The Hostelz.com Review
HI - Canberra - Canberra City YHA Hostel is one of very few hostels in Canberra -- however at the time we stayed, it appeared quite empty. The reception staff are very friendly and there is someone there twenty-four hours a day if you have any problems.
The Location
The location is very good --the Canberra Centre is just around the corner with shops and places to eat for budget backpackers. There are also more expensive restaurants just a few minutes' walk away. In addition to places to eat, the hostel is next door to the Transit bar, which seems to be very popular with backpackers and locals alike, with cheap drinks being served between 5 and 7 (happy hour).
We got a taxi from the bus station, as we weren't sure how to find the hostel -- however it is only a few minutes drive so it's walkable. In terms of the wider area, Canberra certainly couldn't be described as a party city, unlike most locations on the East Coast. It is, however, the political capital of the country and would be of interest to people looking for a more cultural visit in terms of museums. If not, a fly-by visit would be expected -- it's possible to reach the major landmarks over a day or two.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorm rooms (we stayed in a four-share mixed) are quite basic, as expected, with just beds, lockers, and one desk in each room. Guest need to bring their own padlocks to use the lockers and it is worth noting that one of ours (a standard-sized luggage lock) was not big enough to fit the loop. The rooms are clean and tidy, though, and there are plenty of toilets/showers that are cleaned regularly -- and showers are nice and hot!
Common Spaces
There are a number of common areas -- a large kitchen, a TV lounge (with pool table that you pay to use), out door area, and balcony. All of these areas are up to date and big enough for the amount of guests. There is also a pool and jacuzzi -- however you have to be very brave to go into either of these --- they look very nice but the water is ice cold, even in the jacuzzi, which states it contains heated water! The hostel also has its own cafe area where guests can purchase nice, yet affordable food, however, this is only open for breakfast and lunch (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and so guests must make other arrangements for eating in the evenings.
Summary
Overall, this is a decent place to stay for a night or two with all the facilities you would expect from a backpackers hostel. The pool and spa area may suggest that it is something more, however, warmer water would be required for this to be true! Despite this, our stay was very comfortable -- the hostel is well looked after by very friendly staff.
The Location
The location is very good --the Canberra Centre is just around the corner with shops and places to eat for budget backpackers. There are also more expensive restaurants just a few minutes' walk away. In addition to places to eat, the hostel is next door to the Transit bar, which seems to be very popular with backpackers and locals alike, with cheap drinks being served between 5 and 7 (happy hour).
We got a taxi from the bus station, as we weren't sure how to find the hostel -- however it is only a few minutes drive so it's walkable. In terms of the wider area, Canberra certainly couldn't be described as a party city, unlike most locations on the East Coast. It is, however, the political capital of the country and would be of interest to people looking for a more cultural visit in terms of museums. If not, a fly-by visit would be expected -- it's possible to reach the major landmarks over a day or two.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The dorm rooms (we stayed in a four-share mixed) are quite basic, as expected, with just beds, lockers, and one desk in each room. Guest need to bring their own padlocks to use the lockers and it is worth noting that one of ours (a standard-sized luggage lock) was not big enough to fit the loop. The rooms are clean and tidy, though, and there are plenty of toilets/showers that are cleaned regularly -- and showers are nice and hot!
Common Spaces
There are a number of common areas -- a large kitchen, a TV lounge (with pool table that you pay to use), out door area, and balcony. All of these areas are up to date and big enough for the amount of guests. There is also a pool and jacuzzi -- however you have to be very brave to go into either of these --- they look very nice but the water is ice cold, even in the jacuzzi, which states it contains heated water! The hostel also has its own cafe area where guests can purchase nice, yet affordable food, however, this is only open for breakfast and lunch (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and so guests must make other arrangements for eating in the evenings.
