We have a base jumper are which means we get significantly discounted rates for base hostel and base hostel associates up the east coast. On evaluating, the three bases in Sydney, Uptown seemed to be the best plus it was across the road from the bus station- perfect!
Facilities
Uptown has a bar attached like many of the Base hostels which is good because it's so convenient but it also means a lot of the hostels won't allow you to drink your own drink inside the hostel. This means if you want to predrink you are destined to the inside of your room only!
Wifi isn't included and although I didn't purchase wifi I was told it was of good quality! If you don't want to purchase, there is a Wicked Travel down the road which lets you use their facilities for free.
There is a 24 hour reception and you need your room card to get pretty much everywhere here so security wise pretty good. What lets them down is the lack of lockers especially in such a large hostel.
The kitchen is small and the hobs are poor. There is also only one sink. So you can imagine how fun it is cooking at peak times! Again, keep your food labelled- almost a given when staying at hostels but just in case! You also need to pay a $10 deposit for crockery and cutlery.
One great aspect of this hostel is that they give rice and pasta out for free! They give you generous portions aswell so it will keep you going for a while. Stock up!
Breakfast
Breakfast is not included although there are breakfast deals for next door. However, we have taken to having porridge or muesli and yogurt in the morning. It's healthy, cheap and isn't too much bother to carry around.
Showers and Toilets
Our room had an ensuite and for a hostel it was nice but because there was no window it would take a while to dry after people would shower and sometimes smelling of damp. Plus, as expected in an ensuite sometimes you could be left waiting for the shower. The bathrooms are cleaned daily aswell.
Staff
Staff are helpful and friendly here. I would say overrall nicer than the ones in Base but I think they also benefitted by having more time to talk whereas Sydney was very much go go go. There was a guy on reception who was also really helpful when the cyclone came and we were pretty much on lockdown in Brisbane.
Value for Money
It's Australia so everywhere is a bit pricey to stay. This is the cheapest out of the popular hostels though. Furthermore, if you download the base app then you an get a 15% discount on travel not only for this base but also the accommodation across Australia and New Zealand. If you are considering travelling up the east coast they do offer a base card which gives you reduced accommodation prices- check it out to see if it's worth it! Plus they include a discount with the greyhound pass which is the easiest way to travel down the East Coast unless you are road tripping it.
Dorms
The best dorm I stayed in was definitely the fourth floor. It was quite big, had good wifi reception and wooden floors. The washing facilities were also the best on this floor. The worst room was the first floor room we were in. There was no natural light. The third floor room was okay, although not exactly big for the ten people staying in there. There weren't loads of plugs in any of the rooms and if there were they would normally only be on one side which was very annoying. The rooms need to be cleaned and hoovered more!!
Location
Perfect city location, right around the corner from Town Hall Station. Everything is in reasonable walking distance with the furthest being the fish market. Transport to both Bondi and Coogee beach is good from this spot aswell.
As a hostel they also offer to pay $15 for your airport shuttle which is one of the reasons we booked with them in the first place!
OVERALL
I enjoyed my time here at base, it's the cheapest of the bunch and for Sydney is not bad value for money at all.
Imogen xoxo
No comments:
Post a Comment