The Hostelz.com Review
HI - YHA Wellington City Hostel is a bustling six-story urban hostel. Reception is open until midnight, and common rooms are in use around the clock.
The Location
The hostel is within easy walking distance of Te Papa, and there's a New World supermarket right across the street. Once you're there, it's conveniently located. The difficulty lies in getting to it. If you're traveling light, you can catch a city bus from the railway or bus station, or take a shuttle from the ferry to the railway station and then a city bus. With luggage, however, you'll need a shuttle or a taxi.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There are four-, six-, and eight-bed dorms and most if not all dorm beds are double bunks. There are gender-segregated bathrooms on each floor, as well as an accessible unisex bathroom. Single, double, and triple rooms are also available. Our mattress was a bit thin, but the bed was soft.
Common Spaces
There are two large kitchens, well-equipped with pots, pans, and appliances but lacking in spices -- when we were there, they did not even stock salt! Each kitchen has its own dining area. There are several other lounge areas, including a smokers' lounge and an internet lounge with kiosked computers. The Global Gossip Wi-Fi is reliable in common areas, but less usable in the bedrooms; we saw many people bringing their laptops to the lounges and dining areas.
Summary
YHA Wellington has an excellent location and it does well at being what it is -- a big-city hostel serving hundreds of guests every night. When we were there, there seemed to be little interaction among groups; there was much lively socializing in the lounges, but the participants all seemed to be traveling together. Most of those we saw in the common areas were young -- college-aged or below -- though some older people were staying in the hostel's private rooms.
Be aware that no heat is provided in the hostel from December to April, even though nighttime temperatures in Wellington in summer can plunge to 50 F. If this is not an issue for you, or if you are traveling to Wellington in the off-season, you may have a pleasant stay at YHA Wellington.
The Location
The hostel is within easy walking distance of Te Papa, and there's a New World supermarket right across the street. Once you're there, it's conveniently located. The difficulty lies in getting to it. If you're traveling light, you can catch a city bus from the railway or bus station, or take a shuttle from the ferry to the railway station and then a city bus. With luggage, however, you'll need a shuttle or a taxi.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There are four-, six-, and eight-bed dorms and most if not all dorm beds are double bunks. There are gender-segregated bathrooms on each floor, as well as an accessible unisex bathroom. Single, double, and triple rooms are also available. Our mattress was a bit thin, but the bed was soft.
Common Spaces
There are two large kitchens, well-equipped with pots, pans, and appliances but lacking in spices -- when we were there, they did not even stock salt! Each kitchen has its own dining area. There are several other lounge areas, including a smokers' lounge and an internet lounge with kiosked computers. The Global Gossip Wi-Fi is reliable in common areas, but less usable in the bedrooms; we saw many people bringing their laptops to the lounges and dining areas.
Summary
YHA Wellington has an excellent location and it does well at being what it is -- a big-city hostel serving hundreds of guests every night. When we were there, there seemed to be little interaction among groups; there was much lively socializing in the lounges, but the participants all seemed to be traveling together. Most of those we saw in the common areas were young -- college-aged or below -- though some older people were staying in the hostel's private rooms.
Be aware that no heat is provided in the hostel from December to April, even though nighttime temperatures in Wellington in summer can plunge to 50 F. If this is not an issue for you, or if you are traveling to Wellington in the off-season, you may have a pleasant stay at YHA Wellington.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
January 2011
Their Description
HI - YHA Wellington City Hostel Details
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HI - YHA Wellington City Hostel Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Large and rather impersonal college-dorm-like accommodation This was our first and only YHA stay in NZ. It was huge -- a huge commercial kitchen, a huge high-rise of rooms, a huge sitting/games room, a huge eating space. The staff is nice, but very sparse. We stayed in a private double, and the weird thing was there was only 1 bathroom (with 3 showers and 3 toilets each) per floor, and each floor easily had over 20 private rooms. Overall, it lacked the character we found in all other NZ hostels. Pros -- great location in downtown Wellington,
