Deco Backpackers

Stayed here with my boyfriend for two nights in the first week of April. The guy on reception seemed friendly but a bit of a chancer. We paid him and gave him $10 for a key deposit. Then he gave us our key and told us the directions to our "hut" that we were staying in. And a hut it was. It was outside with a couple of steps up to it. It was similar to a caravan except smaller. The room was dusty and the carpets were filthy. We stayed here two nights and were glad to get out of it. We left at 7 a.m. the morning of our departure and there was no one on reception. There's a box there for "Early Birds" to leave our keys in. We left it in and I emailed the owner later that day and asked him could he refund my credit card with our key deposit as nobody was there to give it us when we left. No reply and I emailed again a week later and the same thing. A word of warning -- the only good thing about this hostel is the view from out the back. That's it.

This hostel is located just outside the main area of Queenstown, but is within easy walking distance. Its well worth the walk as the view from the hostel is outstanding, right over the lake and mountains, and its quiet too. The hostel is made up of 3 seperate buildings, which was a bit strange at first. The kitchen and lounge are in a building next to the car park. The next building has the reception area, and some rooms. You then have to walk outside to the showers and toilets, and some more rooms. Personally, I found this ok as it is all so close but I know it bothered some other guests. The rooms are basic but clean. The toilets and showers are plentiful but the area could definitely be a lot cleaner. The showers go straight onto the floor (there is no seperate cubicles for them) and the drainage is not good enough so before long the floor is soaking. Apparently the men's smells a bit too! The lounge is more functional than anything else. It is not decided for lounging in! The kitchen is large, but is missing things like bowls for cereal, and glasses. It is also the only hostel I have ever been to where guests do not clean up after themselves. It was filthy at times, and we ate out a couple of times rather than having to cook there! From Wanaka, the hostel is easy to find. Continue up Stanley Street, take a left onto Shotover, and a right onto Camp St. Then take a left onto Man Street and the hostel is on the left hand side. Overall, this is an adequate hostel. The view (which you can enjoy from a small garden) really is fantastic, so if this is important to you, then the other things can be overlooked. And you can't blame the hostel for messy guests!

I stayed here about a year ago when reforms were on. The staff were very friendly and helpful, and I would highly recommend a good stay here. If I remember rightly, there are two ways to get to the hostel and one is a nasty hill, which should be avoided