Honeysuckle House

I keep coming back to this hostel in nz because the people are so warm and down to earth. The old fella who owns it is really sweet and helpful too. It feels homely, with a small back garden where you can sit at the tables, and a quaint kitchen for those little chats. It’s not really a party hostel. There’s a cosy pub across the road with nice food, and town’s a pleasant walk away. There’s also a nice park one street over.

I spent seven weeks at this cute hostel and couldn’t have picked better. It’s centrally located, and the garden’s absolutely beautiful, just right for morning coffee or a beer and a chat later in the day. Rob’s a lovely host who always looks after his guests. The kitchen’s fully equipped, and don’t miss the ice cream and cookies 😍 It felt like home away from home. Thanks again for such a great stay, and I wish you all the best x

The dorm room is nice enough, with an old fashioned feel. The twin room, though, is old and smelly, and the floorboards slope so much you feel like the blood will pool in your head. I vacuumed up eight spiders before going to bed and spotted plenty more in the bathrooms and elsewhere. There’s no common room now that it’s been turned into another dorm. The garden’s overgrown, and there’s lots of bird poo on the tables and seats. The owner seems like a lovely old man, but appears to be struggling to keep up with maintenance, gardening and cleaning.

The garden is lovely, with places to sit and relax, but indoors there’s only a small kitchen with a table for four. I was there for two rainy days, and my bed was really the only place to hang out. The hostel has one six-person dorm and two double rooms, and the facilities seemed quite old and could use some refurbishing. It wasn’t very clean when I visited, and the owner said he was having trouble finding staff to help. The walls are thin too. People talked in the kitchen until midnight each night, so I couldn’t really sleep.