Jason is a good guy who gives the travelers a job and takes care of them but doesn't take care of the hostel he is a manager who has no tools in the kitchen the cleanliness of the hostel is very bad full of spider miners dust broken things the place could be much better but he is not interested in investing in it
We are in NZ for Woking Holiday, so we stayed there for 4 Weeks while we worked at the Berry Farm. Jason (Owner) helped us to get this Job and was always very kind and helpful. We really liked him. We paid 90 NZD weekly for staying on the Property while sleeping in the car. We used all the facilities like Kitchen, Living Room, Laundry and Shower. The Hostel looks a bit old and kind of messy inside. Its hard to hold it clean because of all the people living there, not all of them are very tidy. But we also had a lot of Cockroaches, which was a bit disgusting. But we had a good time tho. So the house looks old and not that friendly, but if thats okay for you, you can have a good time! And a big THANKS to Jason!
Reading some of these reviews I find really unfair. We had a great stay for 1 week. There were atleast 20 people staying in the hostel at this time and never once did we struggle to find somewhere to cook or chill out in peace. Multiple showers and kitchens. Comments on the clenliness of a hostel is more a reflection on the people staying there than it is the management- it only takes a couple minutes to create a mess. Jason the manager really is a top guy and went out of his way to help me out after an unexpected thing popped up meaning my plans changed, again I find comments criticising him completely out of character and undue. Thanks for having us, would have happily stayed for a couple months to work longer. Jack & Tara
I was just nosing through the old hostels I had stayed at during my time travelling and found a few of the reviews on here unfair. I stayed here for some time nearly 3 years ago now, apple picking for the whole season with my ex girlfriend. Yes, the facilities are/were fairly basic hence the very reasonable cost, perfect for saving money. It had everything there including free wifi and free washing machine which are usually expensive in hostels and a huge washing line. People work together so there's always something going on at the weekends including bbq's and beer pong etc. As for work, we struggled for the first few weeks but Jason gave us a chance, we worked hard and persevered and by the end was earning very good money, i earnt over $1000 in one of the weeks. Jason is a good bloke who always treated us fairly and with respect. If you want a hostel which is cheap, homely and sociable then this is it.
Great Hostel! We stayed 2 Months at Jason's Backpackers and we are totally happy with it! Jason gave us great jobs and always paid us correctly. Never had any issues with him. The crazy old German woman has finally left! The Kitchen is way to small for that many people but still for 120$ a week totally acceptable. We would definitely recommend staying at the sleeping giant hostel!
We didn't want to talk about our experience here. But you have to know some things about this place. Jason, the owner, is a man who don't care about the backpackers' hygiene. For example, in the bathroom in the second little house there were ants next to the shower. It was due to a dirty room. When it's wet the feet towel is replaced by the hand towel. (It was a person who have done the cleaning in this backpacker who told me that.) Last but not least, the kitchen in this little house was messy everyday. A german girl who was the "ears and the voice" of Jason told to the cleaning's person not to do this kitchen without reason. It was us who have to clean this kitchen every day after work... Then, we have worked for Jason in inadmissible conditions of work. We had to do a minimum of trees per day but it was set to high. Before coming here Jason told us we could earn until 800$/week if we were fast. But in fact, in the orchard there was only one person who could do this. So it was a beautiful lie. We don't recommend this place if you want to work and live in good conditions. But if you want a cheap place (80$/week/person for a van) full of German go for it !
Sleeping Giant Backpackers is located at 109 Davis Street, Saint Leonards, Hastings 4120, New Zealand
You can contact Sleeping Giant Backpackers at +64 6 878 5393
You can find directions to Sleeping Giant Backpackers by following this map link