Kiwi's Nest

The Kiwi's Nest is a great old house with a lot of charm and character. It's actually comprised of the main two-story house, a separate dormitory structure, and another separate self-contained cottage. Staying in one of the more private rooms (single, twin, or double) in the main house is like staying in an extremely comfortable boarding house rather than a backpackers. The only drawback for "dormies" is that they are in a detached unit separate from the main house and need to step outside for the few steps that it takes to get into the bathrooms and kitchens.

The facilities are great; there are multiple showers and toilets both upstairs and downstairs, a main kitchen built above the cottage, and two kitchenettes in the main house (upstairs and downstairs). Dining tables, couches, and TV are in the den near the main entrance and away from the guest rooms. This ensures quiet; other than normal traffic noise the only irritating sounds might be those of drunken students from the University of Otago making their way up the road toward their dormitories.

It's a 15-minute flat walk to the Octagon, and about a 25-minute walk to the Intercity bus stop. To get to Kiwi's Nest from the bus stop, walk up St. Andrews Street about four blocks to George Street, turn right and follow George Street about four blocks to Union. The Kiwi's Nest will be on your left. Look for the big white sign. Alternately, once you get to George Street you can catch the Normanby bus which will take you up to Union Street, but getting on with a lot of gear is at the driver's discretion and dependent on the passenger load. A taxi from the bus terminal to Kiwi's Nest will cost about $7.50 NZD.

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review