After the nightmare couchsurfing experience, I messaged a friend I met in Cambodia which hostel she was staying at. I read the reviews, some a hit and some a miss but she was staying there and I felt like I needed to be near a friend, so off to Home Backpackers.
Location
A block away from Central Station, made the Home Backpackers Hostel easily accessible. The hostel itself is broken up into three sections, the reception, and Side A & B. Side A has the larger common room with good internet, kitchen, and rooms. Side B which is where I stayed had a small common area and terrible/no internet connection.
Facilities
Obtaining good internet was hard enough throughout Southeast Asia, I didn’t expect it to be the same here in Australia! The hostel advertises free wifi, but they give you a voucher for 500 MB for each night you stay. They also offer free pancakes on Saturdays and Sundays, which the Korean girl staying there did a great job at cooking them as well was extremely nice. The hostel printed off my bus ticket from Sydney to Melbourne for free as well which was helpful.
When I first walked into the dorm room of 8 people, I asked the Italian girl which bed was free and she brushed me off. I thought to myself, “Great, another rude person here in Sydney!” More on her a bit later! I decided that it was probably not best to choose the bunk bed above her, so I chose another top bunk. The room had two fans, that were definitely needed all the time! Additionally, large lockers were in the room, but you needed a lock.
The shower in our room was to be desired, with no shower curtain and water trickling down – no pressure! Eventually, I just started showering in the common shower down the hall since the pressure was better and the Italian girl always seemed to be in the washroom for hours.
As the fridge looked full with everyone’s food and the kitchen was overcrowded, I didn’t bother attempting to buy groceries that needed to be refrigerated. The room and bathroom was cleaned on a daily basis, but the one thing I didn’t understand was why they don’t have a soap dispenser in the washrooms – do you not want people to wash their hands?
Atmosphere
Since the internet didn’t work in the dorm rooms it did force you to hang out in the common areas, however I wouldn’t say that it was a very fun and friendly place. More or less people were looking for jobs and doing their own thing. Where I met friends was in my dorm room, as we bonded over the common annoyance in our room – the Italian girl. Myself, and 5 German girls were constantly getting woken up by the Italian girl flicking on the light in the middle of the night, every night! Putting her alarm on, sleeping through her alarm which she plugged into the common outlet that wasn’t close to her bed and then going back to bed to only have it go off again at 6 am. Taking hour long showers or something in the bathroom which she took her purse in with her every time. Sorting and resorting all of her clothes in her gigantic suitcases. Let’s just say she was a treat! But I can’t hold her behaviour against the hostel, as they did offer me the chance to change rooms but by that time I bonded with the German girls.
Final Rating – 3 Stars
The hostel wasn’t the worst one I’ve ever stayed in, and all personal issues with the Italian girl aside, the employees were nice and did try to keep everything clean. The facilities could be updated, and more social elements added.
Count your blessings – not your troubles. – Hendrik De Vrye
Total Cost = $145 AUD
- Accommodation $29 AUD a night stayed 5 nights
- Key Deposit that is returned $20 AUD
