The Spencer Backpackers

Oozes charm!
This place has a great feel to it. It's an old building with character features aplenty -- creaky floorboards included! The kitchen is a real hub for meeting people, including staff members who were all great and really friendly. They were great at answering our questions and were quick to deal with any queries we had. We found it not too far from anywhere we wanted to be, and we walked everywhere! The only down side was that the rooms did not have lockers. I'd definitely stay here again.

Not too bad. The location isn't as central as they say: you are pretty quickly in the CBD, but you have to walk, or something, quite far for St. Kilda, or Fitzroy. Queen Victoria Market is pretty close, which is great if you make your own dinner. Kitchen is reasonable -- not bad, but also definitely not the best I've seen. "The Grand Rooftop" isn't as huge as they say, but still, it makes it possible to eat/drink outside. Floors are really squeaky, and the bathroom isn't very big. TV-room is definitely ok, with cable TV and lots of channels. Dorms are a bit shabby, not very clean, but not too bad. Price is $19 (VIP discount included) a night for a dorm bed. There is also a parking space for your car, and that's really handy.

This place, yes was cheap, and the staff is friendly. That's about where the perks stop. The rooms were pretty small, pretty dirty, and the whole place is squeaky and the showers were gross -- at least when I was there in April 2006. The location sucks and it's a small hike to anywhere worth being. Stay somewhere more centrally located for probably three to five more bucks.

Thoroughly enjoyed my time here at Hotel Spencer. Not too far from the CBD, Spencer St. Train station and Telstra Dome Stadium. I stayed here in Oct'05 and yes the floor boards are a bit creaky but it adds to the charm of an inner city Tavern/Backpacker Hostel. I found the ground floor bar staff were more friendly and helpful than the hostel staff! Room was clean with a CBD outlook & bathrooms cleaned daily - all you need for a place to stay in a city like Melbourne.

Very enjoyable stay. Good clean rooms and friendly staff. Very good atmosphere and I had a great time.

I spent 6 months at the Spencer. Top place, great management and staff. It just has a good vibe, near to the center of Melbourne. I was there 2002-3 and it rocked. You need to book if you go for the Grand Prix, though. The TV room smells a bit, though.

The floor was very squeaky, there was no hot water, and the rooms weren't big. But it was close to the city center and wasn't expensive. And it had rear car parking. All in all, not too bad.

I didn't think that this hostel was great. The management were friendly and willing to help you, but our bedroom was quite dirty and small. I also found that it was a little bit of a way out of town. The pub and restaurant downstairs, though, are very nice.

The rooms are a bit small, but there is a bed with a decent mattress. There is no place to cook and a very tiny community room, with a TV, that everyone crams into. Melbourne is great for nightlife, so a hostel with a bed is all you need for this city. This place has very friendly and helpful staff.

The only drawback is that there is no lift. I was on the third floor. The floor had squeaks, but they were easily stepped over. It was very clean. The hotel has an extremely helpful staff, and it's a short distance from the rail station and the pick-up bus for the airport. I would stay here again if I was ever in Australia. Very highly recommended.

Very very friendly management, close to everything. Totally enjoyed my time there.