312 Victoria Street, Melbourne Tram 55, 57 Bus 546 Tel (03) 9329 7156
BUG Review
Long-term stays for backpackers working in Melbourne are the norm in this homely old place above the Red Gum Bar and Café (named for the striking tree-trunk bar). High ceilings and timber floors gives Bev and Mick’s a dose of character that some of the newer hostels lack; however, if you are allergic to clutter you might want to consider looking elsewhere. The pub downstairs offers the prospect of a warm welcome after a hard day of work, and Bev & Mick guarantee you’ll make “friends for life”. Former residents are said to actually hold reunions!
Price Dorm bed $120 per week Double room $280 per week Prices are in Australian dollars and are inclusive of all taxes.
Pros:
Friendly staff
Cons:
The dirt, the cockroaches....rooms outside the main buiding...did I mention the dirt?
anonymous2
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If you are very young, only interested in drinking and lack even the most basic sense of hygiene you might like this place...there seems to be a group of guests who've been there forever and love it.Otherwise I'd say give Bev and Mick's a wide berth.When I arrived, the guy who checked me in was extremely friendly which was great. But it was 11pm, I'd been travelling all day and I had a 30kilo backpack on my back, so I just wanted to get up to the dorm. Instead I was kept hanging around forever while I filled stuff out and he chatted away. Finally he got some other girl (also extremely friendly - no complaints about the staff there they seem lovely) to show me up to my room. I'd already noticed that the downstairs was pretty grubby, but was only planning on staying the one night & everyone there seemed to be having a good time.So, we got up to the most disgusting common room I've ever seen. In fact it is a section of the corridor between kitchen bathrooms and stairs and doesn't ever seem to have been cleaned. Frankly it stank.We then got out onto some kind of fire escape, up some more stairs through a door and there was the dorm. To begin with I wasn't all that thrilled with the thought of having to go outside, down the fire escape and then through the 'common room' in my pyjamas if I wanted to go to the loo or use the shower in the morning. But worse than that was the smell in the room - it reeked. The windows didn't open and the carpet must have been rotting there for 30 years. Paint was peeling off the walls....it was disgusting.I was then given a stinking, grey, duvet and pillow to put on the bed. Couldn't face it, so I asked to see a double room, thinking this would be better. This was even further down the fire escape and up some more stairs, great in the rain! The last straw for me were the cockroaches running over the bar while the bar staff poured drinks.To give the staff their due, I was also feeling pretty ill at the time and they were quite nice about helping me find somewhere else and booking me a taxi to go. But on the whole, unless there are no beds anywhere else in Melbourne....just don't go there!
Pros:
none
Cons:
Unfriendly staff, dirty bathrooms and rooms are not safe for personal belongings
Scottish Wanderer
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I was booked in here for two nights but left after the first one. The place was a mess and when I checked-in the Receptionist (an Irish girl) was rude and unpleasant to me, for no reason! It seemed like a hassle for her to be there.When I got to my bedroom there was stuff everywhere and very little room for me to leave my things. I thought things would get better when I got down to the bar for a drink, but no one seemed willing to make friends (they all have their own little group there) and some of them deliberately snubbed me. I definitely WOULD NOT recommend this place to anyone - there are much nicer, cleaner and friendlier places to stay in Melbourne!
4 of
4 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 968)
The friendliest, homiest, best place ever, November 22, 2006
Pros:
The people, staff and guests are amazing.
Cons:
Nothing
blizzak1
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God bless Bev & Micks. I have stayed in many hostels, and this place, BY FAR, is the best. Its not the newest, doesn't have amazing facilities, but has the BEST atmosphere you could ever ask for. The staff are amazing. Your name will not be forgotten. I made so many lifetime friends there. They definitely make sure you are entertained. I wish I was there now.
Ignore the bad reviews, it is a hidden gem. LOVE IT
3 of
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(Review ID: 728)
Don't go to this hostel, EVER!!!!, August 20, 2006
I stayed in bev and micks backpackers only for 2 nights. I hated it. Where do i start with this review, well for starters when i checked in the bloke kept asking me loads of questions. Things he didn't even have to know. He didn't even think i had a sense of humour, i hated all the questions and comments! He even had to look in my passport to see if i had a visa, what is the point of that to stay somewhere! I didn't get that. I would never return to the place ever!!!! Showers were very basic with nowhere to put your clothes while showering. There were noise from downstairs from the pub. I stayed in a very small 4 bed dorm which i didn't like at all! I didn't feel comfortable at all!
