BUG review
Karratha Backpackers has been around for a while and it really shows its age. An extreme makeover is needed to fix up this run-down hostel. Despite of this Karratha Backpackers is usually all booked up – simply because it has the only dormitories in a town with an acute accommodation shortage. The common area seems like a fairly easy place to make new friends, but it is a bit shabby. The owner runs the place in his own way – once in a while he arranges fishing trips or barbecues, sometimes free of charge, sometimes not.
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Price Dorm bed $22 Double/twin room $55 Prices are in Australian dollars and are inclusive of all taxes.
Completely bizarre....but not a bad experience. 17 August 2007
Pros:
Comfy beds, clean linen & good showers. And the owners adorable dog!
Cons:
Its in Karratha.....
anonymous2
saw things this way
Maintenance
(2)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 6025)
Karratha has nothing to recommend it (except that its better than Port Hedland). But if you do have to stop there between Exmouth and Broome this really isn't a bad place to stay.Its quite hard to describe this hostel......it kind of looks like a junkyard, full of garden gnomes, fake snakes, little bits of this & that. It has an extraordinary water feature with half a (plaster) crocodile, stuck in the middle of the outside area. To be honest we weren't all that impressed when we got there, thinking that any place which had accumulated so much junk had probably accumulated its fair share of dirt as well....However, the owner of the place was so welcoming and friendly, and there were lots of people around, clearly all happy to just hang out there. When we got up to our room, sure enough there were random objects all over the place (half a boat in the girl's bathroom), but the beds had great mattresses on them, and the linen was spotlessly clean. In fact the whole hostel is like that...old, tatty full of weird and wonderful objects but clean and well cared for. I liked that fact that that they clearly haven't tried to cram as many people as they can into the space available (and they could.....there are loads of workers staying there, and they are always pretty well full). Downstairs, the kitchen is big, with plenty of fridge and cupboard space for everyone, then there is a dining room with internet, and a lounge room (imagine your most eccentric relative's sitting room then times it by 10) with the most extensive book exchange I've ever come across. And of course the outside space.....gnomes and all.Its a very laid back place - the owner just lets everyone get on with what they're doing, and everyone seems to behave pretty well. I don't know how good a guard dog, the enormous soppy creature he brings in in the evening is, but he is certainly very cute!Sounds like things have improved since the last reviewer stayed here.... honestly, we had a good time, slept well and met some nice people. Karratha is a godawful town, but the hostel is fine if you have to stay there. The only thing I didn't like about it is that none of the rooms have locks on the doors.
Pros:
leaving
Cons:
clenliness, general feeling of safety
little miss harris
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
Atmosphere
(1)
(Review ID: 99)
i stayed in karratha backpackers on 1st dec 2005. we were travelling north from exmouth to brrome, needing a short stopover on the way... from lonely planets advise and from the word of others, we knew that this place would be nothing special, but did not relish the thought of an 18 hour greyhound journey, so we stopped for one night at karratha backpackers. and we really wish that we hadnt! the bedrooms were insecure and way too overcrowded for comfort, as well as disgustingly filthy... to the point that we were actually thinking "what is that stain???" the bathroom as an absoute pit, with mould in every shower, and brown (yes brown) toilets. when we tried to use the kitchen, lighting the ring nealry resulted in us loosing a number of fingers!!!!! the hostel owner openly admitted that the cleaner was useless, but as long as he didnt have to clean that was ok!!!! he took it upon himself to give us a guided tour of the area, an experience we would rather forget as 4 hours later... we were still being shown the local nutter's houses!!! my advice to anyone needing to travel between broome and exmouth... just do an all nighter... kARRATHA BACKPACKERS IS SCUMMY AND SCARY!!!!!!
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Helen Pollock
Leamington Spa, UK
Basic but adequate 25 October 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Helen Pollock
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
Atmosphere
(1)
(Review ID: 11558)
I stayed at this hostel for one night, and whilst it was adequate, the bathroom was very dirty and all in all, everything was pretty run down. The hostel is mainly used by workers who are staying in Karratha for a while, and it does feel pretty cliquey. It was also vastly overpriced, but as it's the only hostel in Karratha, there's no competition I suppose!
