Global Village Backpackers

Great place, we loved it
the only problem that we had were that the loos were quite a way from our room, not good when you are getting on, or have had a few.

Will never go back
I booked this hostel two weeks in advance. Imagine my surprise to arrive and find I had been given the worst room in the whole place. No introduction by the man who took my money, just "your key should be in your door and the room is down that corridor, up there is the kitchen and bathrooms." Terribly unfriendly! At check-in I forgot to ask for a towel. So later that night, when I was doing my teeth, I went to reception to ask. The guy just about rolled his eyes at me! I was clearly being a terrible nuisance by daring to ask for one. Then the next day I see fresh towels in other rooms that were ready for that day's check-ins. I couldn't believe my room. To get in the door you have to climb a step that's knee-high, then once inside the door you have to climb a further four steps and then squeeze past one of the two beds. Yes, that's right -- the beds are on a different level than the bottom of the door, and to enable the door to open, there is actually a large gap in the floor between the beds. Woe betide anyone who needs to go to the toilet in the middle of the night! The room itself was so small I was glad I was on my own -- I'd hate to have shared it with someone else. There was essentially nowhere in the room to put suitcases/bags, partly on account of the hole between the beds but also because it was so damn small. Another thing I didn't like about this place was the constant rules posted everywhere. Makes you feel like you're in kindergarten all over again. (Plastic wineglasses added to this feeling) One of my "favourites" in the kitchen says that for "safety reasons" there is to be no cooking after 10:30 at night. I say what? I wasn't aware that cooking after 10:30 was inherently less safe than at other times! Talking of signs, one extra in the kitchen would be welcome, warning people that the simmerstat on at least one of the stovetop elements doesn't work. I nearly ruined my fish on two separate occasions. I kept turning the heat down, but it made no difference and it was only by sheer luck that I noticed the fish was nearly burning. So simple to let people know about things like this. This place was also the only place I have ever stayed that expects people to strip the linen off their beds and put it outside their rooms. At places that I enjoy staying, I do this, but I think it's a bit rude to expect people to do it. I have to say that it seems this place isn't adequately staffed when it's fully booked. I was there for six nights (having pre-booked) and they ran out of toilet paper in most of the ladies' toilets twice during that time. Reception closed for the day at 9 p.m. so nothing we could do about it until morning. The hand towels in the bathroom get wet way before they've been up for only twelve hours, and they only get changed once a day. There are two sinks in the kitchen, but one or other container of dishwashing liquid was often empty. With a busy kitchen (the place sleeps mid-fifties apparently) this is a real nuisance. And it's so easy to make sure these sorts of things don't happen -- if you have enough staff, that is. The place also ran out of hot water one morning. On the plus side, yes this place is beautifully decorated. But I'd rather have friendly staff (like at every other backpacker's I've stayed in) and amenities appropriate to the number of people staying there. If I want a place that looks wonderful I'll go to a five-star hotel. Also note that Cowper Street gets quite a bit of traffic -- "beside a river" does not mean quiet! Also Global Village is about a thirty-minute walk from the train station and they refuse to do pickups (see their website). They have computers available twenty-four hours a day, which is very convenient, but they're metered ($2 for twenty-five minutes) and in my experience always require restarting before they will recognise your camera card or your CD. So you get to pay while their computer shuts down and restarts. But the real reason that I will never go back there is that they actually took some of my food and the male owner didn't even have the decency to apologise properly. I had followed all of the instructions posted on the fridge for labeling my food; I have worked in holiday accommodation and know what a pain it is when people leave food behind. Forty-eight hours before I was due to check out, the staff took my dry goods out of the bin they had been in for four days in the kitchen and put them in the fridge (what the hell?). They then went through the bag of food I had in the fridge and took some of it -- one bread roll and some cheese. The official story is that they fed this to their chickens -- but if this is true then why were some pieces of capsicum and another piece of cheese left behind? The staff member who had done this was terribly apologetic and I don't have a problem with her. They also gave me $5 to replace the food that was taken. But the attitude of the male owner was just terrible. It was basically Well we've apologised, what more do you want? (in a very brusque tone of voice that really let me know just how sorry he wasn't) I simply wanted him to accept that something had gone very wrong when a customer follows all their instructions and ends up with food going missing. Like I say, I have worked in holiday accommodation and I know exactly what happens to food that is left behind when people leave -- we called it "fair game" and it was first in, best fed. In all fairness I can't give this place the lowest possible rating, but I will certainly never go back there.

Top rate
Really enjoyed the whole stay. Friendly staff, lots of help planning activities. Amazing decor and the furniture was so comfy -- loved the hot water bottles! There are bikes and canoes available free.

Great hostel! We booked one of the smaller double rooms, which was very nice. Nice vibrant colours and you could even say they had thought of the interior design, as the room was decorated in an African spirit. Nice. Plenty of communal showers. Well equipped kitchen. And a lovely host!

this hostel was so great! I stayed there in february -- but I can't forget my time there! I had one of those moments there where I was at the right time at the right place with the right people. A cup of tea, cookies, a good book to read, woodfire, and good music -- it was like heaven!

Definitely one of the best hostels around. We borrowed a kayak for free to cruise around the river in the morning. The owners are incredibly helpful. You get free breakfast and often muffins in the evening, and they have two cats which is always a bonus for me. Oh, well equipped kitchen too which is unusual.

Lives up to the reviews - Visited in May 2005 and was in top notch. Excellent place and best that we stayed in NZ in the month we were there. Props to the owner!

This place was fantastic, really close to the supermarket and town, but if you're feeling lazy you can take advantage of the free bikes and cycle! It has a spa and gym and other great things. Take the scenic rail from Christchurch and you'll get picked up from the station. The TV room is really cozy, and what better to have with a film than free chocolate muffins every night fresh out the oven. The kitchen is one of the best I've seen. Great bathrooms and great staff. Feels like home.

This place is great. We only planned on staying for one night but changed to two as it seemed so great from the second we walked in. The kitchen is fantastic - the best I've ever seen in a hostel. The bathrooms are warm and clean. They even give you fresh chocolate muffins each night and bread in the morning. Only down point was that the walls were a bit thin, so beware of noisy neighbours.

Fantastic hostel! The rooms are great — really nicely decorated. The kitchen is excellent and there are lots of nice communal areas. I highly recommend it!

My friend and I stayed at BBH hostels in South Island for three weeks in December, 2004. Global Village was the most impressive of all! We were especially impressed with the cleanliness, the friendly host, awesome, colorful decor, and the cat. I would highly recommend it to everyone!

I stayed here in January 2005 and must admit that it is a great place. In fact, after being in more than 30 countries, I think this is probably the nicest place I've been to. Highly recommended! Good prices, too.

This is a unique hostel, with very friendly hosts, amazing decor, and lots to do both at the hostel (gym, sauna, spa, kayaking, etc.) and also around the town. It's the real New Zealand.