Freemans Backpackers

The kitchen was fairly okay, but the rest of the place was bad. The bathroom was disgusting, and my pillow had hairs on it. Everything looked old and dirty, and the rooms were nothing like the pictures. I stayed in a private room in the garden, but it felt like sleeping in a tent because I could hear everything outside. The door code failed several times.

I booked a twin private room with a shared bathroom for four nights through hostelworld.com and paid a deposit. I arrived at the property at 3pm, exactly when I'd told them I'd arrive, but no staff were there to check me in. I had to call the owner. It also made me wonder what international guests without a New Zealand phone are supposed to do. On the call, the owner said I would have to use a four-bunk dorm room without a lock, because another guest had just broken the door lock. I was very unhappy, as I'd specifically booked a private twin room. The owner said he'd come at 4pm to discuss it. I wanted to cancel rather than wait an hour, but decided to hear whether an alternative could be arranged. When he arrived, I said I wouldn't accept another room, especially one with no lock. He replied, "Oh well, I guess we can cancel the booking and I won't charge you then." He didn't seem to care or explain why the room I'd booked a month earlier was unavailable. I find it outrageous that after paying a deposit, I had to find somewhere else for two people for four nights at very short notice, because the owner had given away the room or hadn't prepared it. He was extremely rude, made me wait an hour, and offered neither a solution nor an apology. Now I have to try to get my deposit back through hostelworld, while the accommodation provider faces no consequence. I couldn't check in, lost an hour, and was left with the deposit to recover and the job of finding four nights' accommodation at the last minute. A 0/10 provider.

The staff were friendly, and the hostel is right in the middle of places you'd want to reach on foot in Auckland. Those were the good points. At 269 dollars for two nights, it was far too expensive for what was offered. The bed was awful. It creaked loudly enough to be heard two rooms away whenever you turned over, and the covers didn't fit. Within minutes I was lying on a bare, very used mattress, with all its history. The window wouldn't close, and you had to hold the loose shower head while showering in the shared bathroom. The old carpet and furniture had lots of odd stains and the place smelled everywhere. They were even overbooked, so a guy who'd arrived from Germany had to sleep on the living room couch.

I stayed in mid-February and have meant to review the hostel for a few weeks. Having tried several other hostels in New Zealand, I'd say this was easily the worst, even compared with larger places that can feel impersonal. The building looked like it was falling apart, with cracks all over and paint peeling. There was a mouldy smell, especially in the shower, and it gave the impression that the owner didn't care. I saw the owner come in as I was leaving; she was very rude to the staff and complained about everything. Maybe she should look at what she isn't doing right before criticizing them.