The Black Sheep Backpackers

The location is the big plus, just down the road from the town centre. I've stayed twice, once before and once after the Kepler Track. A heads-up if you have an early start before reception opens: sort out luggage storage and early checkout beforehand. I found out storage was only accessible at certain hours, which was stressful. Thanks to the staff member who helped me get things organized while I was on my way to the trek. The bathrooms weren't great. The stalls are cramped, the sinks are too close together, and there's not much space to put toiletries. The first-floor bathroom doesn't have private shower stalls, so there's nowhere to leave your things. The car park bathroom was best, the second-floor one was okay, and the first floor was my last choice. Rooms are decent if you get good roommates, and the top bunk is probably better. The bottom bunk feels like a coffin, with no space to sit upright.

The location was great, with a short walk to Queenstown Garden, the park and town centre. You can also set off for the Queenstown hill hike from here. The facilities were excellent, especially the sauna, and the kitchen was spacious with pretty much everything needed for cooking and meal prep. The kitchen and bathrooms were deep-cleaned at least once a day, so things were generally quite clean. Our room had a small window that opened and even a fridge. The staff were very helpful, including when we arrived after 8 p.m. and couldn't get into our room. Some staff were still around, and helped us get the Goki app set up so we could enter. We absolutely loved our stay at Black Sheep Backpackers.

We spent two weeks here and had a really good time. It's a great spot for meeting people, and the staff are really friendly. The hot tub is amazing, and you're close to town and the bus stop. My one complaint is the bottom bunk, which is far too low to have enough room. Everything else was great :)

The pillow I had was pretty flat, but I still really liked my stay. The beds were okay, the kitchen was clean and well looked after, and the sauna and pools were really clean too. A super good hostel overall.