Backpack City & Surf

I spent two weeks here and never ran into a problem. The showers, bathrooms and kitchen stayed in great shape, helped by both the staff and the other travellers. When a shower broke one morning, the manager at City and surf had it fixed by that afternoon instead of leaving it for someone else to deal with. The rooms and property were comfortable and clean, and the staff clearly looked after the place. The welcome was professional but friendly, and I even got a tour when I arrived, which helped me settle in. The online price first caught my eye, but once I was there it felt like I got more than I paid for. I'd happily recommend this Backpack to students, travellers or professionals passing through Perth. It felt like a home away from home.

There’s a temple next door, and sitting outside in the evening with the soft chanting in the background is lovely. I’m an introvert, so the relaxed atmosphere suited me, and I made a lot of friends here. It’s my favourite hostel ever. Nothing fancy, but it’s clean, has a nice community and stays pretty quiet at night.

Yellow water came out of the toilet tap when I went to brush my teeth as I was leaving. The shared areas were dirty, rotten and broken, and the room was generally filthy too. My bed was dirty, and the pillow had gone yellow with age and lack of cleaning. Everything smelled bad. There was no key for the room, so anyone could open it. Don’t stay there, honestly the worst hostel I’ve been to.

Great staff, and the rooms are cheap and mostly clean. It’s not far from Perth train station, which is a good location. The free wifi was better than at most hostels I’ve stayed in. There’s no TV room, but I guess that gets people mixing more.