Out of 4 hostels throughout different parts of Australia, this by far was the cleanest, nicest and best hostel we stayed at during out 3 week trip! It's located in a nice walking neighborhood of St. Kilda with easy access to public transportation. One down side is the tram doesn't come from the DT or CBD (central business district) after a certain time so if you're out late, it may be more difficult to get back to this area unless you take a cab or ride the bus. Getting to the hostel can be difficult from the airport unless you use their airport transportation so make sure you plan that ahead. We forgot, so when we arrived to Melbourne and booked airport transportation, we had to get dropped off a couple of blocks away because the bus could not park in front of the building. The decor is young and bright and as you walk in through automatic sliding doors, there's a reception desk and a large foyer space. On this main floor of the foyer, you have some couches and tables, guitars and games for guests to use, a bathroom, a TV room, and an internet room. They also have someone who helps with any tours/activities you may want to do that's affiliated or located right across from the reception desk. Unfortunately, this person was on holiday during our stay so can't say how good offers would be but heard person was great. Everyone working at the hostel was very friendly and it seemed secure. Doors are locked at 10pm and in order to gain entrance, you ring a bell and someone physically lets you in, unlike other hostels where the keycard will allow you access. There's a back patio seating area with a BBQ and designated smoking space. The hostel is 3 floors and does have a small elevator that is not lightning speed but works. We booked a private room with our own shower for 3 people which was close to the same price as most other guests were paying and the same price at all the other hostels we stayed at. We booked ahead of time online and paid about $32/night per person to have our own room/bathroom. Most people we spoke to were paying around $28-30/night for shared accommodations so we felt this was a great deal for our privacy. The room had a double bed and a 2-bed bunker. The bathroom was clean and offered towels and some basic toiletries like shampoo and soap. Water was hot and everything worked. If you've stayed in hostels before, you know what I mean. Even in Australia, some of the other hostels we stayed out didn't have warm water so everything about this place seemed luxurious! There was a coffee maker and there were storage lockers under the bunk bed with a place for a lock to secure your belongings. There was also a TV and AC and there was free wifi with a limit on how much data you could use daily. It's a small amount but you could also pay for additional wifi. NOTE: if you purchase more data for wifi, there is an expiration date of 24hrs, so if you don't use up the data, the session you paid for will still expire and you will have to pay for additional days or data. The ambiance was good and people staying there seemed to mingle and hang out. They offer beer/drink specials in the evening and have activities on different days at night as well. You cannot bring your own alcohol/beer to the hostel so you must purchase alcohol from the hostel. We stayed at 4 other hostels in Australia in Sydney, Adelaide, and Alice Springs and this by far was the cleaniest, friendliest, and best one! If the other HQ hostels are all affiliated, then I'd highly recommend this group of hostels. I'd definitely stay here again anytime! read more