fairly quiet, clean, & spacious. Cons -- Feels like a college dorm, Not enough bathrooms. — Seattle girl , USA (2012-05-08) Great! Clean, friendly, convenient, informative. This place was great! Very clean -- facility, rooms, bathroom, laundry room. The front desk staff was very friendly and cheerful and nice to us. The hostel has all kinds of information posted, such as the weather report, transportation information, and things to do in Wellington for free. It felt like a comfortable and friendly place. They have a travel desk for bookings (this was helpful, though the girl working there tried to push us into a couple of things, and the hostel she recommended wasn't good), and a guy gave us a cup of coffee while we were there. The building is very conveniently located near the Te Papa museum and a short walk from cafes and such. We had an en-suite twin private room, which was very nice, had a table and chair and a free chocolate bar. We hadn't wanted to pay for an en-suite, but it was the only private room available, so the guy gave it to us at the YHA discount price, which was nice. Our beds were comfortable, there was a heater in the room (only stayed on 30 min at a time, but generated a fair amount of heat), and we felt just very relaxed and comfortable there. A shuttle stops there each morning to take passengers to the ferry to picton, which was also very convenient. Altogether, I would thoroughly recommend this hostel. — Stacey , United States (2007-12-04) A fantastic place to stay in the Capital! I and my children spent a seven-week odyssey Down Under late Spring and Summer 2006. We arrived in this hostel after a train ride from Christchurch and then ferryboat to North Island. Wellington is often called the Chicago of the South due to the winds, but I've never seen Chicago this windy! We arrived unannounced at this hostel as the Sun was setting, and the smiling reception took us in. We shared a four-bed room with another man. It was quite acceptable as we were all courteous with each other. The hostel is very clean, quiet, and surprisingly spacious. Unfortunately, we didn't really get to see too much except that we were very close to bars and night life. We had to catch a bus to Auckland early the next morning! — Juanito Hayburg , USA (2007-11-13) Excellent all round hostel! Brilliant hostel. Centrally located, good facilities and reasonably priced. I stayed in a twin room with my girlfriend and found it to be better than many of the guesthouses we'd stayed in! I cannot fault it. — Owen , United Kingdom (2007-07-09) This hostel is awesome! The staff was very friendly as soon as we walked in. Our room, a double, was super clean and had a great view. The kitchens were plenty big for this size hostel and very clean as well. There are mounds of paper information as well as informed staff to help you figure out your game plan in Wellington. Very good location. We walked from the train/bus station and it was easy to find. Nothing bad to say at all, quiet, clean, wonderful value for the money. — Jessica (2007-05-02) The YHA Wellington City is as close to perfect as you will get! We stayed in a double room for three nights, the room was very nice and clean (maybe just a bit small). The kitchen (or kitchens as there are two of them) are great and has all the utensils you might need. Location is awesome as it's just across the street from New World supermarket and just five minutes' walk from most pubs and restaurants. — Amaru , Swedish (2007-04-19) Very clean, efficient, friendly. The rooms are clean and bright and the bathrooms are spotless. I have found many city hostels in NZ and Oz to be big, skanky, dirty rip offs but this one is lovely. All hostels should be like this. — rachboc (2007-03-18) Stayed two nights 10th to 12th Jan. '07 and loved it. Arrived on my birthday, met other backpackers had fantastic time. Great staff, great location, and really nice atmosphere. Spotlessly clean, would recommend this hostel to everybody. — Sandra (2007-02-07) Very nice facility. Has two kitchens and dining rooms. The one with the atrium as seen is very nice especially with sunlight coming in during the day. The cat, Thomas, adds a little home touch to the place. Convenient grocery store across the street is very handy. — Brad (2007-01-21) This is a great hostel, awesome location near Oriental Bay and the restaurants and bars of Wellington city. We were there over New Year and the hostel bathrooms were always clean. This place is excellent, and the staff are really friendly and helpful. — Angela (2007-01-01) This was a really lovely hostel, it was extremely clean, and the staff were very friendly. — Trish (2006-12-19) We stayed here for a week in mid October for a friend's wedding. There were three of us staying there and they put us in a four dorm en-suite with the fourth bed being free the whole time we were there. The hostel is extremely clean and the kitchens are excellent. Everything that you could imagine to cook is there and they are always clean and there is room for everyone! You couldn't ask for a better location and the supermarket is right across the street. The staff were extremely helpful and willing to answer any questions that we asked. — Emily (2006-11-02) We stayed seven nights at this hostel and were very impressed with everything. We had our own room as we are a family of four, and it had an ensuite. The rooms were clean, the staff friendly, kitchen facilities great -- the atmosphere was bright and cheery. There's a great grocery store right across the road -- and with Te Papa and waterfront so close, it was just an ideal location. We were able to walk to theatres, shopping, restaurants -- and even going out to Miramar was easy with the buses on Courtney Place just around the corner. (It was also cheaper taking the special bus from Courtney Pl to the Airport rather than taking a cab). This was a great base to explore Wellington from! — Donna and Ken (2006-09-30) Absolutely superb, one of the best hostels we stayed in on our trip. Great location, two minutes from Te Papa, just around the corner from loads of bars and restaurants, five minutes from town. Spotlessly clean, efficiently run, friendly staff, two great kitchens -- everything you could want from a hostel. We joined YHA on the strength of this hostel, thinking they'd all be like this. They're not, but this one is fantastic. — boo (2006-05-24) Friendly and helpful staff, clean rooms and a great location to explore wellington from. — Anon (2006-04-13)