Melbourne Metro YHA

The room was larger than I expected, and the shared spaces were clean. We had hot water too, which is good for a hostel 😂. It’s in a good spot and has a nice rooftop. There was some noise. The checkout announcement over the speakers and the vacuum woke us each morning. There were only two power points for four people, far from the beds, so we couldn’t charge our phones every night. That was a big problem when we were out all day.

The staff were kind and friendly, and the car park was a real plus: it’s locked, so only guests can get in. The toilets were okay, and the kitchen was small but not always dirty, though it’s too small for the number of guests. Most washing machines were out of order. The building is very old and dirty. There’s no air-con in the rooms, and the halls have no windows, so they smell bad. The bathrooms were really dirty and not somewhere I wanted to shower. I can’t recommend this place.

The location was good and we liked the rooftop, but that was about all we liked. Only one of the five washing machines worked. We chose YHA because of its reputation and were shocked by the condition. The kitchen was filthy, with loads of fruit flies around the fridge and shelves. There wasn’t any cutlery, so we had to pay for wooden cutlery at reception. Our room wasn’t clean either. Dirty dishes stayed there the whole week, even though housekeeping came in every day to ‘clean’. A group of men had access to the women’s bathrooms and banged on doors, watching women as they came out. Guests felt very uncomfortable. We told staff, who were helpful, and the issue was resolved.

The staff were friendly, though not always helpful. The place is run down and disgustingly dirty. I arrived to find rubbish everywhere in an otherwise empty room, with hair all over the floor. I stayed only because I was on a group tour. Otherwise, I would have left. The worst part was the toilets and showers. There was mould across the walls and hair left around for days. The place simply wasn’t being cleaned. After my tour, I booked a private room for one night because I was tired and needed sleep, but its pillows smelled of other people’s sweat. Both rooms I stayed in smelled awful. I raised the problems with staff over several days and was assured the dorm would be cleaned, but nothing changed. Either the cleaners didn’t know or didn’t care. There are lots of families and older people here, along with a few creepy people. It doesn’t feel like a backpackers’ hostel. Stay somewhere else. Avoid it.