I reckon it would have gotten 3 stars for any one of the following problems, but it was more than…read moreone. Dirty linens. Some of the stains were not bleached out properly, but one of the duvet covers had something on it that had obviously not been washed out between customers. Worst pillows of any hostel I've ever stayed in. Normally a person gets two when they are in that sad of shape. The bar attached to the hostel had music going at all hours of the night and it was hard to sleep. This place would be great for the 18 year old who likes to party, but not for the 30-something grad student trying to take a cheap holiday. I've stayed in better hostels for less money. I suggest looking elsewhere. With all that being said, the staff was really nice when I did ask for directions and suggestions around town.

Bonus points for the circular pool table, but minus some for the additional cost for warm blankets…read morein winter. I'm not too bad with the cold, but even I was turning a nice blue overnight. The room also had bare floorboards, which didn't help, and was a little scruffy. The bar right underneath is superb for food, though. And the first place in ages I'd been that had HP Sauce. I think I drank more of that than I did beer. Whoops.

This hostel accepts BBH and YHA cards which give you a discount for your stay here. It's one of a…read morehandful of hostels in NZ that accept both cards. If you don't have either of the cards you can purchase them here and apply the discount immediately. I found the staff to be friendly and helpful. They had good advice on where to go and details about logistics. This is a good base for doing the Tongariro Alpine Crossing and the staff can arrange for a shuttle pickup. The hostel has everything you'll probably need including a couple of cool bonuses. There's a large kitchen with lots of refrigerator space for food (which you'll need to label). They have private rooms with or without bathrooms as well as dormitories for budget travelers. The bonuses include an excellent climbing gym, rental gear in case you didn't come prepared for some of the outdoor adventures and a TV lounge (which is decent). I had two bikes with me and I was able to keep them in the garage during my stay.

Excellent hostel. Professional-grade kitchen, friendly staff who mailed something to us that we…read morehad left behind, and great common areas.

Cute hostel in Matamata that's perfectly located near Hobbiton and the Waitomo glow worm caves…read more The staff was super friendly and great to work with! I never got to meet them in person since I was out really early every morning and came back late every night, but they were very accommodating and made sure we were able to get in and check out with ease. The rooms were great. I stayed in a 4-person room. Each room is its own unit outdoors with a sliding glass door. They do get a little hot but there are windows. There are lockers for each person. Overall, we had a great time staying here.

Loved this hostel! Parking is in the front of the building an they close the gate at night for…read moresafety, so I loved that! The lady at the front desk is Crazy nice and very helpful! The washer and dryer also works great, so it is a great laundry spot. The rooms are very clean! The location is close to town for a quick bite to eat and close to Hobbiton! I would highly recommend staying when you are in the area!

You usually know that in most YHA Hostels in NZ that the YHA option is fairly basic but generally…read moreOK for the average backpaker. Rotorua, on the other hand was well below average. It took ages to do the booking on the phone, it took a while for them to find our booking as well when we did get there! The room itself was dreadful! Really very small - wood panelling the whole way round and the bed wasn't clean. The ceiling creaked so much that we wondered whether the people in the room upstairs would fall through onto our bed!!!! The shower rooms were filthy - they were also very poorly lit. I think that this more or less was one of the worst places that we stayed in this fantastic county. We would definately not recommend this place - there has to be nicer places in around Rotorua!

Stayed here during my trip of north island. What i liked:…read more-only 10min walk from intercity stop -clean rooms and bathroom -good price quality -friendly reception that happily provides tips -parkinglot available -at night, it is quiet!!! (so i can get proper sleep) Rotorua is very popular during summer, so i booked well inadvance hostel and my tours. Will definitely return.