The Bug Backpackers

Location: 226 Vanguard Street, Nelson, nz

Star Rating: 9 Stars

Property Type: Hostel/Backpacker accommodation

About this Property

Important Information

Policies

Check-in: 04:00 PM - 05:30 PM

Check-out: 10:00 AM

Amenities & Facilities

• Offsite parking discounted rates available
• Parking
• Non-smoking rooms
• Terrace
• Shared lounge/TV area
• Shared kitchen
• Outdoor furniture
• Staff adhere to local safety protocols
• Cleaning standards that are effective against Coronavirus
• Hand sanitizer in guest room and key areas
• Cashless payment available
• Fire extinguishers
• First aid kit available
• Contactless check-in/check-out
• Invoice provided
• Smoke alarms
• Key access
• CCTV outside property
• Television in common areas
• Free wired internet
• Self parking (surcharge)
• Pool sun loungers
• Offsite parking discounted rates available
• Internet access
• Private picnics
• Japanese garden

Rooms Available

• Family Room with Shared Bathroom

  The family room has a shared bathroom fitted with a shower and a hairdryer. The unit has 2 beds.

  Max Occupancy: 4 (3 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Hair dryer
  • Toilet
  • Toilet paper

• Double Room with Private Bathroom

  This room features a private bathroom with shower facilities. This room includes shower towels and hand towels.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Toilet
  • Private bathroom
  • Heating
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Linen
  • Entire unit located on ground floor
  • Upper floors accessible by stairs only
  • Toilet paper
  • Board games/puzzles
  • Trash cans
  • Cots
  • Socket near the bed
  • Mobile hotspot device
  • Smoke alarm
  • Key access
  • Reading light

• Family Room

  The family room offers a wardrobe, a tiled floor, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a walk-in shower and a hairdryer. The family room features heating, a patio and garden views. The unit offers 5 beds.

  Max Occupancy: 6 (6 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Hair dryer
  • Toilet
  • Heating
  • Tile/marble floor
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Linen
  • Entire unit located on ground floor
  • Toilet paper
  • Board games/puzzles
  • Trash cans
  • Socket near the bed
  • Mobile hotspot device
  • Smoke alarm
  • Key access
  • Reading light

• Double Room with Shared Bathroom

  This room includes linen. Bathroom facilities are shared. Please note that the price is based on 2 guests. There is no capacity for additional guests. A single bed can be added for a 3rd guest at an additional charge.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Desk
  • Toilet
  • Heating
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Linen
  • Entire unit located on ground floor
  • Upper floors accessible by stairs only
  • Toilet paper
  • Board games/puzzles
  • Trash cans
  • Cots
  • Socket near the bed
  • Mobile hotspot device
  • Smoke alarm
  • Key access
  • Reading light

• Single Bed in 8-Bed Dormitory Room

  This dormitory room includes linen, a personal reading light and electrical sockets. Bathroom facilities are shared.

  Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Toilet
  • Heating
  • Tile/marble floor
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Linen
  • Entire unit located on ground floor
  • Toilet paper
  • Board games/puzzles
  • Trash cans
  • Socket near the bed
  • Mobile hotspot device
  • Smoke alarm
  • Key access
  • Reading light

• Queen Room with Shared Bathroom

  The double room offers a wardrobe, a carpeted floor, as well as a shared bathroom featuring a walk-in shower. The double room features heating.

  Max Occupancy: 2 (2 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Toilet
  • Heating
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Linen
  • Entire unit located on ground floor
  • Toilet paper
  • Board games/puzzles
  • Trash cans
  • Socket near the bed
  • Mobile hotspot device
  • Smoke alarm
  • Key access
  • Reading light

• Bed in 4-Bed Female Dormitory Room

  Max Occupancy: 1 (1 Adults)

  • Shower
  • Toilet
  • Heating
  • Tile/marble floor
  • Wardrobe or closet
  • Linen
  • Entire unit located on ground floor
  • Toilet paper
  • Board games/puzzles
  • Trash cans
  • Socket near the bed
  • Mobile hotspot device
  • Smoke alarm
  • Key access
  • Reading light