There are much better hostels in melbourne.
This hostel seemed very run down and lacked character.
10 of
11 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 11177)
you get what you pay for, December 3, 2005
Reviewer:
Joey Whineray
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
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It is dead cheap to stay there (look out for vouchers in tnt) but you really do get what you pay for. The rooms are cold, crowded and dirty with cockroaches. it is above a pub which is great for socialising but they often do karaoke till 7 in the morning and you can hear it in all the rooms - thought i would die if i heard sinead o'conner one more time at 4 am! if you can afford anywhere else i suggest you go!
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(Review ID: 11178)
Best Hostel in Melbourne, June 20, 2005
Reviewer:
Lois Waters
Pros:
n/a
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n/a
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At $70 a week you cant be expecting a lot from a hostel. However, we were wrong to think this. As soon as we arrived we were given a guided tour and were introduced to all the other backpackers by the manager. They have wooden floors, NOT floorboards!! WE did see a few bugs but they were like small beatles and were definately not cockroaches!! The rooms are quite small but are clean and tidy. They arrange a major clean up once a week throughout the hostel to keep everywhere nice. The bunks are comfortable and the linen is clean. The laundry room is always in good working condition. The kitchen is quite big for such a small hostel and the dishes, work tops and cookers are clean. There are a few large fridges and plenty of room to store food. They even have an oven so you can make a roast dinner!! The hostel is above a pub, there are two chill out areas which are connected to the pub so it can get a little noisy. The pub downstairs is very friendly and they often have theme nights such as fancy dress using garbage bags only!! Less than 50 metres away from the Victoria market which the best market ever!! 5 minute walk to the main street in the city. Being over a pub, it can get noisy sometimes up until about 3am but its always good to go downstairs and join in. One of my favourite hostels yet!!
5 of
5 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 11179)
Cockroaches, mice & cigarrette smoke gallore!, July 3, 2004
Reviewer:
Paul and Sophie
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
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We stayed here for about 5 weeks. Why? We had no money and this is the cheapest hostel in Melbourne, $200pw for a double and $70 for a dorm. We can only recommend this hostel for the great price. However, you get what you pay for. The accomodation is set above a pub. All the carpets have been pulled up to expose the floor boards. Cockroaches now thrive in the gap between the floor boards and the skirting boards. They have infested the living quarters and kitchen. Our room had a window. Unfortnuately it was borded up! The room was very cramped, especially with all the uninvited cockroaches. Bathrooms were relatively clean, apart from some mould. If you leave your stuff in them, it will go misssing though. The laundery room is adequete. The kitchen is down stairs adjoined to the pub. It is always filthy. People dont wash up, but a lot of the time Bev doesnt put washing up liquid out so we are unable to wash our dishes. There are food scraps littered over the kitchen. You need to re-wash any equipment that you take from "clean" piles. We have seen too many cockroaches crawling over the plates, and in the knife/fork trays. If you look closely at the microwave LCD display you will see baby cockroaches, be sure to remove them before you use the microwave! While we have been in there we have seen a couple of mice running from one side of the kitchen to the other, enough said there. The bar gets pretty busy and there's always games on in the evening. They dont give any discounts on drinks for backpackers. If you're looking for a late night then its fine, if you're upstairs trying to recover from one then its very, very loud. In short, the hostel is cheap and extremely dirty. If they ever had a health and safety inspection im sure they would be closed down. BUT, if you have no $$ and can put up with vermin then this is the place to stay! (Be aware, if they "write in the book" how long you are going to stay for, this DOES NOT guarentee your booking. Bev says she gives priority for returning guests. So, if you haven't paid for your stay and someone else wants your room, then you're out - with short notice, as happened to us and some of our friends!)
9 of
10 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 11180)
Feels like home!, April 17, 2004
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Pros:
n/a
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n/a
Anonymous
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Bev and Mick's is a great little (tiny) hostel. Its atmostphere is wonderful, the staff really care about their guests so the place is warm and inviting. The location is excellent and the pub serves great beer. My partner and I eventually moved out because there was no eating area that wasn't adjoined to the pub. There was no place we could go in the hostel to escape the cigarette smoke except our room.That being said, we're really probably more boring than your average backpackers. The place is quite noisy from the pub as well as the street outside, there were some cockroaches, and a lot of partying going on. Those are the realistic downsides of the place, but do check it out if you are looking for a great deal. It has a lot going for it. Really.
