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Hostels Guide > Australia & Oceania > Australia > Victoria > Melbourne Hostels > Hotel Discovery

Hotel Discovery

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

10 of 57

Hostels in Melbourne

Address	167 Franklin Street, Melbourne Map
Price	Dorm beds from US$24.83. Private rooms from US$32.47/person. Price may vary by season - Check Current Prices by Date Here

Location/Contact

Details

This is a VIP hostel. Show your VIP Backpackers membership card for a discount at check-in.

Their Description

Features

Free Breakfast
Kitchen
Lockers
Bar
Gameroom
Lounge / Common space
Pool Table
BBQ
Food/Restaurant
Washing Machine (laundry)
Elevator/Lift
Travel information provided
Free City Tours
24 Hour Free Hot Showers
Phones (public or in room)

The Hostelz.com Review

Hotel Bakpak is well-advertised throughout Melbourne and beyond and so is a popular place to stay. There is a lot going on -- the hostel has a bar and a cafe as well as regular excursions to the beach, sports matches and "Neighbours" themed events etc. It has quite a party atmosphere about it so may not appeal to the quieter traveller.

The dorms are mainly large and quite plain. Other facilities include a laundry, kitchen, lounge area and mini cinema; you can hire DVDs from reception. The "Backpackers' World" travel shop in the reception area offers internet access as well as selling tours and tickets for travel through Australia and beyond. There is also a job search centre. A free daily "breakfast" is served early mornings and consists of 2 pieces of dry toast and some coffee that even the staff admit tastes horrible!

Notice boards at the airport, train and bus stations have a freephone link to the hostel and advertise free pick-ups. From personal expereince, this only applies to airport pick-ups; despite advertising to the contrary -- it is necessary to make your own way from the bus and train stations. It is a long-ish 20-30 minute walk from Spencer Street (main train/bus terminal). Public transport is a possibility, but it is likely you will need to change trams. However, Hotel Bakpak has a good location in the centre of Melbourne. It is just a five minute walk to the Victoria Markets and 5 minutes in the other direction to the "Melbourne Central" shopping area. From here, it is possible to take the free City Circle tram that passes many areas of interest throughout the city, or catch a train to travel into the suburbs.

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review

Your Comments

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Comment by Julien, France

May 2007

Perhaps the worst hostel in the world (and i've been to a lot of them you can believe me). Dirty, noisy, expensive, staff so rude. i've never seen that! Avoid at all cost!

Comment by Janessa

July 2006

Good points -- the Roo Bar is great for a laugh, the rooftop bbq area is so cool, we saw all the Chinese New Years fireworks from up there, the hostel is very friendly and you will make friends if you stay a bit, they have a lot of facilities and tours you can go on for cheap, and it has a great location. Bad points -- the beds are not comfy and the dorms are noisy. I stayed in a four-bed on the third floor which was decent, however a bit expensive, at twenty-eight dollars per night! Mind you that's Melbourne.

Comment by Dan

May 2006

I stayed here in February '05. I thought it was by far the worst hostel I stayed in during my eight months in Australia. I had to wait at the airport for one and half hours for the courtesy bus, then two hours to check in. Then three days into my stay, the staff decided to remove all my stuff from my dorm without telling me. It was all dumped in grotty binbags and was piled up behind their badly staffed reception. I didn't get an apology for this and it seemed like this service was just run of the mill. The beds were full of bed bugs. Filthy, rude staff, too big, kitchen had birds flying around it. I could go on.

Comment by Matthew

April 2006

I'd advise that you don't stay here. The room I stayed in was a prison cell with matresses, but before long even they were infested by bedbugs because a squatter came through the window every night. I was ill twice within 3 weeks of staying here. Ventilation is bad. The Roo bar is open every night with some event or other but it is home to 6 ft 5 transvestites a few nights a week. Lots of prizes on offer if you fancy puckering up? It is v.dirty, staff charge what they like for drinks and the music is too loud in the bar to strike up any conversation. There's table tennis in the other section but that room is usually unpopulated. People tend to go down to the bar with their roommates so hope you are in with a good crowd. That was my view - you may have a good time here. My few weeks in Melbourne were brilliant but most of the good times I had were outside the hostel.

Comment by flopsy

February 2006

We stayed here for 3 weeks and had the best time - granted some of it was the people we met but in my opinion the hostel is great too!! u don't get many hostels with a bar on the premises,and such a a good bar at that! drinks are cheap and u get to meet so many diffent people. We stayed in a non-workers room to start with which was ok, although i've stayed in better although I saw other rooms in the hostel and they were of a good standard. We then moved onto the workers rooms which were much nicer. If u want work this is the ideal place to get it. you DO have to pay for this service but we always had some offer of work or other which is great if ur short of cash like most backpackers!! The hostel facilities were cleaned everyday and are of a good standard. The hostel staff were friendly and helped where they could and the mini cinema is great if u want a night off the drink!! Its in a great location for Melbournes pub and shops and offers the all important neighbours tour! I'd definitely go back here.

