Britannia on William

Britannia on William is certainly one of the better hostels in Northbridge. It's smack in the middle of the nightlife, yet safe, clean, and comfortable. The atmosphere is very relaxed and everyone seems to enjoy their stay. The building itself is a bit old but you only notice it by the squeaky floorboards and in the dining area, which is spread out among four smaller rooms. This hostel houses quite a few long-term residents but still has a nice mix of people, some staying for a a couple of days, and others a couple of months.

The Location

This hostel is located on William Street, which is one of the main streets in Northbridge. It's a five-minute walk from Perth train station and Wellington Street bus station. It's very easy to find indeed and in a prime location -- staying at this hostel you'll be in the heart of Northbridge entertainment area. And it's only ten minutes' walk from the mall and shopping streets. One of the Perth City free bus services, the Blue CAT, stops a hundred meters from the hostel and takes you around the city. You're also minutes away from Western Australian Museum and Art Gallery, State Library, and PICA center for contemporary arts.

Rooms and Bathrooms

Britannia on William offers single, double, twin, and triple rooms as well as dorms. Not all of the rooms have windows -- the rooms without windows are a bit stuffy due to poor air circulation and the rooms with windows can be noisy. The dorms (four-, six-, or eight-share) are a good size. All have bunk beds and lockable cupboards (bring your own lock), which can fit a small backpack and a fan for the summer heatwaves. Everybody is required to keep their room clean and no abundant mess is tolerated. Housekeeping changes the sheets and empties the bins, but the vacuuming is only done when needed.

Toilets and showers are newly renovated and plentiful. All of the common areas are cleaned daily.

Common Spaces

Common areas include kitchen, dining area, TV room, internet cafe, and an outside seating area with BBQ facilities. Kitchen and dining room are cleaned at least once a day. There are twenty computers available at a reasonable hourly rate.

The outside seating area is very popular during summer months. You can smoke, sit, have a BBQ, and listen to music. The music is turned off around 11 p.m., but the parties usually continue hence the noise in the rooms with windows. There's free tea and coffee available in the kitchen, multiple stoves, and plenty of crockery. Fridges are cleaned if they seem to get out of control and there's even a freezer.

Summary

Britannia on William is a nice place. It's big but relaxed and there's always something going on. Toilets and showers are in perfect condition, the kitchen is ok. It's cleaned every day but there seems to be a permanent issue with cockroaches. The rooms are ok, too, although a light sleeper may suffer from the noise. But that's the price you pay when living in Northbridge. This hostel is recommended for everyone, but especially for people staying longer -- this is your home away from home!

— Avis exclusif de Hostelz.com
December 2008