*The Good* - location. Walking distance of the CBD. About 3 mins walk to Melbourne Central. Lots of Asian restaurants around. About 1 min walk to Victoria Market. Tram stop pretty much on the doorstep. - the staff are mostly Chinese, so this would be a definite pluspoint for Chinese-speakers. - quieter than most hostels at night. - cheap, and weekly rates available. - friendly staff - the reception is in a convenience store - female dorms available
*The Bad* - dark and dingy - can be too quiet at times, like a no-mans land - some of the people who stay there are very strange. Many Aussie hostels will only allow non-Aussies to stay. This hostel is an exception, which means it is a haven for some dodgy people who have nowhere else to go. Rumours of a murder in one of the rooms + drug-dealers were floating around. I feel bad saying this because the staff were so lovely, but there were some very creepy guests, some of whom made me feel extremly uncomfortable. I think some of the staff realised they attracted a certain clientele, but weren't sure of what to do about it.
*General recommendation* I stayed here for several months. The only reason I stayed so long was because I was working fulltime, I get really stressed if I don't sleep, and this hostel doesn't really have the all-night parties than a lot of hostel do. I also thought the location was fantastic and the price was one of the best in the CBD area. I wouldn't recommend it though, because it wasn't the most pleasant place to be at times. Having said that, this was Sep-Dec 2008, so it might've improved since then.
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