HI! I would appreciate recommendation on hostels/guest houses in Sydney and Melbourne which has very friendly service to help me get around as well as to be able to meet fellow travellers and perhaps with some organized activities there.
Cheers!
Reply to this Hello Dolly 😊
I moved this to the Oceania forum.
Mel
Reply to this I stayed at St. Arnaud's Guest House in South Yarra, Melbourne (google them). It's a little out of the city so it's not as busy as a typical hostel. It was very nice and small so great for meeting people, and the people working there were incredibly friendly. There are lots of trams that go by the hostel so it's easy to get around (to downtown, Chapel Street, etc). It's also down the street from the beautiful botanical gardens.
In Sydney I stayed in the opposite sort of place - Sydney Central YHA. I thought it was fabulous. It's a little bit expensive by hostel standards but it's amazing. They also have tons of organized activities.
So if you're looking for busy and bustling - my Sydney recommendation is for you. If you prefer more quiet and quaint - take my Melbourne recommendation.
Reply to this I'd agree with Dafne - not that I have stayed in the hostel, but I live round the corner from it and have hired bikes there a few times - the staff are great and all the folk staying there seem to be enjoying it.
Its about a 20 - 25 min (nice) walk into the city - is in the right direction for St Kilda and the beach, and Chapel Street is probably about a 15 min (again nice) walk away.
Reply to this The Nunnery in Melbourne is great. It's so friendly, with lovely communal areas and it feels like a family. Its location is great - right next to Fitzroy which is by far the coolest area of melbourne!
Reply to this Elizabeth Hostel in Melbourne (that's not quite the name, but something like that) was not very good - they advertise a lot and have a great website, but I was disappointed. There's definitely nicer looking places in Melbourne to check out.
In Sydney I've stayed in a few hostels and liked Central YHA the best - YHA's are always cleaner and more modern than non-YHA's - it's worth the extra money and membership! Central was very clean and had an amazing common area on the 1st floor with lots of seating and kitchens and a free movie "theatre" (big screen and lots of pillows) with recent movies playing at 10:30am and 8pm every day. The Maze and Legend Has It Westend were ok - not as clean and the Maze doesn't have outlets in their rooms, which was annoying for phone charging, etc. They did both have lots of activities (and loud annoucements about them!).
Good luck finding a nice place and enjoy your stay!
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