Cooee on St Kilda

If you're visiting Melbourne, hanging out a few days in eclectic St. Kilda is essential, and Cooee on St. Kilda is a great base for exploring. Cooee is a friendly and modern hostel just a few minutes' walk from the beach, Luna Park, countless cafés, bars, and even the red-light area.

The Location

Cooee is located at the intersection of St. Kilda Road and Inkerman Street. From the CBD, tram Route 16 is the simplest way to get there, though it's a tad difficult to reach by car -- when driving south on St. Kilda Road, turn right on Inkerman, a quick left on Market Street, and left again on Blanche Street for Cooee's parking lot.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The bedrooms are great, with thick, new mattresses on every bunk. Dorms range from four- to ten-bed shares, with adequate-sized lockers under the beds (bring a padlock) and swipe-card access to rooms. There's free linen and the nice added touch of having a fluffy duvet to sleep under on those chilly Melbourne nights. Bathrooms are clean, sleek and modern in design -- faux-wood doors, steel fixtures, and earthtone tiles provide facilities that feel anything but grungy. But it's the small things, like good water pressure and shower caddies in every stall that really get the day started right.

Common Spaces

Cooee appears a bit institutional from the outside, but has a happy, laid-back energy inside the doors. The three-story hostel feels new and clean -- it opened in 2006 -- and is especially lively and social in the evenings. There's lots of room to gather, chat, and just veg out -- most of the ground level is an open-concept common area filled with couches, beanbags, tables, and chairs. A pool table, old-school arcade game, flat-screen TV, and in-house internet café provide the entertainment -- the hardwood floors, fireplace, and stylish lighting fixtures provide the atmosphere.

The kitchen, situated off the common area, is well-equipped with several microwaves, toasters, stovetops, and even a few ovens. The only complaint is its size in proportion to the hostel -- fridge and shelf space are tight in the busy season, and there aren't many counter tops for food prep. However, there's plenty of cooking equipment, and personal dish sets can be hired. During mealtimes it can be quite cramped -- but maybe that's due to a second large flat-screen television, to which backpackers flock like flies to honey.

Summary

The secure, gated (and free!) parking lot definitely eases the burden of traveling with a car or camper van in the city, and getting one hour free internet upon check-in is another bonus. Other perks include laundry facilities, twenty-four-hour reception, heaps of organised outings -- from bowling nights to BBQs to bike tours -- and a sunny patio filled with deck chairs. And evenings are always something to look forward to -- whether you want to bar-hop or just stay in, with flicks from Cool Runnings to Hot Fuzz (bring a DVD and they'll play it) on the big TV screen, it's often hard to leave.

Review by Dayle Parker

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review