India House Backpacker's Hostel

Kinda Cool
I stayed here at Mardi Gras time. Unfortunately I was ill a good part of the time. Staf were attentive and helpful. The rooms and beds were clean. Met so many people.

Fun.
India House is a great place. Comfy beds, nice people, cool building. Sure the permanent residents are a bit weird but who cares? It's the place to be for sure.

Awful place run by power hungry, live-in staff.
Well the place is filled with people that are not really tourists, but working in New Orleans, and worst many are working at the Hostel, so basically when you check in you are invading their home -- not a good thing. We hated it for that reason. Dirty in general, but hey they had it bad two years ago, so do understand. The worst is that the staff is in general mean spirited and lack a purpose in life, as they take their power job so seriously, and will command you around. It was the worst Hostel in the U.S.A., I met with the owner -- nice man, but the manager is a Jeff Daniels lookalike that really does not care. So Beware.

I really love India House. It's one of the best hostels I've stayed in anywhere, and certainly the best I've stayed at in the U.S. It's not perfect, but the quirks are sort of what make it. The house itself is interesting, the walls covered in murals, and it's filled with an amazing cast of characters. Some international travelers, some domestic travelers, and some long-termers, which are often a bit odd, but also really nice. Free wi-fi, good location, friendly and helpful staff, nice pool, bbqs, movies on Tuesdays, crawfish boils, and bands playing there. Not a real quiet place, but if you want your own sound-proofed room with a private bathroom and little soaps, stay at a hotel. You certainly get your money's worth for $17 a night.

I stayed here in August 2003 so the place may have changed since they renovated after Katrina. I hope their renovation included sandblasting and basically gutting the place from top to bottom and starting from scratch! This was by far the filthiest place I have ever stayed in in my life! I have never been in such close contact with mold and mildew in my entire life. And the bathrooms -- well it will take a few years of therapy for me to get over that memory! The air conditioner in the dorm room was definitely from the seventies, had the front panel ripped off of it, and there was a huge ball of dust and hair inside. The bunkbeds in the room were standard and fine. I don't remember anything specific about them, so they must've been ok. Most of the backpackers staying there were cool, but there were some long term residents who had been there for quite some time who, while nice, were a bit odd. Nice but strange. Kind of gave the place a bit of a halfway-house feeling. And one of the female guests seemed to think it was totally fine to sunbathe by the pool completely in the buff! I noticed no one went swimming for several hours that day. I am not a naive traveler -- I've been through Latin America and Africa, on a budget, so I've seen my fair share of stuff. I think it says a lot that this place was the worst I've ever stayed in. Also, the neighborhood is definitely feels kind of unsafe after dark. It's not well lit and most of the houses in the area have bars on their windows and sagging front porches. But, again, this was pre-Katrina, so I don't know how different the area now appears. What this hostel received one star for (aside from the fact that this website doesn't allow reviewers to pick zero stars) -- nice, friendly easy going people, both working behind the desk and, for the most part, guests at the hostel; and though extremely dirty, the air conditioning that kept the dorm room cool, despite the fact that it was August; a really nice, and very clean pool (if only they cleaned the building with one tenth as much care!). I am glad to see they survived Katrina. I do hope they have revamped the place extensively. I still say, don't stay here, at least until you've checked it out in person.

Let me preface a few things first. I'm from New Orleans but had to move because of Katrina. I'm in the process of moving back so I make frequent trips. Also, I have stayed in many hostels (all in Europe besides this one) but have never stayed in a large dorm atmosphere until this one. I stayed in a large dorm (sixteen) people named "the outback." It was completely filled as it was four to five days before Mardi Gras. The beds and sheets were fine. The room was actually well heated but because the door did not completely close and people were coming in and out, it was rather cold. There were some interesting characters there. One man talked to himself for over an hour. Another loudly snored. The age range was rather large eighteen to fifty-five, and seemed to center around twenty-five to thirty-five. People from various backgrounds to say the least. The bathrooms were not heated and the entrance to the bathrooms did not have a door so it made it even more cold. I can't even imagine taking shower there in the cold. The courtyard was rather nice. It had a pool, a $1 beer machine (yes you read right), and plenty of benches. Unfortunately it was too cold to really hang outside. There was another lounge and kitchen inside that were actually well kept. The rest of the main building however was borderline dirty/run down. Being from New Orleans, I can tell you that the location isn't the best unless you have a car or are willing to take a Taxi. The website mentions a Walgreens -- well, this doesn't exist anymore. It was looted and subsequently demolished. It's a block from Canal but its a rather long walk (at least forty-five minutes to bourbon). Also I strongly advise not to walk as you have to walk through some very poor neighborhoods to get there. The location itself is fairly safe. Some people may say it's in the ghetto but that's just how most of New Orleans is, it's safe enough. At the same time I wouldn't walk around in the area at night. But there's really no reason to as the few bars that are nearby (at least a ten-minute walk) don't cater to visitors if you know what I mean. If it was warmer and not mardi gras, this place is perfect if all you want is a bed to sleep in and perhaps some slight hanging out. Also you must have a car or pay for taxis to get around. There is literally nothing nearby and trust me when I said bourbon is way far away (despite what it may look like on a map) and anyways you have to go through a very dangerous area to get there.

