Original Backpackers

The vibe was amazing!

It was very messy and dirty

I definitely wasn't staying here for the luxury or because I thought it would be nice. It was quite frankly just the cheapest private room I could find with an included private bathroom anywhere near the harbor. So it served its purpose. It was alright for the price. Potts Point is a decent area, this hostel was just a short walk to the Kings Cross metro station and bus station, so it was easy to use public transit. Not a bad walk to the botanical gardens and Opera House also (~20-30min but easy), so that was nice. Room had a fridge and safe. Laundry facilities and bakery next door. It was private shelter for the week I stayed in Sydney which is what I needed. I also appreciate that they let you store your bags until check in if you arrive early or for the rest of the day after you check out if needed. Breakfast provided was basically just toast and jelly (maybe more?) so I never really went for that but its there. Bed was comfortable enough. That said, you get what you pay for. The room did not have air conditioning, but it did have a wall-mounted fan that helped with air circulation. Evenings were cool and there were some high up sliding windows with a screen to bring air in. I was confident that the sheets and towels were clean, but did find a long black hair in one of my towels and also around the sink. I spotted numerous roaches around the exterior of the building, on the awning above the common area, and I saw two in my room: a rather large one crawling up the wall of my room (tried to kill it and missed, it ran under the bed and disappeared and never saw it again) and a small one coming out from the bathroom which I did kill. They could use a round of pest control. I brought sandals to wear at all times in the room and in the shower, and I would say its a non-negotiable to bring earplugs and an eye mask for sleeping. Residents will hang out in the hostel's entry walkway (sometimes to a crowding degree) and the central area until late so you need some defense against the moderate noise at night. I saw not one, but two people randomly getting their hair cut in the middle of the hallway so that was kind of weird. But hey, yes it's liveable and yes it will get you by for a reasonable price. Just keep your expectations appropriate.

Stayed here because I had friends staying here, fantastic location, beautiful building.

Location and being around people instead of an impersonal hotel, was good. They have a very nice communal kitchen and BBQs. The people were pretty cool. Mostly people living and working there, not as many travelers as I expected. The area is great! Had to kick beer bottles out of the way to get into the building. Very noisy. Not only the guests. But the alley in the back with people dragging suitcases over tiled walkway and garbage trucks coming early every morning. Beds are ok and good hot water pressure. But not super duper clean. Also, there is so much marijuana consumed in the common areas, that after my 4 days there, I'm sure that I won't pass a drug test.

A bit dated, nowhere to put soap or hang more than 1 towel when showering, people up late at night talking loudly (I am not super sensitive to this however so was able to fall asleep)

Great price and location. I also liked that there was a fridge in the room. There were cockroaches.

We booked a twin room and they tried to give us a double bed to share between me and my mum. after an hour they eventually "discovered" a twin room to over us, which was much better, but still had cockroaches over the floor, bed and walls. The double bed room they originally offered us was incredibly hot and the only window opened directly to the smoker's area. The employee who helped us was great, but the manager clearly had no idea what he was doing.

the location is good. the staff were friendly. there are cockroaches (but probably this is common in other hostels in the area too) the toilets and the kitchen were not very clean.

Friendly staff, comfortable room with own bathroom, close to transport.

Good

Nothing. I killed 20 cockroaches and told it to the reception, the skinny italian guy said: "it's normal for Sydney" It's the first time in my life that i woke up cause cockroaches were walking on me. I was in many poor countries and slept in cheap places but never had something like that. Thanks god the next day a bigger guy was at the reception who was very quick in handling, changed us the room and explained that they had some problems with that room already. Breakfast was so bad that we had to buy our own bread, butter, etc.. A lot of people with working visa are staying in that hostel and of course i guess they have little respect for the house rules. Every night they were making noises and we had to go outside and tell them to be quiet. (The kitchen is in front of the rooms)

Pleasant

Location Horrible manager horrible hostel

Bad

Location was great Parking free overnight on the street Super friendly staff Considering We are an older couple we were made to feel very welcome amongst all the youngins! Nothing

Restrooms were not clean and there weren't enough of them. There wasn't AC.

This place is great, very homely and the building itself is lovely, definitely old but huge and a nice design. spacious and the rooms are large. Everyone is so lovely here and they have events and free dinners every few nights, take you out as a group some nights too. The TV room is nice and the kitchen is decently sized! I would definitely come back here. There was just something about it! The location is also perfect, close to shops, restaurants, bus and trains. Loved my time here, was sad to leave! Only complaints were the lack of individual lights/ chargers and no curtains on the top bunks. Also didn't love how they close the kitchen/patio at 10 but it's understandable for cleaning.

Everything except lack of air con in the rooms No air con in the private rooms. Very sweaty and hot.

The location is great. Close to the train station and tons of stuff around, walkable to Centennial Park. The room is a good size. Wall leaked where the shower hit, so water coming under the wall/floor. Room is very humid and hot with just a fan. Not soundproof, you can hear people talking outside early in the morning very clearly.