Backpackers Vacation Inn - Plantation Village

Backpackers is an easy-to-reach-by-bus hostel. The bus stops in front of the hostel and the name appears on the screen in the bus. The Backpacker bus also picks guests up when they make prior arrangements. There are airport and hostel pick-ups and drop-offs around noon. Guests with rented cars could park at all three locations (Beach House, Main House, and Plantation Village). Kam Highway is a very busy road, so use caution when turning into or out of parking areas. It's also safer to walk on the pedestrian path, rather than the main road, especially at night.

The location is unbeatable. Backpackers is across from Three Tables Beach and a short walk from Waimea Bay and other North Shore beaches. Foodland requires a five minute walk from the hostel and there's also a Starbucks at Foodland. And Planet Surf offers Internet access. A serious shopper will have to take a bus to Haleiwa!

The cabins at Plantation Village offer dormitory accommodations. The rooms are small, no lockers are available, and the rooms could get very stuffy with four people in them. Bathrooms are often disgusting and there is only one bathroom per cabin. The kitchens are not well-equipped and could use some thorough cleaning. The common areas in the cabins are frequently used to have meals or hang out in -- but unfortunately also for smoking. The outside common area has laundry facilities, a payphone, TV and a vending machine. Backpackers offer bike, boogie, and surfboard rentals.

The "Main House" has two bathrooms and five rooms. The rooms have big lockers and four bunkbeds. Linen is provided. The bathrooms are mostly not clean. The floors are wet, counters not wiped, and the shower mats are wet and covered in sand.

The kitchen in the Main House is huge, but there are no storage shelves for food. Food is mostly stored on top of the two fridges. A lack of cutlery, dishes, mugs, utensils, pots, and pans creates a challenge to the guest. A microwave is available. Guests tend to hang out in the kitchen while cooking and having meals.

A small lounge adjacent to the kitchen has a TV. There are coin-operated laundry facilities, a vending machine, and a payphone outside the Main House. An outside table could be used by smokers or for dining purposes.

The hostel caters to surfers and surfing is the main topic of discussion. Drinking is allowed in common areas. Non-drinkers and non-surfers might feel out of place, but young social surfers seem to enjoy the atmosphere and don't mind the noise.

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review