Tokyo Village

Tokyo Village is a centrally located, colourful, and friendly hostel, but a bit dingy. It is located a couple blocks behind Central station at the beginning of the Surry Hills neighborhood, where there are supermarkets and lots of cheap eats available, making it a great location for backpackers.

The outside of the hostel looks worn, with peeling paint and several signs all saying different things (the new name of this place is something like "Central Student Accommodation," although it is still called Tokyo Village inside). The outside gives a bit of a glimpse into what you might find inside, but don't let it scare you away. If you don't mind very worn furnishings and peeling paint, this is a bustling and cheery place to stay.

The owners, Charlie and Vanessa, are very helpful and nice, especially good to talk to if you want to take trips out to the Blue Mountains. However, it seems they are spending less and less time here lately and the place is mostly run by backpackers, meaning the quality of service and cleaning can vary greatly depending on who is on duty and whether they really care or not. The bathrooms definitely could benefit from being cleaned a bit more often. The rooms are clean and bright, but the mattresses are of varying quality.

The common room is a room full of very old and worn out couches piled in a semi-circle facing the TV. It's not very sociable, but the outdoor courtyard area has plenty of seating and tables and is usually where people congregate to socialize (weather permitting, of course). There are two great kitchens with plenty of cooking equipment and dishes, and the gigantic rice maker is going all day with free rice (though there is high demand for this, so get in quickly if you want some).

Breakfast is only kind of provided -- they have cereals available, but you must supply whatever you take with it. Coffee and tea is also free during reception hours. To get here from Central station, exit onto Chalmers Street and turn right. Walk past Prince Alfred Park until you reach Cleveland Street. It is on the corner of Cleveland and Chalmers.

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