Very nice hostel, more for party people though (Melaleuca Backpackers (Darwin, Australia))

Member Name: damsmi2002

Product:	Melaleuca Backpackers (Darwin, Australia)
Date:	12/02/09 (129 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good location, friendly staff, big clean rooms

Disadvantages: Can get rowdy

I was lucky enough to be staying in Darwin for around three to four weeks recently, and during my stay ended up at many different hostels, Melaleuca on Mitchell was one of them.

I stayed here for probably around a week in total on and off. As it was during peak time nobody would let you stay for more than four days, so although in this respect it wasnt very good, this was the same with all hostels at this time in Darwin so cannot have a complaint against just this one.

The hostel itself is very nice, clean and spacious. There were many different dorm sizes to stay in and I ended up in a 6 bed mixed both times. There is a complete girls only floor too whereby your keycard wont let you up to the level if you are a bloke. The dorm that I was in was very clean, had a lot of room compared to other 6 bed dorm that I had stayed in, and surprisingly was full of English people so had a great atmosphere. There were also lockers for you to store your items in, although you had to provide your own padlock for it.

The reception was always busy so asking for help could take a while, but they were always full of energy and you could tell that they really wanted to help you. They would organise activities for you and sort out transport if you wanted them too which was always helpful. There was a computer area too, which had about 12 computers that you had to pay to use, again this is the same anywhere though, but quite often you would be allowed 15 minutes for free if it was just to hop on and off quickly.

There was a very large kicthen which was capable of allowing about 14 people to cook at once, but you had to pay a deposit for all of your plates and cutlery from the reception that you got back when you returned it, it was a bit of a pain though if you wanted to cook something quickly.

Next to the kitchen you had a really nice balcony area with a pool and a bar. It was great sitting out here early morning and late at night, although during the day it got very rowdy so I stayed away during this time. As it had a bar you were not 'supposed' to take your own alcohol, although many people did. Because of the easy access to the bar it did usually get very rowdy at nght if you were after an early night, which was sometimes annoying. They held different activities each night on the balcony such as free hot dogs and pool competitions which was always good to take part in.

The hostel itself was located very well. It was completely in the town centre meaning that shopping was very easy, although it was a 30minute walk to either the beach or the casino, unless you caught the bus.

Overall I think that this hostel is great for more of a party type of person. At $30 per night it was the same price as nearly all of the hostels in the area, but certainly wasnt cheap. If you are after a more chilled back atmosphere ready my review on Chillis Backpackers which was just across the road from here.

Summary: A good hostel but more for sombody who likes to party than chill out