Queen Street Backpackers

Two stars is generous; this hostel is a total dump. The location is great for exploring the CBD, if you can sleep through late-night drunk street antics and the early-morning garbage crew. The showers had mold, the toilets had no sinks, and there was no soap anywhere.

The price is low and the place is close to everything. That's about the only good I can say. The noise was way beyond normal hostel noise, from outside and from people partying in the lobby at night. The showers looked like they hadn't been cleaned, and the kitchen was so filthy I didn't want to cook. Dishes get left in the sink, and there aren't enough plates or mugs. There were cockroaches in the showers and kitchen, and signs of them in the rooms too, though I never actually saw one there.

For a downtown hostel, I'd still recommend it to someone looking. It was cheap and very well placed for exploring the city, day or night. I only stayed a night or two, and the friendly staff and room shared with four others were pretty much as expected. The lobby and hallways looked a little worn, and there was some noise outside the window, but it is a city.

The small bed in my dorm was uncomfortable, especially if you're tall, and the room itself felt cramped. There wasn't a water tap or soap in the toilets on my floor, just alcohol pumps, so washing my face or brushing my teeth meant going to the shower or down to the reception floor toilet. The hostel has a fun, young crowd, with people drinking and enjoying themselves around reception at night, and the staff were friendly. Queen's street and its shops are very close, as is the ferry port. It's fine if you're after a social, party kind of stay, but after a long flight into NZ I wouldn't choose it to get proper rest.