Comment by Ellie

February 2006

This was one of the best hostels I stayed in in OZ and would def go back! I stayed here for 3 weeks. The facilities are brilliant - free cinema and really good bar to meet people and party the nights away. I managed to find quite a bit of work here too organised at the job shop and because it is a workers hostel the atmosphere between people is really good. beds were comfy, loads of good showers to choose from and I never had anything stolen from the fridge- I dont have anything bad to say about this place!

Comment by Graham

February 2006

No no no! This place was awful, by far the worst place I've stayed in Oz, and I've stayed in quite a few places! Don't know where to start, the whole place stinks of smoke, there's kids on school trips running around all the time, birds living in the kitchen (!), regular food theft from the fridges, dirty bathrooms, keycards that stop working after 1 day, and the bar stinks and the floor is sticky! Stay away! I paid for a week up front as it was cheaper and lived to regret it!

Comment by Vicki

January 2006

After 5 months of backpacking in Australia, this is the worst hostel I have stayed in. It's massive, which means hundreds of people are passing through every day, you can't get near the sinks/hobs/fridges in the kitchen, there's always a queue at reception, and it takes half an hour to get checked out. The bedrooms are like rabbit hutches, the mattresses are so thin you can feel the metal bed frame through them, and the corridors are constantly noisy, with doors slamming all through the night. I honestly can't think of one positive comment to make about this hostel. All in all it was like staying at school camp. If you like to party then this may be the place for you, but if you're planning on getting any sleep - don't stay here!

Comment by Dynamite Dan

October 2005

This is by far the best hostel I stayed in during my 18 months travelling around Australia. The bottom line is that it is just a fun place to be, especially during the summer months, when the place is packed and frankly just insane. The staff are fantastic, very helpful and informative, and most are more up for a party than the backpackers, which is always a good sign. The Roo Bar hosts nightly events, which guarantee you will meet people immediately in a very relaxed and friendly environment. No need for that awkward backpacker first few days where everyone just looks at each other and no one breaks the ice!!! On top of all this, there is a roof garden (barbecue), cinema, TV room, and excellent kitchen facilities, and if you are too lazy to cook a great cafe area, too. I have repeatedly recommended this place to friends I have made whilst travelling and not one of them has been disappointed, all having a very happy stay at the hostel, and many returning on a number of occasions during their travels.

Comment by Den

August 2005

I stayed here in 2003. Although it wasn't the cleanest hostel (what do you expect, it is a hostel after all?!) I had the best time. It was quality, the Roo Bar was excellent, and the people were a laugh. I was sad to go. After travelling up the coast of Oz, this was by far the best hostel I've stayed at.

Comment by Yeshhh, it's me

August 2005

It's disgusting. The rooms are smelly and small. The place looks like it's a crack house. The staff are rude and the showers reek of poo and the toilets are not very private. Nobody should stay there!!!

Comment by Melissa

May 2005

I thought staying here was fantastic, I only intended to stay in Melbourne for 5 days, but ended up staying for 3 weeks and stayed in Hotel Bakpak for the duration. If I ever went back to Oz I'd stay there again without a doubt. I met some fantastic people, the staff were very helpful, and the rooms were just the right size. There was plenty of fridge space in the kitchen and always a warm shower for free. The Roo Bar was a fantastic place to spend the night, and just being able to get the lift to bed is even better.

Comment by Kelly Mayes

May 2005

This is a fantastic place to stay. I had a great time meeting new people. The Roo Bar ROCKS!!! I worked here for a while and the staff are really friendly!!! Get yourself down to the ROO BAR!!!

Comment by Anonymous

March 2005

I was told this place was the best place to stay in Melbourne but sadly I was misled. It's clean enough and the bar is always a good place to chill, but the staff are rude and unfriendly. And to be honest don't think most of them could fight their way out of a paper bag! Harsh I know, but when you stand it line to check out for 45 minutes and then are told you are late checking out and have to pay the late fee, you'll understand what I mean!!

Comment by Anonymous

March 2005

When I first saw this hotel I thought, "Oh my god, it looks so bad." But inside the rooms were quite clean, and it was all right, and very cheap. The staff were all right, though I didn't really stay there that much to meet them. A bit of it was unclean and yuck...the girls' showers were see-through, which I did not like. The beds were comfy though, and I did enjoy my stay. I would go again!!

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10 of 57

Hostels in Melbourne

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