BUG review
Dusky Lodge is a nicely maintained hostel in a large building just north of the town centre. It offers a wide range of facilities including several fully equipped kitchens, comfy lounges with log fires, a TV room that is always full of backpackers, a spa pool and a large heated swimming pool. There is also a good value Thai restaurant on-site. The dorms are nicely appointed, the bathrooms are clean and all the lounges are interestingly decorated with heavy wooden furniture.
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Price Dorm bed $23 ($20 BBH) Double room $53-75 ($47-69 BBH) Prices are in New Zealand dollars and are inclusive of all taxes.
Pros:
The pool and spa are good, if you like that sort of thing.
Cons:
Reception closes pretty early.
ukulelemaybe
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 1260)
I only stayed here one night but it seemed quite a good hostel, reasonably clean and well run. I didn't experience the problems with bedbugs that other reviewers have mentioned.
Fleas in mattress and very rude manager 2 March 2007
Pros:
leaving
Cons:
Fleas in the mattress
Curi0usGe0rge
saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(3)
(Review ID: 1229)
We stayed one night in Dusky Lodge (early January) and were eaten alive by FLEAS or some sort of BED BUGS. When raising this with the receptionist at 6am the next morning she advised that it was a KNOWN problem!!!!On explaining our predicament to the manager and requesting a discount for the inconvenience he inferred we were lying. On pointing out that his colleague had stated it was a known problem he reluctantly gave us $10 back, which didn't even cover the cost of all the anti-itch creams we had to buy. Due to the completely rude response we received I would recommend AVOIDING THIS ACCOMMODATION AT ALL COSTS.We relocated to the Adelphi, which had extremely nice managers, fantastic rooms, and was located right in the middle of the town. The Adelphi was absolutely fantastic!!!
Pros:
Clean and tidy
Cons:
Noisy doors and loud TV in lounge till late in night
luv2travel
saw things this way
Maintenance
(2)
Cleanliness
(3)
Facilities
(2)
Atmosphere
(2)
(Review ID: 54)
If you want a peaceful nights sleep, stay away from this hostel. The doors close with a bang. Also walls are very thin. We could hear the TV in the lounge (and ours wasn't even the closest room) which went on late into the night. We couldn't sleep at night and we are NOT light sleepers. Otherwise the room was basic but clean and tidy.
6 of
14 people found this review helpful
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Jules
Sydney
Great! 20 May 2005
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Jules
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 12161)
I stayed here in January 2005, had a single room which was nothing to write home about but the place itself is way above average. Best points are the pool and spa, nice deck looking out over the valley, free food every day from the bakery, two big kitchens (although everyone was using the one near the deck when I was there), clean bathrooms with showers that work. If you are broke you can do some housekeeping to earn a night of stay in a dorm, which is handy. Good value and friendly, from what I could tell by walking around and talking to other people staying in Kaikoura, Dusky Lodge is the best of the backpacker choices. They were adding an outdoor eatery while I was there, so it will be even better.
2 of
11 people found this review helpful
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Vicki Wolf
London, England
Best hostel on the South Island! 18 May 2005
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Vicki Wolf
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 12162)
This was the last hostel we stayed in during a 3 week trip of New Zealand in February. We stayed in some pretty good ones but this one was definitely the best. We stayed in a double room and it was as good as most hotels! The deck is amazing with the pool, sauna and spa. The fact that the hostel has it's own Thai restuarant is just the icing on the cake. Highly recommend this one.
0 of
9 people found this review helpful
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droodle
uk
great hostel 8 March 2005
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
droodle
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 12163)
its all been said below this is a great hostel the pool and spa were great with the mountains as a backdrop !Kaikoura is a beautiful place - don't miss it.
9 of
10 people found this review helpful
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Richard
London. Hingland
Recommended 14 February 2004
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Richard
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 12164)
Yes, this is a very good hostel. Good points - Showers are big & give a superb spray of hot water, Two kitchens - both quite big, Lovely balcony view of mountains, Pool, Spa, Helpful staff, Decent selecton of videos for a cheap night in.Not so Good - None of any real significance, but if I really wanted to be picky; The bed duvet/quilt must have been measured/designed for a midget. It's a bit of a walk back to the train station although it's more or less opposite the hostel. 10am check out time is annoying but that occurs in most hosels anyway.
3 of
13 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
Melbourne, Australia
Brilliant facilities 27 January 2004
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 12165)
Dusky lodge is a great place to stay because it has great facilities. The kitchen is really big and you never have to wait for pots and pans. There are 2 tv rooms and heaps of couches to just chill out and relax on. The rooms themselves are really small and the bunks squeak but there is a tv in every room. Showers are all clean and there is a great outdoor area to eat and to just relax. Perhaps the only problem i had with the hostel was the staff. Upon arrival nobody quite knew how to check us in and then when we were leaving there was nobody at the reception to give us back our key deposit. After waiting and waiting we eventually had to leave without getting the deposit back.Despite this, it really was a great hostel and i would stay there again.
13 of
16 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
Sweden
A great hostel 20 August 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 12166)
This hostel was one of the best we stayed at in NZ. Clean modern rooms (stayed in a twin room) and the outdoor deck with a spectacular view is great. Nice big WC/shower rooms and really close to the whalewatching boats. Use the bikes and pay the local winecompany a visit. It´s definitly worth a visit.This is the place to stay while in Kaikoura.
13 of
14 people found this review helpful
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Pete R
Kent, England
Quirky cosy hostel 18 July 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Pete R
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 12167)
After 2 months travelling around NZ, this was one of the quirkiest and cosy hostels I stayed in. The deck and hot tub was fab, the kitchen and 'lounge' is warm and there are free games to play to get to know some other travellers. Obviously the free cream cakes are an absolute bonus, so are the bikes!! Owners are welcoming and friendly and ready to help - Definatley stay here.
