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RECOMMENDED BACKPACKER HOSTELS: what are yours? |
 Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 1:24 pm |
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| We're about to publish our list and put them on site, but keen to know if there are any which you think we should know about.
Click here to find them: http://www.gapyear.com/accommodation If you can stick the link to them in your messages below it'll help us find them quicker Thanks! 
- Tom --------------- Tom Griffiths Founder gapyear.com |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 205 Posts |
| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 205 Posts |
| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 2:14 pm |
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| The hostels we recommend in NEW ZEALAND are: (do you agree?)
Auckland | BASE Auckland ACB http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/new-zealand/auckland/4409/?affiliate=gapyear Bay of Islands | YHA Paihaia http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/new-zealand/paihia/20573/?affiliate=gapyear Christchurch | Kiwi House http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/new-zealand/christchurch/4313/?affiliate=gapyear Queenstown: Nomads Queenstown http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/new-zealand/queenstown/44826/?affiliate=gapyear Rotorua | Base: Hot Rock http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/new-zealand/rotorua/4411/?affiliate=gapyear Wellington | Nomads Capital http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/new-zealand/wellington/6071/?affiliate=gapyear |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 205 Posts |
| Posted: Tue Oct 13, 2009 10:39 pm |
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| I found ACB in Auckland a horribly, soulless place.
The best place we found in the whole of NZ was: Te Nikau Retreat in Punakaiki, on the West Coast http://www.tenikauretreat.co.nz/ They have these amazing individual little huts in the the rainforest. Awesome. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 737 Posts |
| Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 9:30 am |
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| I found ACB to be pretty good. Yeah, I agree it's a little bit clinical, but for meeting people it's a great place to start. Particularly as most people start their NZ experience in Auckland. Their travel agents were also very good when i was there. | |
| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 5217 Posts |
| Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 9:36 am |
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| I'll have a think about others I found to be awesome, but off the top of my head, the stand-alone "best hostel of my trip award" would probably go to
La Chimba in Santiago http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/chile/santiago/7983/?affiliate=gapyear Apparently it's become a lot more popular lately, but the standards are just as high. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 5217 Posts |
| Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 12:09 pm |
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| Yo.
A few options, but first a caveat: nothing divides opinion more than a hostel. You'll see awesome and shocking reviews online for most hostels, so don't get too wrapped up in what other people say, unless it's unanimously bad. Find out for yourself. Broome | Kimberley Klub http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/australia/broome/40205/?affiliate=gapyear Busy place, but I like it a lot. Good fun and very well organised. Berri, SA (north of Adelaide / Murray Riverland | Berri Backpackers http://berribackpackers.com.au Best hostel I've ever stayed at in Australia. It's a working hostel, but still well worth a few days here even if you're not looking for work. Call them first if it's work you're after, because they have peaks and troughs on the work front. Kingston on Murray/Barmera (Murray Riverland) | Nomads on Murray http://www.nomadsworld.com/location.asp?backpack=murray An out-and-out working hostel, but has a pool and is in a great location next to a lagoon, just off the River Murray. A few miles from the nearest town (Barmera). Has farm work all year round. Call first, because he gets busy at the start of the year. Huonville / Cygnet TAS | Huon Valley Backpackers / Balfe's Hill http://www.huonvalleybackpackers.com/ Great for work between Oct and April, but volume of work rises and falls during this time. Jayne's not anything like as bad as some reviews will have you believe. Call up-front if it's work you're looking for, and be prepared to wait a few days until you get a decent job. Sticking it out will ensure you rise up the work list and start getting the better jobs. Airlie Beach | Backpackers by the Bay http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/australia/airlie-beach/8918/?affiliate=gapyear My experience