Overall Ratings & Reviews Taupo Urban Retreat - Hostel

Its not what we expected

It was exactly what we needed. the instructions for late check-in were clear and much appreciated. The sight of complimentary earplugs on the nightstand made me a bit nervous, but it was surprisingly peaceful when we stayed (mid week)

All staff were so friendly and helpful. Great location.

Because it was in the middle of town and the room was nice and warm when i got back

Very central hostel, clean and tidy with excellent staff help, close to food outlets. Not very sound proof but it wasn’t noisy the night I was there and a good sleep.

Close to town, easy access to rooms, friendly staff

Really lovely and helpful staff. We stayed in a private double room with views out over the lake. It was clean and comfortable and perfectly located to walk to most places we wanted to visit. For a Backpackers it was in great condition and we enjoyed ourselves thoroughly. Free all day parking across the road.

Easy and polite checkin. Shower cubicles bit tight and amenities as expected. Wicked lake views

Clean friendly good location ....... .............

Noisy as other backpackers partied into the night making it hard to sleep had to complain tk them

I loved the simplicity of this place and the happy vibe of the young people. Reading other reviews, though, I think it would be wise to adjust the description on Expedia to clearly reflect that it isn’t a ‘retreat’ by any stretch of the imagination. But I really liked it. Thank you for a clean warm place to rest.

Good location and comfy room Parking was available thats a plus point too

Very helpful staff, clean rooms wonderful bed. Very laid back and easy to approach staff. Reasonable price for rooms

The staff made this place a delight to visit. All are immensely helpful, also informative and responsive to any needs. Our private double room with ensuite bath was basic (as expected at a "backpacker") but spotlessly clean, and someone had installed an outlet strip to accommodate for the shortage of electrical outlets. Nice to have on-site laundry, 3 each for both washer and dryer. The common areas were comfortable, and the kitchen was well stocked. It would be great if all the youth could figure out how to remove food from the sinks when they're done washing dishes, and maybe that's too much to expect.

The double ensuite room was good had everything we needed.

The double room with en suite that we booked had no external windows and no air conditioning so it was 35-40C which is ridiculous in New Zealand. There was a fan but we were told that we could not run it on high because the vibrations were too loud in the next room. There was hair in the bedding, and no parking available because the spaces were full of people sleeping in their cars so we had to park in a shopping carpark across the street. The room was tiny so we had to climb over our bags to get in and out of the room/bed/bathroom. The room was also right by the common room so it was very noisy. This place might be ok for drunk teenagers but it is 100% not appropriate for adults needing somewhere to sleep for the night.

Room was basic which is all we needed but there was a sound from what seemed like a dryer going the whole night, we didn't get much sleep, we gave up trying by 6am. We had even turned off the air conditioning due to a different noise it made when the air-con was on, so we almost cooked ourselves, I had requested feedback from the hostel, still not heard anything after four days regarding the noise.

Stayed in a few hostels in New Zealand and this just didn't have the same vibe as other places. Other guests didn't seem to be considerate to others by slamming doors constantly, even at 3/4am in the morning. The room itself was clean to look at but there were signs it needed more than a once over.

Very good. Was a last minute change of plans that was good

I immediately liked this place on approach from the street. I was greeted by a very friendly and helpful staff. I just loved the layout of the place, the way you stepped down into the common area. It was just a nices laid back, friendly vibe. The kitchen was nicely set up, the common area inviting. Thenrooms were very reasonable which allowed me to have my iwn room and bath. There was also small bar where I purchased a very nice NZ white wine at low cost.