YHA Dunedin - Stafford Gables Hostel

Hard to fault it
Charming building. Clean and comfortable dorm. Friendly and helpful staff. Communal facilities clean and plenty of communal space to relax. Beware though, it's a long walk uphill from the bus stop with a heavy pack on your back!

The ONLY place to stay in Dunedin-unless wheelchair bound!
I and my family stayed here one night during our seven-week odyssey Down Under late Spring and Summer 2006. We arrived late and walked up a steep hill to locate the hostel. It was wonderful to stay in such a snug, layered building, and the reception was most welcoming. My immediate impression was the walk was a bit hard on my knees, but the bed, showers, accommodations were superb and more than made up for any difficulty getting to it. I could not see any possible way that a wheelchair could be used here, even though this was a former hospital of sorts. The views are outstanding, the town is easily walked about (Downhill from the hostel!) and we did not have enough time -- just overnight. It was an excellent stay, but I hated to leave so quick. That just means a return is imminent! During the short visit, though, we were able to buy high quality woolen clothing at the secondhand store just downhill from the hostel, and tour the Cadbury's plant close to the bus stop.

great architecture, very nice and clean rooms with a lot of charm. great facilities and staff is helpful. We loved this place and you should book ahead because it's always full!

Well, I was delighted about the quaint building it was in, but stupidly regretted walking there from the train station with all my luggage. The taxi was cheap enough on the way back! Sadly, not being a ski town, it is not as go-go-go but definitely worth it for widelife enthusiasts! There were also some quirky but nice shops. As to the hostel, it was fairly quite, every day they listed all the things you could go and see, which was great because we weren't that prepared. Don't miss the chocolate factory! The room we had was small but suitbaly sized for the four people, and nice sturdy wooden bunks. The place is like a maze, so spare some time to poke around the place. Again, like other New Zealand hostels, it had a faboulous huge kitchen, along with the usual stock pile of food of guests who had checked out. There were even extra doonas/quilts for the cold at heart, which seemed really generous! The sheets were not white, which always makes me a little uncomfortable, but it was definitely a clean place. No problems with bugs, they try really hard to keep it that way too.

There's more character in this building than in any other hostel in New Zealand. It's all creaky floorboards and stuff, a great place to stay.

This hostel is in a location that is close enough to town to walk easily, yet far enough away to avoid most noise. The staff here are very knowledgeable, to the point of being circus freaks. They know the compartive prices of every asian food restaurant in the city. That kind of thing. The rooms were fairly clean, but beware the sleepsheet. It didn't fully make up for the fact that the other 'sheets' were of questionable cleanliness. Bathrooms and kitchen facilities seemed to be fairly clean. Overall a nice stay.