Elizabeth Hostel, Melbourne (Youth Hostels in Melbourne in general)

Member Name: TigerMystery

Product:	Youth Hostels in Melbourne in general
Date:	09/07/09 (30 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Location, staff, price

Disadvantages: Weirdos

Elizabeth Hostel, 490 Elizabeth Street

*The Good*
- location. Walking distance of the CBD. About 3 mins walk to Melbourne Central. Lots of Asian restaurants around. About 1 min walk to Victoria Market. Tram stop pretty much on the doorstep.
- the staff are mostly Chinese, so this would be a definite pluspoint for Chinese-speakers.
- quieter than most hostels at night.
- cheap, and weekly rates available.
- friendly staff
- the reception is in a convenience store
- female dorms available

*The Bad*
- dark and dingy
- can be too quiet at times, like a no-mans land
- some of the people who stay there are very strange. Many Aussie hostels will only allow non-Aussies to stay. This hostel is an exception, which means it is a haven for some dodgy people who have nowhere else to go. Rumours of a murder in one of the rooms + drug-dealers were floating around. I feel bad saying this because the staff were so lovely, but there were some very creepy guests, some of whom made me feel extremly uncomfortable. I think some of the staff realised they attracted a certain clientele, but weren't sure of what to do about it.

*General recommendation*
I stayed here for several months. The only reason I stayed so long was because I was working fulltime, I get really stressed if I don't sleep, and this hostel doesn't really have the all-night parties than a lot of hostel do. I also thought the location was fantastic and the price was one of the best in the CBD area.
I wouldn't recommend it though, because it wasn't the most pleasant place to be at times.
Having said that, this was Sep-Dec 2008, so it might've improved since then.

Summary: Not recommended