[NannyOgg]

Hi All,

Happy new year to you all!

Does any one had personal or word of mouth experience of good backpackers in Queenstown?

Preferably twin rooms with en-suite. My childhood friend is coming over for my 40th birthday next month and she and I are having a weekend away there. Flights were quite pricey so I am looking to do the accommodation on a budget as NZ dollars seem to have flowed through my fingers like water this past month!

Any suggestions I would be grateful.

Thanks,

Nanny x

[gil]

Have you checked with Veronica?

[NannyOgg]

No. Does she live in QT?

Thanks Gil

xxx

[gil]

I think she is in Chch, Nanny, but she runs a backpackers and might know how to help...
Gil
x

[KerryS]

Friends and I stayed at Southern Laughter back in November - small, clean and good value for money. Very friendly staff too, who helped us with booking trips etc.
We had a dorm room, with ensuite, as there were 6 of us, but I'm pretty sure they have twin and double rooms as well.
I hadn't stayed at a backpackers for a few years, and from past experiences wasn't expecting too much, but was glad that I was wrong.

[NannyOgg]

Thanks for that Kerry.

I'll check it out...

[tim&em]

Our top tip, having backpacked around NZ for 3 months in 2005, is to look up the BBH (Budget Backpackers Hostels) network.

The website is: http://www.bbh.co.nz/default.aspx (http://www.bbh.co.nz/)

Each backpackers (and there are a lot of them) is rated by people who have stayed there and if you can find one with a rating 85%+ you're usually onto a winnner! They also tell you how many beds and rooms each place has - and as a general rule we found the smaller the better - but it depends what you're looking for.

There's a printed guide available in most of the backpackers. You can buy a card to get a discount on room prices (Its $45 but includes a phone card in the price) or you can just pay a bit more as a non-member, usually only a few dollars.

We stayed at the Bungi Backpackers in Queenstown, which was not the best in the country (a bit big and busy), but it had an outdoor hottub which was a bonus!

[PeteS]

Hippo Lodge is good.

[katandbob]

we stayed in a motel - $65 for the night - 4 of us

It was ok and clean - I could see if I have a copy of the email booking for the name

Kat

[b&k]

We stayed in a twin room (shared bathrooms - which were clean) in the YHA Lakefront (http://www.yha.co.nz/NZHostelsandTravel/FindaHostel/OtagoandSouthIsland/Queenstown/QueenstownLakefront/).

It's a couple of minutes walk from the town centre and, as a result, is a little bit quieter and cheaper than staying in the middle of town.

[CatherineP]

There are a number of good places, but they do tend to get booked up relatively quickly. Therefore to ensure you get a booking at a place of your choice do it asap. We have previously tried to book 3 weeks in advance out of holiday periods and struggled to get first choices.

BBH is a good place to see how they rank and get feedback. Sometimes the motel/apartments can be just as cheap/good.

Catherine