Pros:
It has basic facilities, eg. equipped kitchen, TV lounge, internet terminal, toilets & showers.
Cons:
There is a large group of long-term residents who stay up late every night making noise and mess etc
jade_p
saw things this way
Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(2)
I have just finished travelling around New Zealand for 6 weeks. During that time, I have stayed in around 20 different hostels, and Around-the-World Backpackers is by far the worst hostel I have stayed in. The major reason that I say this is that there is quite a large contingent of long-term residents at the hostel who stay up till all hours of the night, with the music pumping and the loud foul-mouthed conversations and raucous laughter continuing well into the wee hours of the morning. Management does nothing to try and fix the situation. Then in the morning, the kitchen is always left in a filthy mess from the night before. Staff are forced to spend all day cleaning it up. Unfortunately the staff do not seem to expend any effort cleaning the rest of the hostel however - the floors of the lounge rooms and bedrooms were a mess, even when I arrived.
The atmosphere of the hostel is quite unsettling. The staff are cheery enough, but those staying in the hostel seem to only care about maintaining a state of drunkenness and being loud.
This hostel is billed as 'the best-value backpackers in Christchurch.' While the prices are very cheap, I would strongly advise others to pay a few extra dollars to stay in some other hostel; it would be well worth it.
