Albany YHA - Australia

Bayview YHA Hostel is a charming hostel in a charming town -- Albany is small but full of life. This hostel has a warm and homey feeling to it. It's not a party hostel but a home away from home.

The Location

The hostel is located close to the sea, only four hundred meters from town centre. There are plenty of restaurants, cafes, and shops around, yet Bayview is on a quiet street with very little traffic. There's an off-street parking for those traveling by car and a TransWA bus stop five hundred meters away.

Rooms and Bathrooms

YHA Bayview Backpackers has two family rooms, three doubles/twins and ten dorms. All of the rooms are a good size and clean, but there are no lockers. In the winter, the rooms are cold because the building itself is old with extensions built in afterward. There are only four toilets and six showers for fifty people, so during busier times you might have to wait. Toilets and showers are cleaned once a day, but the showers seem dirty anyway.

Common Spaces

Common areas consist of the kitchen (free coffee and tea, bread in the morning), dining/living room, and there's also a laundry room and an internet area in the hallway together with a pay-phone. The kitchen had everything one might need, but the dining area only seats nine people. You can also sit either outside on the court or on a patio. The atmosphere is relaxed, maybe not very social -- people mostly minding their own business. The main thing is that everything works and is clean.

Summary

Albany is one of the nicest towns in Southwest Coast and YHA Bayview Backpackers is certainly one of the nicest hostels. The owner is keen on hearing what the guests like and don't like so that she can make improvements. That's truly exemplary hostel management!