I came to this hostel about three days after it opened after Katrina, and became a staff member as well as a guest. I stayed for three months and loved almost every aspect of the place. The since of community is apparent while eating a free dinner cooked by owner and chef Mark. The house has actually been fixed almost from top to bottom due to the fact that Katrina left her mark. This is a place of social people and if you want to fit in you would be better off going down and talking with the cool staff, and guests from around the world. Just remember that the main goal of the staff is for you to have fun, and to take memories with you that you would shard with your friends. Don't fall asleep on any of the furniture other than your bed because you will get a kitten face drawn on you by longtime resident and great staff member Rudy.

I've stayed at India House 2 summers in a row. Yes, the staff sits around smoking cigarettes in the living area, yes you have to shower in a building with stalls, yes it's an old ass place, and yes- Kelly is a worthless bitch... BUT- it's old, there is only so much you can do to clean away the years of use. I have never had a problem with items being stolen, and no one I talked to at the place had either. But this is the kind of place for a very specific kind of person. If you're a bit of a hippy that doesn't mind swatting at bugs (It is the swamps for christs sakes), and you are a sociable, relaxed person- this is a good place. If you're the kind of person that checks their fork at a restaurant to make sure it's clean enough, or if you have kids with you, and wash your sneakers with a toothbrush... well, New Orleans isn't really the kind of city for that type at all, especially not India House.

Sure, it's a skanky dive but I have NEVER had more in my life on a holiday than staying in this place; we have gone back twice more! The kitchen/bathrooms/dorms aren't the best but hey… that's communal living! If you have such a huge problem with a little city dirt then wash the dishes and sheets before you use them! Otherwise, go and hang out with the awesome staff, motley assortment of guests and enjoy one of the greatest cities in the US!

I have two words for you - the beer vending machine, cheers! Best wishes for recovery!

Does anyone know if this place survived the hurricane? I stayed there in March 2005 and it didn't look like there was much holding it together then. Our room had a section of wooden floor, which would dip about a foot when you stepped on it because one of the pillars underneath had collapsed. I hated the place but still hope everyone that worked there or was unfortunate to be staying there at the time is ok.

I stayed in this hostel in July 2005. The rooms are filthy, the showers even more so (if that were possible!). The redeeming factors were that some of the staff were friendly, the others not so friendly, like most places. The location is good, just a trolley ride to the French Quarter. Most guests were approachable. Stay in this hostel if you enjoy partying and going out with the other guests. Otherwise, avoid it like the plague.

I think this is the best hostel I've ever stayed in. I've travelled all over the world spanning 10 years, and this hostel has everything. It's run by other travellers and provides the perfect environment to meet other people, which, in my opinion is the main reason we stay in hostels. The swimming pool (called the Indian Ocean) is the only way to spend the sweltering afternoons before heading out with newly formed friends to explore the many facets of the greatest place in America, New Orleans.

My friend and I stayed there in August 2002. We refer to it as our Vietnam experience. It was pure hell. It was unforgivably dirty, the other guests were rude and crude, and there was no climate control. I find it completely unacceptable to shower outdoors in the middle of a city. I also find it completely unacceptable to have to sleep clutching my valuables to my chest, lest the other patrons steal them when they're finished fornicating with total strangers all around me. We fled to the suburbs after one night. And though we've told the story of our stay at the India House many times, the misery wasn't worth the story.

We had an incident trying to check into this hostel; the staff seemed determined to provoke us into a fight, and one of them continually insinuated that one of the female members of the group was a prostitute. When we complained about the treatment, one of the staff members said, "this is a f***ing hostel," as if that were an excuse. I've stayed at a good number of hostels and always been treated well; this is the rudest I have ever been treated, hostel or not.