The Hostelz.com Review
Valley Verandas Friendly Backpackers is a small hostel in the heart of Brisbane’s Fortitude Valley. It is an old Victorian villa that now functions as a hostel, with large, high-ceilinged and ornamented rooms that have brick walls and wooden panels on the floor. This all sounds very fancy and indeed it would be if the building were not so rundown. Unfortunately, the owners do not seem to take good care of it and the old glamour is a bit worn off, but it has great potential. There are actually verandas which surround the rooms that are nice to sit on, particularly if it is sunny outside.
The Location
The hostel is located in the suburb of Fortitude Valley. Coming from the airport, just take the Airtrain to Brunswick Street Station. From here, it is only a five-minute walk to get to the hostel. It can be reached from two streets that run parallel, the right one to take is Grenier Street (do not walk up Kennigo Street, since this entrance is not open). The city center and supermarkets are within walking distance. Their office hours are between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. so make sure to arrive within these hours since there is no night manager.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The rooms and bathroom facilities are medium clean -- they do not seem to be cleaned every day so it varies. The same applies to the kitchen -- sometimes it is clean and sometimes not so much. There are several huge fridges, which can be used by the guests. There is no coffee or tea provided, you have to bring your own. There is a TV room with cosy leather couches to lounge on and computers with internet access. Wireless LAN is not available.
Common Spaces
This is not a big party house -- the atmosphere is quiet and relaxed, thanks to the 10 p.m. noise restriction, which is strictly enforced. The staff are very friendly and the manager will go out of his way to assist you. Room rates are very reasonable and the longer you stay, the lower they get.
Summary
Generally, the hostel is reasonably priced and ideally located. It is certainly not a luxury hotel, but you get what you pay for and it is not all that bad.
The Location
The hostel is located in the suburb of Fortitude Valley. Coming from the airport, just take the Airtrain to Brunswick Street Station. From here, it is only a five-minute walk to get to the hostel. It can be reached from two streets that run parallel, the right one to take is Grenier Street (do not walk up Kennigo Street, since this entrance is not open). The city center and supermarkets are within walking distance. Their office hours are between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. so make sure to arrive within these hours since there is no night manager.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The rooms and bathroom facilities are medium clean -- they do not seem to be cleaned every day so it varies. The same applies to the kitchen -- sometimes it is clean and sometimes not so much. There are several huge fridges, which can be used by the guests. There is no coffee or tea provided, you have to bring your own. There is a TV room with cosy leather couches to lounge on and computers with internet access. Wireless LAN is not available.
Common Spaces
This is not a big party house -- the atmosphere is quiet and relaxed, thanks to the 10 p.m. noise restriction, which is strictly enforced. The staff are very friendly and the manager will go out of his way to assist you. Room rates are very reasonable and the longer you stay, the lower they get.
Summary
Generally, the hostel is reasonably priced and ideally located. It is certainly not a luxury hotel, but you get what you pay for and it is not all that bad.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
August 2010
Their Description
Valley Verandas Friendly Backpackers Details
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Valley Verandas Friendly Backpackers Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Dirty and old man manager lazy and yell a lot old man scare me with yelling, lots swearing. — seong , korea (2008-12-06) Very genuine, loved it! I spent over a month at Valley Verandas, intending to look for a flat while I was working and ended up staying until I moved on. It's small and homey, the staff are very friendly and, if you're working, it's the perfect place to come back and chill at the end of the day. There's no bar, so no drunken noise late into the night and because there are so few rooms, it gives it a very cosy atmosphere -- you'll know everyone! I never had any complaints about the state of the rooms or the showers (I was in a four bed dorm), I rarely had to wait for a shower (and then only for a couple of minutes) and my one negative would be that the kitchen gets a little crowded around dinner time. I loved it and would definitely go back! — Claire , England (2008-05-06) Tragedy! This is the ugliest and at the same time the most beautiful hostel we've stayed at. It is, indeed, a lovely colonial building, but unfortunately neglected. First of all, it's not signed. Don't even look for Valley Verandas or Reception signs -- you won't find them. Secondly, when you, however, reach the hostel and the reception somehow (you have to reach it as they pick up service is restricted to telling you how to get there when you call them from Brunswick Street Station), expect a receptionist who doesn't speak English very well and may not understand what you're talking about. She will, hopefully, give you a key, at least. Go to your room then, pretend you don't see the dust, and enjoy this short moment, as when you go to the toilet or bathroom the magic of colonial atmosphere disappears. Expect to see dirty showers without curtains, be prepared to swim in the water on the floor, be also prepared to see old dust and some hairs in this water. Oh, by the way, be prepared to wait to take a shower as there are only three showers for all rooms (there aren't any en-suite rooms). While waiting, go to the toilet, just don't get scared when you see ants and old spider webs or cockroaches. Oh, and close the window, otherwise neighbours will see you. That would be it, I guess. In conclusion, do yourself a favour and stay away from here! — D! , Germany (2008-02-06) Dirty and very disappointing This is one of the worst hostels I have stayed at. Upon arrival we discovered our two bed "private" room had been given to someone else so the only option they had left for us was a four-bed dorm. We weren't even told this was mixed, which it turned out to be. Faced with a lack of options we had to stay here. There were holes in the floor (which had been carpeted over), holes in the door, the room stank and there was rubbish all under the beds. The showers and toilets were no better. The only plus was there were lockers in each room. The whole place was grotty and felt very old and neglected. The "free" breakfast included oats to cook porridge (inconvenient for a quick breakfast) and toast and margarine, no spreads. I was embarrassed to be an Australian at this hostel, I would have expected those conditions in a third world country. — Felicity Anderson , Australia (2007-06-21) BOO!! The location is crappy: about a 15-20 minute walk from downtown and located near a whole skeezy street of strip clubs. We booked a 4 person room for 4 people and were informed upon check in that someone had extended their stay and was still in our room. Not acceptable. There is a bunch of random crap lying around our room (a toothbrush, dirty shirts, old sunscreen), and piles of garbage under our bunks. We have been here two nights now and the garbage is not gone. Nor do I believe it will ever be removed. There is a whole in the carpet floor that has NEVER been vacuumed. The showers are sh*t. Seriously, the door fell off when my friend went in. The doors do not lock for the bathroom, the AC is broken, and there is a cut up sheet on a string that is serving as the curtain for our windowed door. The TV room is nice. People were using the kitchen. There are no bedbugs and we haven't been robbed (knock on wood). — Angry , Canada (2007-06-21) Booked for a 8 bed dorm but got put in a 11 bed dorm. It was crammed and the room was a disgusting. The other guests were obviously long term residence in that room and filled half the room with their junk. Couldn't sleep half the night because it was so noisy and after seeing a cockroach running around the room I decided to just pack up and leave. — Jenny (2007-01-06)