Azzurro Pod Hotel Potts Point

Lea was so kind and attentive, always ready to answer questions or help with requests. I felt welcome as soon as I arrived. The place was clean and comfortable, just as described, and the location made it easy to get around and explore. It was a smooth, enjoyable stay, and I’d happily recommend it to other travelers and stay here again.

I don’t usually write reviews, but I had to after this stay. I arrived at 10am after my flight was canceled, and it had taken all night and three flights to reach Sydney. I’d slept for just one hour. I asked the receptionist whether I could check in early and was even willing to pay, but she said no. I then asked if she could at least ask the housekeeper to make my bed first, but she didn’t want to help and repeated that check-in was at 3pm. At 2:45 I asked if my room was ready. She said the bed was ready but the room wasn’t clean and I had to wait until 3. When I got in at 3, it was filthy, with rubbish on the floor and hairs in the sink. The bed had clearly been made earlier, and it felt like she’d been lying to me. Another bathroom in the hostel was dirty too. The receptionist works online, seemed to have no idea what the housekeepers were doing, and wasn’t willing to help guests. I even saw her ask someone whether they worked there, which made no sense to me. On checkout day, another receptionist said I could store my backpack until 2pm. When I asked if I could collect it at 3, she just repeated the same sentence, without even explaining or apologizing that it wasn’t possible. Why can I only store it until 2? At $75 a night, I should at least be able to leave my bag while waiting for my flight. It’s ridiculous. Renting a towel is $15 too. For this price, you can find somewhere better with kind and helpful staff. There are lots of other hostels on this street.

The layout is a maze, with two old buildings that need renovation, and the common areas are tiny. There’s no real social space, no sofas, and only three small tables that are always full. When two-thirds of the chairs are taken, you can end up eating outside on a chair. There are only three private rooms and three shared showers for the whole hostel. To find a free shower or toilet, you have to cross the entire place outside and go up and down stairs. I saw people lining up, and everyone I spoke to said it was appalling. Hygiene is a disaster, and reception is even worse. The air conditioning just blows air and makes noise, and I ended up getting sick. The included meals are dreadful, just pasta, tomato and salad. Backpackers deserve better food, and I think the hostel makes enough profit to put more effort into it.

For $50, this was honestly a great deal: a clean bed in a quiet, clean backpackers with air-conditioning. The bathroom and the rest of the building were clean too. Thanks to Marjorie for helping me log into Goki and explaining hotel check-in. The bunks are at least king single sized and have privacy curtains, so once you’re in bed it feels like a cozy little cubby, private and enclosed. There are small ledges for your phone or glasses and a light inside. With just a backpack, there’s enough room to leave it at the end of the bed. The location is hard to beat, one street behind the main street of Kings Cross. When I called the women helping with check-in, they went out of their way to help. Marjorie even called me back after the call dropped, and kept working on the Goki app issue until she found an easy fix. Seriously, the best $50 I’ve spent on accommodation.