I stayed here back in September 2011 with my Brother. We decided to take a backpacking trip up the…read moreeastern coast of Australia and Blue Parrot Backpackers was our first stop! Honestly, we were both a little nervous at first since this was our first experience staying in a hostel but any fears were immediately put to rest upon check-in here. From the moment you step inside you can feel the sense of family here. Everyone is so friendly and welcoming! It was a great relief to us. We chose the 10-bed room and were completely satisfied. Of course this is a hostel so the accommodations were very basic but the bed was comfortable, bathroom was clean enough, and everyone was friendly. No issues with bad roommates here! Free Wi-Fi is a perk worth mentioning, though the use was cut-short at times due to their contract for a limited amount of data use daily. One of the main reasons we chose this hostel was the location. Potts Point is a fantastic neighborhood filled with open cafes, shops, and business people during the day while at night the neighborhood turned into more of an edgy bar district. Lots of fun within a few blocks of the hostel but walking into the more central part of Sydney wasn't bad either. My brother and I walked everywhere and I think it was the best way to take-in everything there is to experience in Sydney. Choose the Blue Parrot and you won't be disappointed!

From the owner: The Blue Parrot is recommended by Lonely Planet, TripAdvisor and the Rough Guide…read more We are a Youth Hostel & accept only travellers aged 18-35 years old We are a small friendly hostel known for our social atmosphere and warm welcoming staff, around the corner from Sydney's best nightlife. Located on stylish Macleay Street, we are surrounded by the alluring cafes, bars and restaurants that Potts Point is known for. Kings Cross' vibrant nightlife is close by, yet far enough away to have a good night's sleep. From here you can walk to the City Center, Botanic Gardens, the Opera House, Harbour Bridge and all of Sydney's attractions. Being a small hostel we offer personal service where you can easily meet other travellers, especially if you're travelling solo. Ideal for female travellers since it is safe, secure and clean. Our guests frequently tell us they don't want to leave because of our 'friendly and homely atmosphere...almost like you're staying at a friend's house'.

To preface; my stay was mainly bad due to the roommates I ended up with…read more The facilities in this place are gross, the showers look like they haven't been cleaned in ages, you can't walk through the front doors without having to walk through a crowd of people smoking weed (which is fine, but like maybe sit somewhere else than the only entrance to the building?) The toilets were out of toilet paper more often than not, but the true horror was the room. Despite being in an all girl dorm, there were boys in there a majority of the time (again, roommates fault) the room was littered with dirty dishes from day one; some of them still there by the time I checked out 8 days later, there were scraps of food on plates never being removed, the room was so messy I had to jump from the top bunk and a good way out to the floor in order not to step on the girls stuff beneath me, the door was always open with a shoe jammed in it, so the room was never quiet or dark - really not a place I'd recommend especially not if traveling solo as all the people here were grouped up quite a bit, and you feel instantly like an annoyance to the people in the rooms

I find the thing that attracts most people this hostel is it warm, homely vibe. The term "Original"…read moredoes suggest the hostel to be the oldest in the area, however the hostel earns its title for its grandiose appearance. The hostel is located just north of the famous Kings Cross Rd. Honestly, I'll say that this area is more of a party pitstop than a place to live. I made the poor choice of living here for 2 months, and I probably seeing more than I ought to have seen. Some good, some bad, some weird, and some......well some things require no words. lol The Good Side: The hostel is nestled into the safer part of the area on Victoria Rd. The staff were in charge of daily and nightly activities ranging from walking tours to BBQs to nightly Pub crawls. Every Friday there was a $5 BBQ the outdoor dining patio. The staff were fun, hospitable, and of course there for your needs. I always loved the style of the rooms as well. Clearly this building used to be an old hotel in its golden years. The dorms were all very spacious with grand windows that almost stretched from the floor to the ceiling. The front rooms on the 2nd floor even had cute little balconies to view the madness on the street. The front porch was also a nice spot for smoking and relaxing. This place does have a lot of charm! The Less than Great Side: Oddly enough for being in an area that seems hospitable to temporary visitors, I found the OBP to hold quite the opposite presence of its surrounding area. Most of the people who stayed here were looking for work and/or an official apartment in the area. As nice as the actual hostel and its facilities were, there were just too many serious feelings draining the life out of this place. I felt connected to my circle of friends, but only for the sake of social survival. The vibe was very adolescent, like a high school mentality - friend alliances, girlfriend/boyfriend drama, clicks - all that crap. After the first few weeks, it just went flat for me. I realize that hostel vibes change weekly, even daily! So hopefully this place has changed since my time here. It really was a beautiful, fun spot to experience at first! It might just be best to stay here for a great week in Sydney.

