Rotorua Central Backpackers

Room was as expected from photos, and the kitchen worked well. Lovely hot water in the shower.

Only 2 fridges for the guests - we had some food removed for a time because another guest prioritized their stuff. Also, just for other guests to note, there is a CrossFit gym nearby that plays music early in the morning - so if you are an early bird, no worries, if not - bring some earplugs as that may help

Bed was comfy & I had my own socket for charging.

Wifi is poor, the gym next door plays loud music early in the morning, and there is $20 bond (cash only) for room key. People in my dorm didn’t get a key because they were checking out early, so the door had to stay unlocked all night for them.

The beds were comfortable and in a good location for intercity bus stop and food options

My bus was at 7:40 am. Reception didn’t open until 8am. I had to hand my key into reception at 8pm the night before to get my deposit back. This was really inconvenient as anytime I wanted to leave the room I had to either leave it unlocked or hope that someone was in to let me back in. I don’t think it’s asking too much for a system where people can check out earlier than 8am. The whole place also had a really strong egg sulphur smell. Which was strange as I didn’t think the area outside had that bad of a smell. The whole place could also do with some tlc. Quite run down especially for the price. The people in my room were also really weird! I know this isn’t the hostels fault. But I felt really uncomfortable there!