Summary
Overall, this is a decent place to stay for a night or two with all the facilities you would expect from a backpackers hostel. The pool and spa area may suggest that it is something more, however, warmer water would be required for this to be true! Despite this, our stay was very comfortable -- the hostel is well looked after by very friendly staff.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
September 2011
Their Description
HI - Canberra - Canberra City YHA Hostel Details
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HI - Canberra - Canberra City YHA Hostel Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Bedbugs -- it's that simple. I'm not a doctor, but I can tell how bites of bedbugs look like. It's been my mistake to sleep on the mattress without sheets in the first night, alright. Still it's not acceptable that I had skin rash on both legs and lower arms which is itchy like hell. The rest of the hostel was clean, the price was alright. Staff was sometimes friendly, sometimes annoyed by ANY request. The second problem after bedbugs is the atmosphere, which is not existent. Another reviewer wrote that it is more like a hotel, and that's true, but not in a positive way. No community, no fun. — Austraniel , Germany (2012-01-03) Clean but expensive It was quite a walk from the bus station and there was no mention of free transfers. It's in a good location and is clean and not too cramped with good kitchen facilities and it was nice to have a TV in the room, but it was way overpriced and had no atmosphere at all. — Jess , England (2009-01-30) Busy but super clean This is a huge operation and feels more like a major city hotel, or a well kept dormitory of a mega university. Not very personal or cushy, but very well organized and cleanest city hostel I have ever experienced, despite the fact that we were there in peak season. It was quiet during the night and the staff was friendly and helpful. Great location, city within walking minutes. Would recommend this hostel to anyone, if Canberra is on your list of places to visit. — desertmolly (2008-02-05) Nice Hostel The hostel is clean and a very nice hostel to be in. The staff are extremely friendly and very helpful. The only downsides are that people tend to stay for quite some time and can get rowdy and people that aren't even staying in your room may decide to join you anyway. I wouldn't recommend staying in an eight- or ten-bed dorm as we did on the first night and find it to be quite rowdy and inhospitable. However, the four-bed dorm was clean, good sized, and quiet. The bathrooms are also quite cramped. On the whole, good hostel and definitely a good one to choose in Canberra as it is very central. — Christina , UK (2007-11-08) Nice clean hostel I spent about a week here. Very clean, friendly hostel. However it is lacking in atmosphere, but then again so is Canberra. The TV in your room is kinda nice, especially since the only thing to do at night in Canberra is watch TV, but you lose the communal feeling of everyone hanging out in the together in the hostel watching the one TV. It's almost like a hotel with bunk beds. — Ben , USA (2007-06-02) Good hostels, lot of space, balcony in the room (that was clean and not noisy), staff all right, hostel well located. Perhaps a bit expensive. You can rely on this one. — Julien , France (2007-05-15) incredible. very comfortable beds with own TV. bathrooms were immaculate. my trick was to use the disabled loo as it turns into a wet room, fantastic if you want to get ready for a night out! Loved the sauna, swimming pool, jacuzzi, and gym. The only down side is it's too big to have any atmosphere, oh and it's in Canberra. — Rachel (2006-11-16) really good hostel, people are friendly, there's televisions in the room which provides a more comfortable atmosphere. hostel's clean. some of the guests though have been there a while, which is a bit odd but they're friendly enough. hostel's in a great location -- next to all the touristy stuff but its really quiet at night. — danielle (2006-10-13) YHA took over this place. One-hundred percent different now. Canberra itself is still different. — monkey (2006-07-19) We arrived here the day of the official opening and were surprised with the free opening party. This was a really nice hostel with great staff, big rooms and clean communal areas. It wasn't just the free champagne and sushi that swung it for me! I would definitely recommend people staying here and I think that there have been renovations or even a new building since 2004! — Emma (2006-05-26) This place was a massive disappointment. First of all, they screwed up my booking and I got dumped in a room with three guys who the receptionist said had been there "a really, really long time." Sometime after midnight the room was invaded by a group of guys who weren't even staying in the room, and they marched through and decided to use the balcony as their own personal drug den. I left early the next morning to find somewhere else to stay and I was glad to get out even though I'd already paid for the next two nights. Avoid this place like the plague. — Monkey (2004-12-30) I had a really bad experience here. It was dirty, there was sh*t everywhere over the toilets, and the showers were not cleaned (hair everywhere). I don't recommend this hostel to anyone. There are a lot of other cheap hostels close by, so have a look somewhere else. — Client - 29.8.04 (2004-09-07) Great hostel. I really enjoyed my stay here. The place was really clean. The staff werevvery efficient. — Anonymous (2004-07-21) Canberra is the best hostel in the area. It's clean and well maintained. All this making Canberra City the clear choice when one is traveling to Canberra. — Anonymous (2004-07-21) Nothing to write home about for atmosphere, but it was a welcome change from the usual backpackers hostel. It had a pool, Jacuzzi, and a sauna, which were all pretty awesome. It was more like a hotel than hostel. — Anonymous (2004-07-04)