Downtown Backpackers Hostel - note - Valid Passport required for check in

I was relieved to leave. The early checkout instructions weren’t clear, and the room itself felt neglected: people’s food and belongings were spread around, there was a general layer of dirt, and no natural light. I didn’t use the downstairs areas, so I can’t comment on those. Getting into the hostel was stressful from the start. My flight problems meant I arrived close to midnight on my first night. Entry required a code, but no one had emailed or otherwise sent me one, and I had no phone number to call. Luckily, someone returning let me in and showed me where to go. While I was waiting, two people asked if I had drugs and whether I could let them into the hostel. The room had three bunks, six beds in all, and wasn’t very tidy despite apparently having been “deep cleaned” that day. I know hostel beds often aren’t made up, but trying to fit a sheet onto a top bunk at midnight was a pain. I left by 6am the next morning and got back around 8pm, but reception was only open from 9am to 5pm, so I couldn’t check in. I still hadn’t received the door code. I could have returned at 6pm, but instead had to spend an hour and a half at Perth Station trying to reach someone. WhatsApp finally worked. The first bathroom I saw had a shower and sink, and was the cleanest spot I found. The door locked, but someone could have pulled it open from outside. The toilet was at the other end of the landing, with no sanitary bin. A dirty, bleached piece of clothing was left on the sink, and there were skid marks in the toilet. For the space, it just wasn’t worth it. As a solo woman traveller, I’ve never felt so unsafe.