Guest Reviews

• Brian (10/5): Friendly staff and residents -
• Pawel (10/5): Exceptional -
• Ngawiki (10/5): I Recommend this backpackers. Value4 money is great! - The rooms are decent sized and the bed was 1 of the comfiest I've ever slept in. Its great! Shared bathroom with 2 other rooms but all good. 2 toilets aswell. Very handy
• Pawel (10/5): Exceptional -
• Alisha (3/5): Don't stay here - Very cheap for a private room & off site parking Weird vibe. Lots of permanent guests, one of whom yelled about other people doing/not doing dishes the whole time we were trying to cook dinner. Super uncomfortable, unnecessarily aggressive and all round tainted the experience. People also smoked directly outside our window all night long meaning we couldn't open it.
• Hong (10/5): Exceptional -
• Ross (9/5): Great value for money, clean and tidy -
• Anonymous (10/5): Exceptional -
• Campbell (9/5): Superb -
• Robinson (10/5): Great stay. Loved it there! - Cozy and friendly atmosphere that felt more like a home than a backpackers. Lovely back garden with access to grill. The kitchen was a but small. If all the rooms were occupied, I think the kitchen would have been crowded.
• Anonymous (10/5): Exceptional -
• Shirley (9/5): great - great bed
• Itsirene (8/5): it was a tiring day for but the bed was comfortable enough to give us the rest we needed. - the Manager/owner was so nice. none.
• Tommy (10/5): Exceptional -
• Mitchell (10/5): Exceptional - Was comfortable and good service
• Hans (10/5): Wonderful 4 nights - Free upgrade! Nothing
• शसाकँ (8/5): Very good -
• Davy (10/5): Exceptional -
• Dianne (10/5): Perfect and affordable place to stay for family - I like the place and the customer service
• Sajan (10/5): Exceptional -
• Bobby (5/5): Passable - Good location. Parking was available. Heating in the room was okay. Not impressed by the bathroom and toilet facilities. The sheets on the bed were not fresh, and had damp smell. Not quite suitable for family.
• Benjamin (4/5): Disappointing -
• Kat (9/5): Great location and very clean -
• Francesca (8/5): Quiet and friendly - The place is quiet, comfy and clean, many useful amenities in the kitchen, nice outdoor area and communal space. Room was clean and cosy.
• Lindsay (10/5): Exceptional -
• Nam (1/5): Bad - Couldn't sleep all night because of strange sound like drilling something and some kind of ghost sound .
• Lindsay (10/5): Exceptional - Really like the place and staff, also the facilities are really good, this is our go to backpackers in Nelson, keep up your great work team 😃👍
• Lindsay (9/5): Superb -
• Duncan (5/5): Passable - Was ok the staff lovely, but having been woken at 7am by the clean banging around in the kitchen I felt bit annoyed about.
• Romaric (8/5): Really cheap and nice place for visiting Nelson - Really quiet area
• Sala (10/5): Exceptional -
• Giulia (7/5): Good option for one night in Nelson - The place was clean and quiet and we think it’s all good for one night. We had a good night sleep and a friendly chat with the residents.
• Jackie (6/5): Pleasant - Very clean and tidy, residents friendly and talkative. probably needed more bathrooms and toilets but otherwise a very comfortable place to stay
• Barbara (8/5): Very good -
• Heatmaster (10/5): Exceptional -
• Angela (10/5): Exceptional - Friendly, comfortable
• Katarina (9/5): Superb -
• Philp (9/5): Superb -
• Sarina (6/5): Pleasant -
• Jenny (6/5): Pleasant and affordable. - Affordable and clean. Very noisy.
• Jordan (4/5): Disappointing -
• Binoy (1/5): Horrible - I never use booking.com because if any issues arise, contacting customer care is impossible, with no phone number provided. I stayed only for two days; staying longer was impossible. I never use booking.com because if any issues arise, contacting customer care is impossible, with no phone number provided. I stayed only for two days; staying longer was impossible.
• Alireza (1/5): A clean place but not quite! choose another place to rest! - The reception lady is nice though, the kitchen was clean and there is a nice garden. They also allow me to park in their space but I would not recommend you to stay if you wanna have a good sleep which is what you expect! Avoid this backpacker if you want to have a safe and relax night. None of the booking review relates to the fact that how are the people staying there! so I cannot reflect it on my review. In the room I stayed, long stay people were talking to themselves the whole night! wandering in the room with loud voice! non-sense! sick and drugged people! I could not sleep and rather scared! This is a long-stay accommodation for some and not a good place for a backpacker.
