Secret Garden Backpackers

Wow... even as an experienced hostel traveller, I was shocked by this hostel. In three nights time, we barely closed an eye. Cockroaches and other insects swarm the rooms, crawling into all the travellers beds, clothes and bags. Not very nice to wake up with two cockroaches on your back. Moreover, this is apparently a consistent issue as one of the travellers in this room repeatedly had told the reception/owners about this and nothing happened. Even though this happened, maybe something nice about the hostel could be written like the friendly staff? I wish. The staff were rude, uninterested and hungover most of the time. Free pancakes at 9 on Sundays? Well, that is if the employees wakeup from the loud parties being thrown (among the staff then as well) of this hostel. I have never had this horrendous of an experience in a hostel and for the fair amount we paid this is unexcuseable. One tip: avoid at all costs!

Day 1: there is a knock on the door of the toilet that I was currently using in order to clean the place while I am still far from having finished my business Day2: I am pulled out of my bed while I was sleeping there early in the morning to show me the camera footage accusing me of not having washed my cup of coffee - we are three friends who have booked -20$ of fine times three which makes $60 Day 3: my belongings are transferred to lost property because they were on the lockers instead of inside (do I need to specify the full contents of these lockers?) Day 4: a member of the staff (a young Italian) showed me photos from his phone, showing him when he had sex with women to show me places to sleep in the hostel (photos obviously taken without the consent of this girl). The good points: -a very pleasant garden which closes its doors when you start to have a little too much fun there -Events offered by the team such as a boat evening which obviously costs money even for those who have paid for the hostel -Meals offered in the evening but be careful to only take a quantity that will not fill your stomach, also be careful to be there within the allotted time of 24 seconds or you will have nothing left To all of you backpackers, I wish you a good stay in this hostel called the secret garden. She will always have a non-air-conditioned bed to offer you under the lovely bright Sydney sun.

The biggest issue of this hostel are long term residents. They are very unfriendly, use only Spanish or Italian, do not respect the rules of the hostel and if you say hi they don’t respond back. Even though the hostel is being cleaned every morning it still smells badly, mainly the rooms as you cannot ventilate them properly. Only positive is location as by bus you are next to Sydney Opera House in 15 min. In general quite disappoin**ent.

Fantastic hostel, great garden area, clean facilities, friendly group of travellers, my favourite after being in over 5 other hostels in the area. Highly recommend to anyone travelling solo. Staff are great, very helpful and keep the hostel in great condition. Will definitely come back when I’m in the area.

We stayed here for 5 nights. We had a great time. We stayed in the double room, I saw from some reviews on another site that it had some issues with damp and mould. They've sorted out the issues and put in a dehumidifier now. (See pictures). It was comfortable and very clean. We were jetlagged, so we didn't join in with any of the activities, but there were things going on for guests every night, which sounded like great fun. They cleaned at least twice a day. We had a good time mingling with people when we could. The staff were super friendly. The kitchen is really big, it's so great if you have a few people cooking at the same time. I recommend booking on hostelworld, they offer better prices than booking directly with the hostel. The hostel also has a no refund/cancellation policy, but if you book with hostelworld, you can pay a little bit extra to get a refundable booking up 24 hours before your check-in day. It doesn't say anywhere, but their reception is open for 8am-8pm. You can check in after 8pm, but you have to call a number on the door. There is no doorbell. I only found this out when they sent me an email after I booked the room. Thanks for a great stay SGB!

Rooms kept clean, there is a small cooking area that is never busy, no freezer, ok fridge, shelves for non perishables. Great tv room. bbq on fridays, plug by bed. no shelves for phone or water. Great

Really clean kitchen and shower areas! Really friendly staff. Nice outdoor garden where you can take your own drink and chill. Only downside is the 12 room is pretty squashed, would recommend an 8 bed or lower :)

Je déconseille FORTEMENT de réserver ne serait-ce qu’une nuit dans cette auberge à FUIR ! Avec des amis nous y avons passé une semaine et ce fut EXTRÊMEMENT DÉCEVANT. Notre première rencontre fut celle d’un « manager » italien, il s’agit d’une personne comme vous et moi à qui on a donné 2-3 responsabilitées et qui se vend comme l’autorité suprême en ces lieux. Un Macho, Égocentrique imbu de sa personne qui sans raison justifié porte une haine envers les français. Il nous a clairement fait comprendre que si nous respections ces règles, il aurait la bonté de nous octroyer quelques faveurs. MERCI. Pour ce qui est des caméras, faites attention à vos moindre faits et gestes car les autres managers prennent un malin plaisir à vous observer. Une amende de 20$ vous sera remise si vous oubliez de ranger votre tasse… amende qui, bien sûr, ne s’appliquera pas si vous êtes amis avec les managers. Je remercie l’établissement d’avoir toucher à mes affaires se trouvant à côté de mon lit, car certaines d’entre elles ont disparu. Bref, un Secret Garden qui ferait mieux de bien rester secret.