I don't really know where my mind was. I guess I just wanted to get out of St. Kilda, and Kingstreet seemed like a homely feel.
I had just moved back to Melbourne, and was trying to figure out which area of the city to start apartment hunting. I got bed bugs in a hostel in St. Kilda, and decided to take my temporary living sitch back to the CBD. I think I chose to stay at the KingStreet Backpackers because it seemed to have a more down to earth, low-key vibe. And while it did have the allure, there were a few setbacks.
-The staff at the time just plain did not care. At first they were very understanding with the whole bedbugs situation, and let me wash all my belongings at only half the price. Then they let my rucksack sit in the basement window to let it warm up to kill all the bed bugs. They said it would be perfectly safe to leave down there, but of course someone stole it. I don't blame the staff entirely, but they did not need to be so rude about the whole affair. Their attitudes took a 180º after the theft, and suddenly they didn't want anything to do with me.
(Fyi- the only people allowed in the basement were staff members...)
- The crowds are consistently clicky here. There's not much of a party vibe in this hostel, which was the goal I had initially set for myself, but no one was ever really interested in bonding outside of their own little friend groups. The people in my room were pretty much my only friends in the hostel, and we were all busy hunting for jobs and flats.
- There were a few fights. In the week, that I lived at King Street, there were 3 legitimate drama fights. Two I witnessed outside that were dragged down into the hostel lobby. Both of those times were instigated by drunk girls. Another time, a few drunk French and Dutch people were getting rowdy in TV room area upstairs. Things got way out of hand, and 2 guys in the group started throwing punches as well as throwing each other against a wall!
Enough was enough for me. Hopefully things have changed since I was there last. If I hadn't paid for my week's stay in full, I would've left there after fight #2. Good luck King Street. You have so much potential to be better! read more