Hotel Waterloo & Backpackers

I came for two nights and ended up staying almost a week. It’s a cheap place with all the amenities you need, and I enjoyed my stay enough that I’ll book here again if I’m passing through Wellington. It is pretty run down and fairly antisocial, as other reviews say. But it’s reliably quiet, with no parties or loud talking outside your room.

The hotel is closest to the Interislander Ferry, bus and train station. Front desk and cleaning staff were friendly, and I had a lovely stay in a Single Ensuit Room, the most affordable hotel option for this type of room. Towels, drink sachets and sugar are supplied, but there are no toiletries apart from liquid soap. The room had a small desk and chair, a single bed that wasn’t the comfiest but was good enough, a bedside shelf, microwave, heater and kettle. It was clean overall, though there was some green mold at the bottom of the shower door. My room neighbours were quiet, but city traffic could be loud with the window open. Closing it helped. The kitchen is very big and has most of the utensils and pots you need, though there’s no can opener. The lounge looked nice but smelled. I’d recommend this particular room type and would stay again.

The location made it easy to explore on foot. Parliament is close, the cable car is walkable, and you can take a shuttle from there to Zealandia. Sky Stadium, Te Papa, the waterfront, shops and supermarkets are also within walking distance, and it’s convenient for the train and bus station. The bunk room was small with little room for personal belongings, and the bunk felt wobbly and unstable. Its thin mattress let me feel the wires underneath, and the pillow was almost useless. The room also felt unclean. The dining room always smelled bad. In the bunk room bathroom, the shower leaked and left the floor soaking wet and slippery. The shower was enclosed, but the small window was the only ventilation, and there was nowhere to put your things except on the floor, which got drenched. The water was only scalding hot, with no cold or warm setting, and the sink only ran hot too. It felt unsafe. There was one bath mat for a six-person room and it was soaked, no hand towel, and no toilet paper or spare rolls where you could easily get them. You have to hire towels if you didn’t bring your own, which wasn’t mentioned before arrival. There was another bathroom down the corridor, but it was in worse shape, and neither felt usable. Reception was rude and made me feel my questions weren’t worth their time. I travelled alone and stayed several days, but nobody spoke to me directly. It didn’t feel friendly or welcoming, so I wouldn’t recommend it for meeting people, for a solo stay, or for families.

It’s about a three-minute walk from the bus drop-off, so this backpackers is a handy place to stay. The locker room is large and new, especially compared with the rest of the building, but it replaces the free luggage room, which could be a plus or a minus. I didn’t have much to complain about and had a good night there.