BUG review
This hostel is a motel-style building set around a courtyard with an enclosed spa pool. It is not as nicely maintained as the other places in Franz, but it manages to have a good bit of charm. The accommodation is in dorms with good mattresses and the tiny bathrooms are clean, as is the kitchen. There are also laundry facilities plus a good TV room and internet access ($6 per hour), including Wi-Fi ($4 per hour). Relative to the other hostels, it is a bit more intimate and quiet. It is good value and the friendly reception staff serve free vegetable soup every evening.
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Price Dorm bed $23-26 ($20-23 BBH) Double/twin room $53 ($50 BBH) standard, $105 motel-style
Prices includes soup every evening Prices are in New Zealand dollars and are inclusive of all taxes.
Credit cards MasterCard, Visa
Reception open summer 7.30am-9pm daily; winter 8am-8pm daily
Pros:
Free soup and a free spa to enjoy after a glacier walk!
Cons:
Nothing....
Amaru
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 4658)
Stayed in a double room and it came with free towels, the room was nice, clean and roomy, a great choice!Every evening they provide you with free soup, always a plus!
Kitchen and common areas are very nice, clean and well equipped.The free spa is also a plus, very nice to relax in after a hard say tackling the glaciers
Nice helpful owners, enjoyed the BBQ 4 January 2007
Pros:
Nice and helpful owners/staff
Cons:
Noisy neigbours early, not much hostels can do about it :)
rebecka9
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 1113)
We thought we had booked one twin and one double here but ended up in a room all four of us together. It is possible we were not clear when we called, and they were fully booked (as was the rest of the town) so nothing much to do really. Even though it didn't start too good for us here things definitely catched up when the very nice owners(?) went out of their way to help us clean and start the large BBQ for our dinner steakes. As it was public holiday and 20% surcharge in all the restaurants, this excellent service in combination with the huge and well maintained kitchen was really great for us. Rooms and bathrooms were all good, although you had to pay for towels. I would recomend you using the big shared kitchen instead of the kitchenettes in the room, as no fan means very smelly room after cooking (our sheets smelled of broccoli for 2 days )Extra plus for the outdoor table and chairs outside each room.
Friendly owners, lovely spa, lovely glow-worm walks 6 April 2006
Pros:
Clean, one street behind the main street so it's quiet
Cons:
Often booked up so you need to call in advance
therese
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 277)
Really clean motel style rooms - four beds dorms and your own kitchenette and bathroom.Excellent main kitchen, spa bath, bookings for all the main activities in town.
9 of
9 people found this review helpful
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bluangel_bug02
Vancouver, Canada
not bad but not great... 12 June 2005
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
bluangel_bug02
saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
Cleanliness
(3)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(3)
(Review ID: 12414)
My bf and I stayed here for one night. We had a double room (however unlike the other posts we didn't have a TV or anything special..) just a room with a bed, but the old pics of people on the glacier were neat. The kitchen was ok, free soup was nice. The showers/bathrooms like others have said were a little crowded. Unfortunately the guy at reception on the day that we went there wasn't a bundle of joy (he seemed very uninterested), but we were only there for a night so the hostel provided our basic needs of a shower and bed. We had a peak at the YHA a little up the road and it seemed a little friendlier. Over all not a great or bad experience and rather neutral.
0 of
7 people found this review helpful
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Guyer
Sunnyvale, CA
Average 17 February 2005
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Guyer
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 12415)
Double room was nice with the tv, daily towels, and a heater. The place lacks bathroom options...1 toilet for 8 people and two very cramped showers. The soup was a nice change. Overall, just average.
2 of
8 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
US
Just OK 4 January 2005
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
Cleanliness
(3)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(3)
(Review ID: 12416)
Room was decent. Awful mattress, but they had TV which was a nice change. Shower situation was BAD. only one toilet for about 6 people all in different rooms. Spa closes at 9 pm so didn't get to indulge. Enjoy the really nice tavern/resteraunt down the road.
2 of
8 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
USA
I loved this place! 8 August 2004
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 12417)
The double rooms are fantastic. They have electric blankets, private bathroom, tv, and kitchenette. On top of that, our room was adorable. The walls were a cheery salmon color and were decorated with old pictures of people on the glacier. The staff was very friendly. The spa was much appreciated after a day on the glacier.
3 of
8 people found this review helpful
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Orl
Ireland
Cozy and compact - left me with a warm, glowing feelin 4 August 2004
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Orl
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 12418)
The Glowworm self-contained units are an inspired idea. I would regard myself as a social person but sometimes hostels just get too communal. Sometimes it is nice just to close the door on strangers and watch telly with my nearest and dearest. The studio we stayed in slept 3, was en-suite, had its own TV and VCR (a welcome novelty!), basic cooking facilities and free tea and coffee. It was a few steps away from the hot tub which eased our aches and pains after climbing the glacier. Its right in the middle of Franz Josef village too It cost NZ$110 which I regarded as very good value.. The one fault I would have is that the communal kitchen is not spotless.
0 of
8 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
Melbourne, Australia
Cosy and very friendly hostel 27 January 2004
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 12419)
Glow worms is such a cute hostel and i had a great time here. The man at the reception is very friendly and happy to book any tours for you. At 6pm every night there is free hot soup and what's great is that everybody meets in the kitchen to have dinner together so it's a fantastic place to meet people. The hostel has a spa although it's a bit too cold to use it and i was there in summer. The rooms themselves are really small and basic but they are very clean as are the showers. Overall, i thought the hostel had great character and i would recommend it highly.
11 of
11 people found this review helpful
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Maria
San Francisco, CA
Great place!!! 7 May 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Maria
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 12420)
The Glow Worm Cottage was such a blast! I stayed in the dorm room (6-beds) which was nicely furnished with linens included at no extra cost. The place is really cozy with a separate TV room, spacious kitchen (watch out for the dinner rush, though), a new pool table, and the best - a hot tub! Oh yeah! At 6 p.m. they offer free soup for everyone which was such a treat after coming back from the glacier walk, not to mention it helps when trying to save money. At night, there are several short hikes you could go on to go see glow worms. We went to the one that starts near the Highway 6, past the church, and it was just amazing! A definate must-see.
)Extra plus for the outdoor table and chairs outside each room.
