Location is quite alright, service was great, just keep in mind that the mattresses have been in use for a while - worn out, so you can feel the springs/wires pushing into your hips and ribcage, very uncomfortable experience. Rooms do not have air conditioning, albeit windows do open, which unfortunately don’t help a lot. Showers & toilets are very confined, even for me who’s 6.1” and fit.
I would say it is overpriced for what you’ll be getting. There are places where you’ll get 2 nights for the same price as one in here and a lot better amenities.
Overall, nice people and no locals. Relatively clean.
Eleanor Rowland★★★☆☆
Rooms have very limited airflow and smelled very sweaty and damp. Hard to dry clothes/shoes after it’s been raining. Kitchen is decent and location is really good, but you can probably find better for same value.
Cecilia White★☆☆☆☆
Even though the staff here is very nice and helpful. But I suggest you not choose here. The design and quality of many facilities are way below than average level of many hostels I have stayed in NZ before.
Many stuffs have very cheap quality, for example the sheets are not cotton and have a weird texture, it’s the cheapest material, the skin doesn’t feel comfortable, also the mattress feels like sponge can’t bounce back so I can feel the hard bottom under it when I was sitting on the bed with my 47kg weight. My room was super hot, there was no air circulation at all even I open the window.
The design of the shower stall is not convenient either… there is a second door to prevent the water from splashing out, but there is no shelf for soap and shampoo inside, I like soap I can’t put it on the ground, so I opened the door to get my stuff, made the ground spilled with water flowing to the outside looks messy, not only mine, I saw the same conditions when others left the shower stall. And the door opens inward. So you also gets cramped when entering and exiting.
The design and quality are disappointing.
Diana Nelson★★★☆☆
PROS
- The hostel is in a great location, walking distance for restaurants, cafes, bars and the city center.
- Booked a private room, was spacious enough and had a lot of space to store clothes.
- Pair of towels were provided.
- Provided an electronic key to enter the room and also the password to enter the gate after hours.
- Kitchen area was spacious, plenty of room to cook and eat food.
- Toilets and showers available in every floor.
CONS
- The main con is the customer service, it was really poor. We made a booking and before arriving (a month and two weeks before) we emailed asking if it was possible to change the date of arrival, instead of staying 8 nights we would arrive later and stay 5. We received an email reply saying that it wasn't a problem. Upon arrival, we were about to pay when we realised we were being charged for 8 nights instead of 5. We asked the hostess how many nights she was charging and at first she said she was charging 5 nights. We kept questioning and then she admitted she was charging 8 nights and told us they had a non-refundable policy. We discussed that we had emailed and asked if there was any problem changing the check-in date and that it was confirmed, not a problem. She said that she would still charge the full price, but if we wanted, we could change the check-out date to have the 3 days. Not useful as we had international flights booked. However the hostess was really inflexible and refused to charge us for the nights we were actually staying, she even refused to let us talk to someone else. We asked to speak to the manager, and she said it was "impossible", and to email, her, again. She said it was not-refundable, and we could find somewhere else to stay if we wanted, even though it was NYE, but she said she had our credit card, and would charge us anyway. As a client I think the policy is really predatory, one thing is charging a fee for changing a booking and quite another is having to pay in full the nights originally booked, especially when given the hostel so much time in advance. It seems like they could potentially profit twice from this, from our booking, plus the booking a new customer in the nights we didn't stay. This is not at all in the spirit of backpackers, very disappointing.
*In summary, a non-refundable deposit is understandable; but a non-refundable booking, when we haven't even paid (funded) the amount, is a predatory practice.
Eva Zheng★★★★★
Clean and well-maintained
Friendly and helpful staff
Great location
Variety of dorm rooms and private rooms
Communal kitchen, laundry facilities, and rooftop BBQ area
Regan Ling★★★★★
Loved this place! Super central, lots of transport options. Friendly staff with great local tips. Clean rooms, comfy beds. Great social vibe in communal areas. Strong Wi-Fi. Handy kitchen and cheap eats nearby. Highly recommend for backpackers.
Gonzalo Granja★☆☆☆☆
A disastrous hostel from every point of view, starting with the elevator that does not work on the ground floor, so you have to go up with luggage to the first floor, the bathrooms are deplorable, dirty, a single shower, * There is a bathroom that has fantasy glass so you can see almost everything *. The beds have mattresses instead of mattresses or springs which are so old that they hurt you, in addition to making a very big noise when you move which bothers the other roommates, dirty sheets with body fluids, humidity in the rooms, lack of plugs, cracks, lack of any type of heating, there is no place to store luggage. The common areas are sinister and dark. In addition to strange people, you can hear screams of fights from the neighbors in other rooms, dirt everywhere,. In short, a place I hope to never return to and I don't recommend anyone to come.
gu Zheng★★★★★
Perfect hostel to stay in Auckland CBD. Warm and clean room. High quality of customer service. Will be back next time.
Alexander Stein★☆☆☆☆
Dark & unsettling (especially at night), many insane people, no AC, roaches… Just a place you really don’t wanna head out after your day. Basically every other hostel in Auckland will be a better choice for you
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FAQs
What is the address of Frienz Backpackers?
Frienz Backpackers is located at 31 Victoria Street East, Auckland CBD, Auckland 1010, New Zealand
What is the phone number of Frienz Backpackers?
You can contact Frienz Backpackers at +64 9 307 6437
How can I get to Frienz Backpackers?
You can find directions to Frienz Backpackers by following this map link