I am a traveler , and this place is the most diverse place I've ever seen. Amazing staff and great…read moreamenities. Besides the loads of money you'll save sharing a room with strangers, you have a chance to meet new people. They offer free pancakes in the morning, snacks for sale, and laundry. If you arrive early they have locked luggage storage. The view from the deck! No hostel can top it. A view of the bridge and opera house. And the location is so perfect for touristy things. They are in a safe neighborhood called "the rocks" with plenty of things to see and eat. 5 minute walk to the trains, buses, and taxis.

I enjoyed staying here except for the two that I was paired with. I had just flown 20 hours, was…read morenow 15 hours ahead of my normal time. They kept coming in and out of the room getting beer until 3am. I finally got up, took a shower, slept in the lobby until it was time to go to the cruise port. I would have paid for private room if I knew my experience would have been this. I was offered a different room but didn't want to be that person and wake up someone by going into their room at 3am.

Very clean; okay location…read more PROs: + Reception was very helpful arranging an airport transfer + The bathrooms are among the cleanest I've ever seen in a hostel (and I've stayed in hostels on every continent that has hostels). + Given that accommodation is generally expensive in Sydney, this was a pretty good deal ($75 AUD for a private double with shared bath). (+ Cleaning lady was really friendly and great to practice Spanish with) CONs: - wifi available only on ground floor - Location is a bit of a walk to the Rocks / Darling Harbour, etc., but is near King's Cross station

It was not the best hostel but definitely not the worst either…read more It was clean and the cleaning lady was nice friendly and nice. The front desk was fine also. Every morning they ran AV announcement to remind people to check out before the fairly early 10am (i think) checkout time. Didn't help if you want to sleep in. The bigger problem was how few bathrooms there were for the whole floor and there was no toilet-only washrooms so I had to wait for someone to finish showering to use one...

They have FREE AIRPORT PICKUP for those who book ahead and offer free bread, butter, jam, vegemite,…read morecereal, tea, coffee and oatmeal each morning. The staff are friendly and their front desk is open 24 hours. A great, typical hostel in the Kings Cross area of Sydney.

This is by far the worst hostel I've stayed in during my 4 months in Australia…read more We saw all of the great reviews and amenities included with the price, so we were expecting a pleasant experience. Wrong. The entire hostel smelled disgusting. It was humid and smelled like feet mixed with mold. They advertised free wifi, but less then a day in, the wifi shut off on all of us completely. When we asked the front desk about it, they said they didn't know what to say because the router was in the office and the office was locked. Why didn't they have a key to their own office?! That was one of the main reasons why we chose that hostel, for the free wifi. Ridiculous. Also, the "free breakfast" ran out within the first 30 minutes each day. No one was there to refill or provide more, even though it is SUPPOSED to be available for 2 hours. In addition, my friend got food poisoning on our trip and vomited on the floor of the bathroom. We went to the front desk and let them know that it needed to be clean so other people could use the stalls. This was at maybe 11pm. They said the cleaning people don't come in until 7am....so they left vomit sitting on the floor for 8 hours in the bathroom. Disgusting. I asked for just a mop or a big rag to clean it up, and I got "the cleaning supplies are locked up." why wouldn't you at least keep a mop out?! A french woman that worked there was extremely rude and yelled at us over a mess that was not ours. The cleaning lady came in our room at 9am and started vacuuming while we were ALL still asleep and not moving out for another few days. Horrible customer service. Gross and unclean. I do NOT recommend. There are many better hostels nearby in Sydney.

My mother and her friend stayed here for about two weeks while she was visiting me in Australia. It…read morewas the best place she could have picked! The location is perfect. It's within walking distance of the botanic gardens, Elizabeth Bay, Potts Point, and if you're really keen (I was) you can even walk a bit farther to downtown, Circular Quay, the Opera House, and Sydney Harbour Bridge. We became very familiar with the couple that worked here. They were so friendly and every morning they always wanted to make sure everything was perfect, which it was. The breakfasts that they put out were scrumptious! Choices of cereal, tea, coffee, toppings for your cereal, english muffins, cheese, ham, fruit... Wonderful! The rooms are spacious and a bit old looking, but everything seemed to be working well. There is also a living room that has books and comfy couches, and complimentary PORT! I may have taken advantage of that. I'm getting nostalgic thinking about this place and if I'm ever in Sydney and have the money I'd want to stay here! It's really a wonderful place with wonderful people.