll get to know a lot of people. I'm excited to welcome you in our Wickham Family! Thanks for making such a fun time possible guys! Cheers Isi

This hostel can be really nice without the two managers and if you wanna stay just for few days maximum one week. One manager looks at the girls in weird way, the other one can be really nice when you give him lot of cash for a long stay. After that, they will try to kick you off by severals means, and don't refund the money, so don't stay more than one week, they don't like the long stay ... It can be proposed to you to work (job really boring, but you can't say no when you're a backpacker) for the sister of the manager not stated (80$ for 3h, but you can get just 50$), and of course after you get your money, if you have to extend, they will ask you to pay by cash ...

I stayed for one week and liked very much! You get to know a lot of people from all over the world. The hostel is not far away from the city, the breaki is really yummy and the house and bathrooms are very clean :) Definitly would stay again!

So homey. Free breakfast is really appreciated. They also have free laundry! It's super clean and the staff and owner are lovely. My favorite hostel so far.

Charlie here from Wickham Retreat. Just letting everyone know that we will be shutting the doors as from this weekend. Its been a great 9 years running the hostel but things must go on and with this cold going around the world its not a good time to have a hostel. Thanks everyone who stayed, We now have the Shiralee Backpackers in the city where if you would like to come see us again but for now... Its bye bye Wickham 2011-2021

Beautiful hostel. Backpackers of the world watch out : you'll be so attached to this hostel and atmosphere you'll never want to quit it !! Pros : Netflix, pool, free breakfast, free pasta, free laundry, quiet place, a computer available, staff friendly, air conditionning in all rooms, clean bathroom and toilets. Not a overcrowded hostel (max around 30 people), so you can easly talk to everyone !! Every week, there is free food for everyone (like pizza, bbq, some muffins). Cons : I didn't find one. Maybe the wifi is a little slow and crash sometimes, but that's not such a big deal comparing to all the stuff just above. Once you feel at home, it's usually when you must leave. Definitely like a second family, I will never forget theses 2 weeks 😊

I booked this hostel out of necessity because a friend was unable to put me up last minute. It was coincidentally my first experience in a hostel (and I am on my second experience with a YHA hostel, which helping me with the basis for my review). Let me tell you aaaall about it. I had read really good reviews on hostel world where I booked (and through whom I'm still waiting for an opportunity to rate this place). There were only 2 reviews that scored under 90% on their site, which I found very reassuring. (An informed friend of mine has since told me how these places work it out strong-arming the hosting website to take down any incriminating reviews). When booking, I read all these great things about it being very convivial and how the owners would bend over backwards to ensure your stay was worth the more expensive price (42 AUD/night). I read things about free breakfast (true if you like eating the type of cereal that tastes like cardboard), barbecue and curry nights that they cook for free for everyone (true and not bad). Other than that it was just staple items that were free (milk, jam, mayonnaise, instant coffee granules). There was also free access to washer and dryer. Rather than go on a rant to where everyone thinks I'm being a little princess, I'm going to just list some things and you can judge for yourself if it's worth the money for what you expect from the price. GOOD: 1- location you can walk to the center in 15 minutes. There's a free bus, but you're there to explore just walk. 2- staff friendly, if you know who they are Hard to tell the difference between the staff and the patrons 3- patrons it's true that it's not frequented by people looking to get hammered. Most people there were looking for jobs. 4- dinners even though you get the impression from the website and reviews, the people cooking seem like they're just doing a chore. It's not as festive as you'd think given those reviews. BAD: 1- staff Unidentifiable. And why do they look like they've just got out of bed when they're changing the sheets of the people who left that morning? Not much professionalism. 2- filth the showers were full of mildew and 2 out of the three looked like they were makeshift. The proper bathroom was full of mold (ALL over the ceiling) and mildew. There was a black ring of scum in the bathtub (don't forget your flip flops). The washbasin was full of hair and dried toothpaste. I had to take the floor towel to wipe it away. 3- broken promises according to what I had read, I expected to be greeted like an old friend and have suggestions of things to do (of which there are few in Perth itself). I was the one that had to ask for every bit of information as none was offered. Don't let them fool you into thinking they're interested in you. The owner or his brother were seen a couple of times, but not so much as a hello from them. They just want their 42 AUD per night times 20 patrons (you do the math for the year!). Now I'm currently in a YHA hostel (32 AUD/night) which is super professional and super clean (as best they can given that some people just don't follow the rules). This one makes me feel like I'm in my college dorm again (an experience that I loved back in the day) and exactly how I imagined a stay in a hostel to be. I waited on purpose to get a second hostel experience to be able give these guys a fair review. All in all, at Wickham Retreat, I felt like I was staying in a squat. Sorry for the bad review. But for the price and being misled, no one is as sorry as me!