Laneway Backpackers

The staff were kind, which was the one positive. My room had a window, but it wouldn’t open, so there was no fresh air anywhere in the building and it was ridiculously hot. The bathrooms were dirtier than some public restrooms, despite apparently being cleaned. The blue shower curtains even had a brown grime line along the bottom. The whole place had the cheerful feel of a funeral paired with the cleanliness of a public bathroom.

The hostel felt modern and secure, and it was clean, with a nice atmosphere and friendly staff. But the lack of air conditioning was a major problem. Our windowless room was unbearable, so we switched to one with a window. That helped, though the kitchen and lounge had no windows and became so stuffy it felt hard to breathe. I don’t know whether the aircon was broken, but since we were there in the middle of summer, I think they should at least have warned us or offered a discount.

My boyfriend and I booked a private room, but it was bare and windowless, almost like a cell. The toilets were revolting, with overflowing sanitary bins and bugs in the shower. A sink was broken, and the soap dispenser was too. In the kitchen, anything we wanted to use needed washing first, and it didn’t seem to get cleaned often. I was meant to move into another private room later that week, but cancelled and went elsewhere. I’d tell anyone planning to stay here to cancel and find another place.

I liked the place overall. Reception were lovely, had my room ready early, and helped me move to a lower bunk. The kitchen has everything you need, including proper ovens, and there’s a common room and laundry. Each bed has a locker, and they provide a towel and flannel, which was a nice touch. The showers were reasonably hot and clean, and it was mostly quiet, though the flats upstairs sometimes thumped away for a while. There isn’t much daylight anywhere. My room’s half-window let in the smell of smoke from next door, and their TV, channel 25, came through too. The room often smelled smoky, and there was no fresh air.