LyLo Brisbane

Lylo’s become my go-to whenever I’m back in Brisbane for work. It’s a five-minute walk to Fortitude Valley trainstation and seven minutes to the valley’s pubs, clubs, restaurants and shops. The staff are all friendly and happy to help. Cavan, the big ol' Geordie chap at the front desk, was a good laugh and helped me whenever I needed it. I first stayed here for my first month in Brisbane, and I’m glad I did. It’s by far the best Hostel in the City. It is a little pricey compared with others, but worth it if you want somewhere clean and friendly, with as much privacy as a hostel can offer. The pods help, and having only six people in a room makes it nicer. Great place all round, I’d recommend it to anyone. See you again Lylo 🫡

The setup is great for a central hostel. There’s a huge breezy open-air kitchen with every utensil you can imagine, three fridges, lots of seating and free wifi. Tag your bags in the fridges. Storage opposite the bed is deep and long, card-tap locked, and easily fits two overhead luggage bags plus a shelf for your things. It feels very safe. The vibe is chilled and sociable, with movie nights, painting, trivia and other gatherings. Management gets people involved and takes them around the city. The staff work hard to keep everything meticulous and clean. They’re friendly, the place uses cotton sheets rather than polyester, and the White Fresh Cotton Towels are a nice touch. There’s a pub across the road, and King Street is another 100 m away with exceptional breakfast at Kulchar-coffee. Happy hour lets you load your card and get two for the price of one on several types of beer. I never thought I’d find anything like this so centrally. Highly recommend.

The location was good, but I found the stay disappointing. I often saw Police nearby after something had happened. It felt a little safer than third world countries to me, though I think there are better places. My pod was dusty enough to trigger an allergic reaction. It improved after I cleaned the whole pod with sanitary towels. There were ants in the pods and I was bitten several times. When I raised it with staff, they said I must have had food in the pod, but I didn’t. I ate out every day because the kitchen was almost always full. There were leaky pipes by the toilet, and I saw nematode worms roaming over the bathroom tiles many times. Staff’s solution was to put a towel there. The hygiene conditions weren’t even good, and most staff were unhelpful, responding to problems with nonsense.

The social get-togethers during the week are a nice touch, and I’d happily book here again. Everyone was really helpful from arrival to checkout, and we were even moved from a dorm into a private room. It was clean, nicely furnished, and had everything we needed. Such a great stay.