• Caitlin (9/5): Superb - Very clean and organised The fridges were a bit smelly and dirty but that was the only complaint
• Maree (1/5): Worst 'hostel' Ever - Nothing Not a backpacker in sight. More like a half way house for drunk old men. We didn't stay we felt unsafe and left immediately
• Lydia (9/5): Superb - Super comfy bed, good location and parking, no fridge in room.
• Yoav (1/5): Bad -
• Jeanette (7/5): Good -
• Kim (8/5): Great location and very comfortable 👌 - Lovely welcome. Very homely feel and spacious garden. Bed & pillows were amazing 👏
• Mike (7/5): Good -
• Yasmin (7/5): Comfortable 2 night stay - The beds were comfortable and the bathrooms toilets/sinks/showers were really clean. The kitchen seemed alright as well although we didn’t use it. Was a short walk to the shops also. There was a few stains on one of the pillowcases, there was evidence of mould and paint peeling on the bathroom ceilings so this could do with getting cleaned and repainted. There was also no code or anything on the door so anyone could just walk in. It didn’t feel secure at all.
• Lauren (1/5): Don’t stay here if you are a woman. - Having a private room here is a must if you are going to stay here. However all the doors are left open and staff members who are also residents encourage people to go into your room. They also smoke and drink right outside the door all night. We were incredibly unsafe and uncomfortable here. The men who worked here were knocking on our door during the night pretending to be policemen to get into our room. They also stared at us and harassed us when we were in communal spaces. Sometimes they got aggressive and threw things around and yelled at us. On top of this, there was an actual policemen there due to an investigation of the issues there which added to the sense that we were not in a safe place.
• Chris (8/5): V good value and would stay again - Easygoing atmosphere Some long term guests rather sullen - not owners fault tho!
• Chris (9/5): Really friendly atmosphere - Lovely friendly host and handy location. Breakfast on the back lawn was a nice before we headed off
• Emma (9/5): Friendly, unique, inclusive. - The staff, the vibe, the inclusivity. It was well organised and an additional blessing of a lovely shared Sunday brunch (gifted by the owner) was a lovely touch. It was super friendly and relaxed. Everyone was chilled and respectful of others' needs when I was there. Squeaky doors! I was up early and trying to creep out without noise was thwarted by the squeaky doors!! It wouldn't necessarily be ideal for a solo traveller without much life experience due to the mixed clientele - it could be a bit daunting and uncomfortable in that context.
• Estella (8/5): Very good -
• Charlotte (6/5): Pleasant -
• Laura (5/5): Passable -
• Dominic (7/5): Good -
• Mary (8/5): Great value accomodation - Amazing value accomodation. The staff keep it really clean and the rooms are very comfortable.
• Richard (8/5): Very good - The bed was so comfy, lovely people and other guests were really friendly
• Rasa (9/5): Cosy little guesthouse - Cosy little guesthouse, you've got all you need for a comfortable stay: kitchen, clean bathroom, cosy backyard and parking. Little noisy as the walls aren't thick but it didn't trouble us as the other guests were respectful and didn't talk till late.
• Flavia (10/5): FELT LIKE HOME! - Everything! The place is cute, nicely decorated, with a very pleasant back yard to hang out and the staff is very nice and friendly! I loved everything!
• Renee (1/5): Never again - Appaling behaviour by the live on staff member. Reminiscent of someone coming off steriods or meth or something in movies. I have no idea what was actually wrong with her but definately not right in the head.DO NOT STAY HERE. The behavior exhibited by the live in staff was absolutely disgusting. Intimidating violent and inappropriate. If this wasn't the case it would be a very good backpackers. But it's not a safe place so long as that person's still there
• Edita (9/5): Superb -
