477 Kent Street, Sydney Bus 441, 442, 443, 501, 506, 507, 515, 518, 520, L20, L88, L90 Train Town Hall Tel (02) 9267 7718 Websitewww.basebackpackers.com
BUG Review
The lobby of this hostel does not do justice to what is on the upper floors. The travel agency/internet room/TV lounge need a bit of a revamp, but they are planning it soon. The Scary Canary Bar is excellent, opening onto the street, with live music or DJs every night and cheap drinks. The building is Heritage listed, and they are doing renovations, meaning the dorms are modern and beautifully clean, with patches of old brick walls, which gives it a lot of ambiance. Bathrooms are perfectly clean. It also features Sanctuary, a girls-only dorm stocked with hairdryers and bath products. It is one of the most centrally located hostels in Sydney, next to Town Hall Station. The staff are very welcoming and chatty, and it is a good place to meet backpackers.
Price Dorm bed $26-34 Single/double room $89-110 Prices are in Australian dollars and are inclusive of all taxes.
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This is a really nice hostel, it has a great location, it's really clean and comfortable.There are a few negatives though - the staff aren't very friendly on the main desk (the travel desk staff are great though). There is no bar so the social spirit isn't great! The kitchen is really good but I had some food pinched from the fridge.Postively the hostel has the best location, 5 minutes from darling Harbour and 10 Minutes from Circular Quay. The Bathrooms are really nice. The travel desk is brilliant they can book anything! Internet access is cheap and fast. Breakfast ($5) is well nice!I would stay here again but be aware that I shouldn't leave food in the kitchen!
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(Review ID: 9195)
prices are rediculous, September 27, 2005
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Anonymous
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its quite a good hostel, nice clean rooms with safety lockers, common/tv room is nice and the bar downstairs is good! nice atmosphere, friendly staff, lots of activities. but the prices are really way too high! i wonder what backpackers could afford to stay here normally (i had this hostel pre booked, included in the package from my travel agent)
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(Review ID: 9196)
Good, decent hostel, August 12, 2005
Reviewer:
Kt
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Whenever I go back to Sydney I always go back to Base because you know what you're getting there. It is generally always clean (apart from lazy people who can't clean up after themselves in the kitchen!) The bar is currently closed as a new one is being built but that doesn't matter as can still meet people around the hostel and the beds are comfy. The location is excellent, couldn't really ask for much more!
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(Review ID: 9197)
Don't know what the complaints are about..its great!, July 25, 2005
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Anonymous
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A friend stayed in this hostel in June for 10 days and I spent just about every day there myself (even spent a night there as well). We found none of the problems that people complained about. The staff were friendly and helpful (just avoid the 10 o'clock checkout rush). The rooms were of a decent size and the beds so comfortable. Security is great and the location is unbeatable. The kitchen facilities are reasonably well-equipped and a great place to meet people. Sure the lifts are slow, but but do you expect for $24 a night in the centre of Sydney! I have recommended this hostel to friends, who also found it a great place to stay.
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(Review ID: 9198)
Very Disappointing, March 22, 2005
Reviewer:
Elizabeth
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I spent 7 days at Base and that was definately too long. Having been to the Base in St.Kilda, Melbourne I was looking forward to my stay in Sydney. What a major let down! The staff were not overly friendly or informative of the services they offered or where they were located. The lift wasn't working and didn't for my entire stay. There was 1 pay phone for the entire 6 floor building and even then it wasn't fully functional. During my stay a cockroach fell from the ceiling onto me in the shower; two crawled across the floor in my room and upon check out when removing my sheets there was one as well...uhuhhu. For $24/night this was absolutely unacceptable. Also they were experiencing water problems when I was there and only had the water turned on in the kitchen at certain times of the day. Needless to say the dishes were not kept up. Also despite the labels on personal food, people still ate it anyway. I strongly suggest that one avoids this place. There are other hostels in the center city area which are far better.
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(Review ID: 9199)
A VERY DISSAPOINTING STAY, September 6, 2004
Reviewer:
sarah stroud
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When arriving at The wanderers on kent we were greeted in a way that made us feel very unwelcome. we were spoken to as children and patronised in a way that was very embarassing to both myself and my friends.when we finally got to the room we were very dissapointed with what we saw,a thick quilt and feather pillow does not make a $30pn charge acceptable. The room we were told was girls only had men staying in it. The kitchen facilities were so unkept and small, that we decided for health reasons we would not eat there. I strongly recommend that the "The Wanderers on Kent" should close for the duration of its refurbishment and should re open when complete this will save the reputation of "The base" chain .
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13 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 9200)
Great location, good bunch of people!, June 7, 2004
Reviewer:
Kezzer
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I only intended staying here for a few nights and ended up staying 10 weeks! It's perfectly located for nights out in the city/Darling Harbour, and for jobhunting in the CBD. Lots of people end up staying here long-term (it's just $15 a night for a 4 week stay), which makes it feel like home despite it's size. One thing I would say is try to avoid the 6-bed dorms - they are tiny and some don't have a window!
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1 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 9201)
I got a great deal, January 22, 2004
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I stayed at Wanderers for my first two nights in Sydney and then extened for a $17 p/n weekly rate. I thougt the place was great, they helped me find a job which was a free service. I stayed for two months and checked out some of the other hostels, and they just didn't have the same facilities or atmosphere also this is the only hostel in the city centre, there are hostels in an area called Central allthough Central is on the Western edge of the city Odd !. The deal I got though was the travel dealI got my entire trip up the coast to Cairns for AU$519 including travel and trips to Fraser Island and Three days sailing in the Whitsundays highly recomend. I met loads of people who had booked at Wanderers travel and had Stayed all over Sydney. Check out the travel deals www.wanderers-travel.com
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(Review ID: 9202)
Recommended!, January 4, 2004
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This hostel is in a great location - close to all the main shopping streets, circular quay and less than a few minutes walk to cockle bay. The hostel is very clean, the staff are helpful, it has good facilities and a funky bar. The rooms may be a bit on the small side, but I've certainly stayed in smaller! The security is very good and the beds are just great - proper sprung beds - not bad! I have to say though, it was a little pricey compared to some other hostels. It's really worth getting a discount card as there are some great NOMADS hostels all over Australia and it's worth paying a little bit more to stay at the Wanderers on Kent - what's a few dollars more for added security, good facilities, great location and a good nights sleep?! It's also kept very clean, including the large bathrooms. Very nice.
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(Review ID: 9203)
Couldn't wait to leave, December 18, 2003
Reviewer:
Christy
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Given the reviews this place was getting, I thought for sure it would be a great place to stay, but I was mistaken. The rooms were extremely small, and the beds were awful. The thing that tipped me over the edge was the sign on the wall of my room indicating they'd had a recent outbreak of bedbugs and to ensure linens were washed in hot water. Sorry, but I'm not interested in paying $84 a night for bedbugs! We got out as quickly as we could!
