The Biltmore Hotel, Bondi Beach (Hotels in Sydney)

Member Name: Beggar James

Product:	Hotels in Sydney
Date:	15/11/01 (412 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Excellent people to meet, Close to beach

Disadvantages: Expensive, dirty, no facilities, bad attitude from management

I am currently staying at 'The Biltmore Hotel' on Campbell Parade, on the sea front at Bondi Beach. However, something is definitely rotten in the state of Denmark, and I am writing this opinion to advise you to find a better place to stay should you visit this area.

I am staying in a 4 bed dorm, which consists of an average sized room with 2 bunk beds. Also in the room is a small fridge and a sink that is hanging off the wall. There is only 1 plug socket in the room, but unfortunately the fridge has claimed it.

So what you have here is a bog standard, totally average slice of hostel accommodation. The rooms are all in some state of disrepair, although I wouldn't go so far as to say any were in terrible condition.

The hostel has a complete lack of facilities.....the kitchen is small, cramped and has a ridiculous lack of cooking utensils. All but one of the pots are without handles, and there is one blunt chopping knife which sadly lacks a handle. There are a reasonable number of bathrooms, although the showers are pretty poor. There is a tv room, though again this is tiny, and has uncomfortable sofas which are blatantly falling apart. There is no other common area, and so most people end up hanging out on the fire escape on the back of the building, which has a charming view of the bins.

Overall the hostel is not too dirty, I have spotted a few cockroaches and mice, but I guess that's to be expected. The carpets and overall appearance of the building is pretty shoddy, and it definitely gives the impression that it is crying out for some sort of facelift.

Now all of this I could easily stand. However, there are two main problems.

Firstly, the rent, which is ludicrously high at $155aus a week for a bed in a dorm. Compared to other hostels in the area, this is expensive, and compared to hostels in the city centre of sydney, or even other parts of australia, it is extortionate. Guests should be
warned that should they fail to pay their rent by 10am, there is an additional $10aus surcharge, with no excuses accepted.

The other problem is the way the hostel is run. The manager is incredibly strict, and warnings are handed out like yellow cards at a football match. This has a serious affect on the atmosphere of the place. This manager makes no secret of the people she dislikes, and has been known to hound certain rooms, even coming in unannounced in the middle of the night to catch people out. Its fair to say, there is often an uneasy atmosphere around the place.

Overall, i am still having a great time, I have been in the Biltmore for nearly 2 months now, and will probably stay (unless the rumoured rent rise kicks in at Xmas), but this is entirely due to the excellent friends I have met. Should you be coming out o the Bondi Beach area, I would definitely advise you to stay at one of the other hostel, which are cheaper, cleaner and more fun.

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