Ponsonby Backpackers, Auckland

Clean, beautiful hostel

Clean rooms that met our expectations. Loved the old building and the Ponsonby district. The hosts were friendly and helpful enough, so were most of the other guests. However people tend to hang out/party/play the guitar till late at night so that may not be ideal for light sleepers. Over all, a great place to stay in!

Ponsonby Backpackers is a great place for travelers who enjoy historic architecture, gardens, and quaint shops.

The Location

This hostel is located in the Ponsonby neighbourhood of Auckland, filled with great restaurants, cafes, and interesting shops. It is close to neither the ferry nor the train, but there is an inexpensive Link bus which stops near the hostel and can take you to the central city. It runs every fifteen minutes or so. The neighbourhood is filled with charming Victorian villas and cottages and nice gardens and green spaces. The hostel is easy to find, as it is just off Ponsonby Avenue. Off-street parking is available, though it fills quickly, and then you can park on the street.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The dorm rooms are well appointed with two bunks in each room, in-room lockers, and a chest of drawers numbered for each bed. Each hostel guest gets a room key. There are female and male bathrooms/showers. The female bathroom/shower is clean, but cramped for space and with little room to change clothes.

Common Spaces

The common spaces include a large kitchen, a number of different indoor and outdoor seating areas for eating, a TV room with book exchange, a computer connected to the internet, luggage storage, laundry room, foosball outside, and a gas grill for outside dining. It is a fun and social hostel where you are likely to meet other friendly backpackers, but not a big party hostel, as it is in a nice residential neighbourhood.

Summary

The building itself is beautiful, and many of the original Victorian features of the building are intact, such as the charming open staircase. There is a free phone for local use in the reception area. Because it is in a residential neighborhood, there is no freeway or big truck noise, and no noisy bars nearby.

Horrible

Yuck yuck yuck. I still cringe when I think of staying here. It seemed like the staff and other guests were a bunch of bullies. A guy walked into our room and wouldn't leave, he thought it was funny. Creepy. Definitely only for party people, if you're quiet at all avoid like the plague.

Not so good anymore

have stayed here many times over the past two years. it has new owner now -- not so good, too much drink in lounge room and no weatherproof outside area for smoking. the kitchen was very dirty and smelly.

Even though the interior and rooms still need some work to be done, this is the place to be in Auckland. It's situated very central, right at Ponsonby Road in a beautiful old building. The garden with BBQ is unbeatable and the owners invest a lot of work each day to improve the place. Living in this hostel feels just like home. The guests are great and the owners a the loveliest people in town!

"Improved" is a relative term. It must have been terrible before because it's still no great shakes. I stayed here for a few months and don't know why. It's freezing during winter the doors are always open to the wind. It's not very clean.

The owner is a very paranoid and angry man, constantly shouting at guests for tiny mistakes, particularly girls. He argues with guests and spends the rest of his time watching people on the many cameras. Even at 5 a.m.! The only camera that doesn't work is the security camera outside, as we found out after a bike-theft.

Leaving there was the best move the ten of us long-term residents made! And it's not as nice as in these pictures. On the upside, the current owner is due to move out during winter 2005!

I spent a few weeks here whilst setting myself up in Auckland for a period of a few months. The double room was spacious and clean with plenty of space to put stuff a real bonus for a lengthier stay. The kitchen was kept spotlessly clean by the owner, and there is cute garden with a number of picnic tables. When the weather is fine, this is great, but there is a lack of dining space indoors if it's raining, as there's just the one table in the kitchen and one in the lounge. The lounge is a decent size with some cable channels on the TV. The ladies' showers were possibly the smallest I have ever seen in a hostel; they were a real negative about the place when you stay for an extended period. Apparently the men's are a bit roomier, though! Overall, a relaxed friendly place in a great location for Ponsonby's main bar and restaurant strip on Ponsonby Road.

I am absolutely amazed at how much the place has improved since my last visit. They did a lot of renovating, so now it's even cleaner and nicer. The staff makes a great effort to make you feel welcome, and see that all your needs are fulfilled as usual. It has a nice relaxed atmosphere, and is pretty good for socializing, etc. It has nice access to the busses, but you can also walk 20 minutes to downtown Auckland. Franklin Road is beautiful during summer with all those trees, too. I would recommend this hostel; it's great value for money.