of the hostels on the main strip in Airlie is that they're mucky, raucous and pretty full-on. This place is great if you want to get just far enough away from the crowds, but still want an easy walk into town. Lovely location, decent kitchen (pretty small) and occasional bar. Nice place. Byron Bay | Arts Factory http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/australia/byron-bay/44386/?affiliate=gapyear Proper nice place. Stay there and see for yourself. Dingos | Rainbow Beach (Hervey Bay alternative for Fraser Island http://www.dingosresort.com/ Brilliant alternative to Hervey Bay. Most folks going to Fraser Island organise their trips through hostels in Hervey Bay. This place is located in the only alternative mainland option for getting to Fraser - Rainbow Beach. Quiet little town, but gorgeous scenery and beaches and the hostel's very slick. Good pool, great food and promos, decent staff, and the guys that run the Fraser 4x4 trips from there are dudes. I'd take it over going to Hervey Bay any day of the week. Hervey Bay is a bit of a bumhole in comparison. Melbourne and upstate-VIC | Bev and Micks mini hostel chain http://www.bevandmicks.com.au/main.htm These guys run a little mini chain of hostels, mainly in pubs in Melbourne, and one working hostel up-state Victoria near Mildura. They're pretty basic and rough around the edges, but they're dead cheap and in decent locations. Generally have a really good atmosphere, and particularly popular with Irish folks. Darwin | Youth Shack http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/australia/darwin/12463/?affiliate=gapyear Most hostels in Darwin are bunched together on Mitchell Street in the middle of town. This is one of those, but is probably the pick of the bunch. Decent pool, good kitchen, nice vibe, Global Gossip computers and it even has baths (novelty). Noosa Heads | Halse Lodge YHA http://www.yha.com.au/hostels/details.cfm?HostelID=54 Great hostel in a big old house. I love it here. Hobart TAS | The Pickled Frog http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/australia/hobart/7157?affiliate=gapyear Best hostel in Hobart, in my opinion. Great bar and communal areas and really good TV room with big sofas. Great on a wet day. Nice dorms too. Mildura, up-state VIC | Mildura City Backpackers http://www.milduracitybackpackers.com.au Working hostel in the middle of town. Very 'functional', but good for farm work, especially between Sept and Feb. Stick with it and you'll get some work. It's not the cleanest of places, but if you get a good bunch of folks there it can be a riot in the backyard after work. Fremantle (just south of Perth) | Pirates Backpackers http://www.vipbackpackers.com/Hostels/73/Pirates-Backpackers.aspx Have very hazy memories of this place, but most of it good I think. Better than the Old Firestation, put it like that. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 6507 Posts |
| Posted: Wed Oct 14, 2009 2:26 pm |
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| Ok... Here's a few from me:
Singapore | The Inn Crowd. http://www.the-inncrowd.com/ Hardly a hidden gem, but does deserve its reputation. Fremantle | Sundancers. http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/australia/fremantle/2954/?affiliate=gapyear I remember happy hour here always being a very happy time indeed. Perth | Ocean Beach Backpackers. http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/australia/perth/3000/?affiliate=gapyear Not the cleanest, or the best value, or the most comfortable hostel in the world, but the location is sweeeeeet. Right on Cottesloe beach, so great if you're looking for a great place for watersports, this is your place. (NB: I am, of course, talking about outdoor watersports. If you're into dorm room watersports, you can probably pick any hostel. Though not the top bunk). Byron Bay | The Arts Factory http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/australia/byron-bay/44386/?affiliate=gapyear is one that a lot of people recommend, but my personal choice is the YHA. Cracking little hostel, and a little underated, if I'm honest. Sydney | Big Hostel. http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/australia/sydney/46396/?affiliate=gapyear Good location. Nice bar on the roof. Decent kitchen. Generally a nice change from the usual Sydney hostels. Wellington, NZ | YHA. http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/new-zealand/wellington/8815?affiliate=gapyear A modern, comfortable hostel with a huge kitchen. There's also car parking nearby, which is handy if you've got a rented car/van. Quito, Ecudor. | Crossroads. http://www.crossroadshostal.com/ This is a friendly, small hostel which has a 24 hour kitchen (always handy) where you can order food and drink to be cooked for you. Wicked location. Canoa, Ecuador | Hotel Bambu. http://www.hotelbambuecuador.com/ Like living in paradise. Right on the beach, cheap rooms with own toilets and balcony, great bar with a fantastic happy hour. Cash only though, so bring money as there is no ATM nearby. Rio De Janeiro | Che Lagarto, Copacabana or Ipanema. http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/brazil/rio-de-janeiro/5203/ Cracking party hostels. Safe, clean and full of booze. Just what any backpacker needs. I;ha Grande, Brazil | Aquario Hostel. http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/brazil/ilha-grande/7646?affiliate=gapyear The best hostel in Brazil. Fact. Free kayaks and surfboards, right on the beach, free BBQs, decent rooms, some of the best beaches in the world. Quite simply raises the bar for hostels anywhere. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 5217 Posts |
| Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 9:35 am |
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| Kuala Lumpur | Red Palm Guest House
http://www.redpalm-kl.com/ Superb. Chiang Mai | Julie's Guest House http://www.julieguesthouse.com Super cheap and great for the money. for under 200 baht a night you can get a double room with ensuite. Not as basic as you might think. Great little bar and rooftop chill-out area with hammocks. Bit annoying when it's fully booked. Bangkok | New Siam Guest Houses http://www.newsiam.net/ Little chain of guest houses around the Rambuttri area, just off Khao San Road. All lovely, and they vary in price from about 400 baht up to 1500 baht a night. You can share double and triple rooms though, which makes it cheap. Number 2 has a nice pool. Nice staff. Battambang (Cambodia) | Royal Hotel Superb guest house. Perfect base for exploring the area. Great rooftop bar. Hook up with the motorbike taxi fellas in the foyer and spend a day out in the countryside with them. Great experience, lovely chaps. Try and form a bit of a gang and head out on the bikes together. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 6507 Posts |
| Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 11:24 am |
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| My Recomended hostels are usually based on places I have had fun/have a good bar. Im not to fussed on cleanliness...
Jaegers hostel Munich http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/germany/munich/5650/?affiliate=gapyear The 40 bed dorms are quite an experience - and the showers are a bit shit. But has a great bar/happy hour and good atmosphere! Banana Bungalow - San Diego http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/usa/san-diego/1816/?affiliate=gapyear Personally my favorite hostel yet. Actually on the beach, great drinking patio and great atmosphere. Gets a little sandy inside but oh well! Kabul - Barcelona http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/spain/barcelona/3455/?affiliate=gapyear Just a great party hostel - pretty nice hostel aswell |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 722 Posts |
| Posted: Thu Oct 15, 2009 7:49 pm |
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| easy:
la chimba - santiago http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/chile/santiago/7983/?affiliate=gapyear naughty squirrel - latvia http://www.hostelbookers.com/hostels/latvia/riga/3512?affiliate=gapyear 
Paul |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 213 Posts |
| Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2009 7:48 pm |
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| Ottawa Backpackers Inn. http://www.ottawahostel.com/
Its definitely the best hostel i have been to in Canada. It's very relaxed and like a house. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 3 Posts |
| Posted: Sun Nov 1, 2009 12:38 pm |
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Thought I'd listed this one, but seem to have overlooked it. Totally one of my favourites too. |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 5217 Posts |
| Posted: Sun Nov 1, 2009 4:05 pm |
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| Bangkok - My House Guest house
Located on Rambuttri near KSR. Not going to lie but the some of the staff are pretty rude and the room defo aren't the best but it's undoubtably a very easy place to meet new people and the rooms are well cheap. Singapore - Sleepy Sam's Definetely the nicest hostel i've stayed in. Reasonably priced also |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 158 Posts |
| Posted: Sat Nov 7, 2009 12:53 pm |
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| Beijing
Red Lantern House - amazing place in traditional chinese style house Melbourne Cooee on St Kilda... so friendly and felt like home Santiago de Chile Don Santiago... Pato the owner is great and its about half the price of everywhere else and I have no idea why Ilha Grande Che Legarto... what can i say this place is paradise. On an island with no roads or even ATMs. This hostel has decking out the front for drinks and food which stands over the gently lapping sea. Paradise!! |
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| Back to top | Location: Unknown | 94 Posts |
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