• Osha (1/5): Bad - If you want a quiet, peaceful place to relax and safely store your belongings, this is not it. I did not stay the night, I left and stayed elsewhere.
• Cole (8/5): Very good -
• Lee (7/5): Wonderful stay and manager is lovely - Super friendly manager and comfy room for 2. Nothing at all.
• Sophie (8/5): Enjoyed our stay but glad it was only 1 night. - Great location, great value Busy, noisy (other guests), hot
• Alice (8/5): Very good -
• Jessica (10/5): Exceptional - Excellent staff! The lady caretaker/manager who looks after the place all day every day was so helpful and kind! She helped me and my partner when we had an issue with our booking (our fault) and made sure we were comfortable and couldnt have done more to help us!!! We stayed here before we went to the Abel Tasman over new year.
• Russell (10/5): Exceptional -
• Ankit (8/5): Very good -
• Sarah (8/5): Very good -
• Elyssa (8/5): Affordable stay - Clean, quiet, outdoor chilling place at backyard. High speed stable nternet.
• Michael (9/5): Superb - Exceptionally good value for a private double room. The vibe of the place is a little odd as there are long term tenants, but they all seemed friendly and harmless enough. Beyond that Fran the proprietor was very friendly and welcoming. This place is perfect for those on a budget.
• Emily (10/5): Exceptional -
• Fränze (9/5): Superb -
• Doulya (4/5): Horrible - Nothing Everything from the manager talking bad to other people to the bed bugs, got bitten!
• Michelle (8/5): Very good -
• Amelia (8/5): Very good -
• Grace (3/5): Would not recommend - Bed was comfy and room was super cheap. Bathroom was not clean with a dirty razor in the shower. Floor of our bedroom had gunk and dirt all over it. Locals that lived there were nice but kept us up til 3am setting off fireworks right in front of our room. Not a great location either.
• Ahmad (8/5): Very good - Clean The bed not good
• Alexandra (7/5): Good -
• Alexandra (7/5): Worth it - Staff were nice and accomodating
• Eric (4/5): Disappointing -
• Jill (6/5): Pleasant -
• Polly (10/5): Exceptional - Easy to find, good kitchen, nice staff
• Roselyn (7/5): Very pleasant - Garden was very pleasant Reception was very helpful Breakfast on Sunday very kind And s proper bed Distance from town as walking with rucksack in heat
• Rapolas (10/5): Exceptional -
• Rosa (8/5): Good hostel, but be careful with guests... - Very nice personnel, xmas lunch proposed 😋 and it was really good. Nice hostel toi stay, with a nice garden. Little far from center of Nelson, one neighbor in the hostel who was very very noisy, shouting and singing the whole night! I think that he also drank a lot, because he smelled alcohol and I sincerely did not want to cross him at the entrance. Exception this guest, the hostel is very nice.
• Maximilien (9/5): Very clean backpackers - Commun spaces were really clean The bedroom was perfect for us (nice bed, sink in the room) Fran waited for us despite our late arrival near midnight. Very good value for money. Many thanks for that.
• Anna (10/5): Exceptional - The room was spacious, clean, the bed comfortable. The place was quiet on Friday's night, the manager Trina was welcoming and very helpful. The kitchen and lounge was very clean. I would come back there again. Nothing that stay.
• Anna (8/5): Very good - The place was very clean, tidy, well organised. My room was spacious and comfortable. The manager Trina was friendly and helpful. When I asked her for a fan so I could close the window, she found one for me. My food didn't go missing. I slept well there. Maybe young single female should not stay there but it depends on your life experience. Get a single room.
• Hansen (7/5): Good - The location. Price. Staff were great. My sister had labeled food in fridge and it still got stolen so wouldn't recommend using their kitchen
• Lena (10/5): Exceptional - Nice and cosy
• Julia (5/5): Passable -
• Kai (10/5): Exceptional -
• Tibbe (3/5): Poor - The (private) room itself was tidy Felt incredibly unsafe. Please do not go there when you are alone, especially as a female! Most residents seem to live there permanently. Seems to be in a bad neighbourhood. Weed-use in the building. Heard bangs nearby during the night. Shared bathrooms are very dirty. Wouldnt stay there again
• Vincent (9/5): Superb -

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