Frogshollow Backpackers

The location is perfect, close to everything, and the pool is super nice. But there’s a lot of potential here that isn’t being used, which is a shame. It’s very dirty, some toilets don’t work properly, and old mattresses left lying around are an eyesore. The kitchen should get rid of the plastic cutlery. With more care from management, this place could be much better.

The cheap laundry was a plus at $4 to wash and dry, and there’s free parking on site if a space is available. Beyond that, I was really disappointed. The room was disgusting when we arrived, stale smelling and looking as if it hadn’t been cleaned in weeks. It was boiling in the evening because the room was extremely hot and the aircon barely worked. The whole place needs a deep clean. The fridges reek of spoiled food, the communal areas are dirty, and the pool and its surrounding area are dirty too, though they could be lush. Reception wasn’t very helpful. They charged us a steep $30 deposit for a key card and said our group of three could only have one because the hostel was “very busy.” My friend pointed out that solo travellers would each get one, and they begrudgingly gave us another after charging another $30. There’s potential, but it needs a massive overhaul and cleaning to be liveable.

There was no organisation at all. We checked in after 2pm, got sheets and pillows, then found no free beds in the dorm. Another guest said he and his mate were checking out that day, though checkout was supposed to be by 10am. At night, random homeless people wandered through the lobby. The room door didn’t lock, so we left our things elsewhere, and after the stay we were covered in bed bug bites. This place needs serious refurbishment and repeated deep cleaning.

After 12 months travelling through Latin America and Asia, this was the worst hostel I’ve stayed in. The room was disgusting, with blood stains, bodily fluids on the mattresses, no sheets or pillows, bed bugs and weird people. The man at reception seemed confused and angry when we called to check in, as if he didn’t understand why we were there. There were illegal activities outside, and we felt so unsafe that we booked another hostel within five minutes of arriving. We got up at sunrise to leave and found a puddle of blood in the bathroom. If you can’t find a room in Darwin for the night, do yourself a favour and sleep at the airport.