Iguana Lodge

The only good thing I can say is that the girl at reception was friendly and nice. Everything else was a shambolic display, and the place should be closed down. The kitchen, dining areas, hallways and common room were filthy. There was a smear on the wall that I hope was food, still there after more than a week, and every corner seemed to have grime or a cockroach. I didn't see the hostel properly cleaned once in a week. A couple of guests would half-heartedly sweep with a broom and then get on with their day. It was worse than some hostels I've stayed in in 3rd world countries. Cockroaches were everywhere. If you went to the bathroom at night, you'd surely feel several crunches underfoot on the way to the toilet. Hope you're not barefoot. On my first day, one was even squashed dead into supposedly clean sheets. The bathrooms were worse than an outdoor festival's: no soap, not cleaned, falling apart, and there was no light in ours. Workmen were in and out for days trying to fix a leak. There were lots of leaks and stagnant water around the bathrooms. I started showering at the gym to avoid them. And the beds? A piece of foam with a cover, a terrible excuse for a mattress. I could feel the slats in my back every night, so a decent sleep just wasn't possible.

In three months of travelling, Iguana Lodge was the worst place we came across. People live there, so clothes are drying on racks all over the place. There was no cleanliness: cockroaches ran across the floors, the kitchen was filthy, and our room wasn't cleaned once. The beds were unstable, with mattresses so soft we could feel the metal frame. People weren't sociable either. On two nights, two people in the room had sex in a really awkward way and carried on when I got up to use the toilet. The room we had to stay in was in a terrible state. Check the pictures I attached. Worst place ever!

Our other accommodation fell through at the last minute when the Airbnb host cancelled while we were on our flight to Sydney, so we had nowhere else to stay and booked here for one night. The place was absolutely disgusting. The room reeked of chlorine when we arrived; later, the bedroom and the whole hallway smelled of urine. It was the last room available, and the price and photos didn't show how poor the conditions were. The showers and toilets were so unclean I'd rather use public toilets. The only plus is that it's very close to the train station. Luckily, we had a hotel lined up for the rest of our holiday.

I'm from Maitland and stay here when I'm working. Even when the train schedule makes me late for check-in, they never complain and are always so nice about it. I once had nowhere to go during the day because work didn't start until 8, and they let me sit in the dining area until then even though I wasn't staying another night. I'm so grateful to the people who work here and keep it running. This is easily the best place I've stayed. It's clean, the people are lovely, and I can't give it enough credit. Don't listen to those other reviews. If I could give more stars, I would. 100% come here!