Aussitel Backpackers

The location is reasonably decent, and the guy who checked us in was very friendly. We didn't see any of the cockroaches or bed bugs mentioned in other reviews. Still, the bedrooms and living rooms felt pretty dirty, and the shared space smelled strongly of cigarettes. The bathrooms were relatively clean by comparison. They were fitting new stove stops while we were there, so it seems they're trying to improve things after recent bad reviews. But with much nicer places available for a similar price, I wouldn't recommend staying here.

The shared area is spacious, the kitchen has everything needed to cook, and we could wash our clothes for free. We only had to pay for the dryer since it was raining at night; otherwise, you can hang laundry outside. We stayed because it was cheaper than a campsite and we needed a shower. It was okay, nothing special, and the rooms were quite dirty and smelly. We used room spray to freshen the smell a bit.

There are BEDBUGS here. We found them in our room and didn't stay the night. At midnight, I found a motel down the street that was still open and willing to take us. There are plenty of other reasons to avoid this place too. The rooms are obscenely dirty, and there was feces under the bed in the dormitory. I don't know what animal had been there before us. I'll spare everyone the photos we took before leaving. The staff fold the “fresh” sheets while smoking a whole pack of cigarettes, so that's what you're sleeping on. The whole place felt incredibly unsafe and unsettling. It was a very uncomfortable experience, and I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Stay literally anywhere else. I called the hostel the next morning to ask for a refund. They told me to follow up by email and said they'd refund the night's rate to the card we used. They didn't, so we had to get our money back through our bank.

Please look at this place before booking. I don't understand the good reviews. The staff are kind, but that's about it. The place has a run-down feel and seems more like somewhere for people struggling with homelessness, which is very sad, than somewhere for happy travellers. My room smelled strange and seemed unclean. There were used cups in it, and another traveller told me they'd been there for days, which made me even more suspicious the room hadn't been cleaned recently. The toilets seemed unclean too, and the bedding smelled of smoke and cigarettes. After sitting in the room for a short while, I couldn't imagine sleeping there. I left after checking in and wasn't offered my money back. I should have trusted my gut. I wasn't surprised to read the bad bedbug reviews afterwards. I highly recommend ‘The Hoey Moey’ instead.