Sydney Space Pop Up

The courtyard looks like it came straight out of Harry Potter, and the building itself is fantastic. The rooms are basic, as you'd expect at this price, but the beds are comfortable. I took off a star because the showers and toilets are shared.

There aren't blankets, and this cheap pop-up so-called hotel is really student dorm rooms being rented over the summer. The rooms are filthy and dusty, with no TVs. Moving the curtains or switching on the fans sends dust everywhere. Cockroaches are all over the place: they run across your face in the morning, and countless more scatter when you open the bathroom door. You're better off in a hostel.

You get budget standards for budget prices, I suppose. There were lots of tiny cockroaches in the ensuite and around the room. The average room doesn't look anything like the photos. There's no air conditioning, heating, blanket, TV, or towels in the room; you have to find towels in the communal cabinets. The free wifi and bar fridge were useful, though, especially in Sydney's summer. I kept the fridge stocked with icy water.

I was working to a budget and didn't expect luxury, but the online photos and the dorm room I got were chalk and cheese. The dilapidated room smelled strange, and little cockroaches seemed to live under the bed and occasionally came up onto the sheets. With no ventilation, I opened the windows, but they had no fly screens and mosquitoes kept biting me. I also saw a girl run from the shower rooms because a large spider was wandering around. It wasn't worth even half the price. Avoid it like the plague.