Cokers Backpackers

Coming to Manchester Street, where Cokers Backpackers is located, at night is like being on the set of a dull, dodgy remake of Thriller, only you might actually want Michael Jackson accompanying you. Manchester is an off street of Christchurch, scattered with occasional strip mall lights -- an imposing contrast to the happy buzz of Colombo Street, which runs parallel.

A ten-minute walk from Cathedral Square -- the centerpoint of Christchurch -- Cokers is considerably central. Walking in to the building puts you into approximately the same era as the ex-Jackson Five singer's heyday. The unrefurbished former high-end hotel is reminiscent of a late '70s, early '80s seedy motel. However, the friendly desk people do their best to put you at ease, before the urge to run the other way gets too strong, although some may cave in sooner.

A wanna-be rustic and simultaneously loud '60s style cafeteria and a drab, sickly blue-coloured lounge are the two social areas, and neither is particularly appealing. The kitchen may remind you of your days helping out in the school cafeteria -- it is enormous with a walk-in refrigerator the size of several metal-rimmed dorm bunks plunked sideways.

The rooms are reasonable and the en-suite bathrooms are a plus. But, the hostel has a neglected feel to it, like nothing has been renovated or renewed since Jackson's first nose job (two decades ago) and like him, the Cokers' aging hasn't been a graceful process. There are noticeably cracked walls, rusted showers, and only about half of everything you try works. Half of the dozen lights in the cafeteria lack bulbs, and about two of the dozen stove-tops actually cook anything. The same goes for the microwave and all of the lights really.

The computers are well-stocked and cost a small fee to use, about the same as any of the nearby cyber cafes and there are plenty of maps and brochures available in the computer room, which doubles as a travel center. It is the only room that has noticeably received a face-lift.

Once a swanky hotel, Cokers has certainly fallen from grace for whatever reason by its Australian sub-leaser. It's preserved the stale feel of a hotel and evaded the fun atmosphere so crucial to a modern backpackers. Yet, despite this, it does have a certain vintage charm to it that attracts long-termers, particularly backpackers and travelers in their late twenties to early forties. Because of this, there's a more laid-back and less young and pretentious feel to it, perfect for a more varied group of mature-minded backpackers. It is even possible to overlook the hostel's faults and like Mr. Jackson, appreciate it for its historic and personal charm.

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review