Criterion Art Deco Backpackers - BBH

Good location. That's the only good thing about it. Room smells unpleasant, looks old and bed was uncomfortable. Wifi was useless. TV lounge, pool table & kitchen need total refurbishment. Other tenants look like long timers, shady ones. This place is definitely not for visitors. Won't come back.

DO NOT STAY IN THIS HOSTEL. Just because it’s cheap - it’s not worth it. Worst experience being in a hostel in my life. The interior was unhygienic and in disrepair. The hostel was homing local people of the street which made it very unsafe and created an uncomfortable atmosphere. My friend and I were checked in and then stayed for about 2 hours and then felt we had to leave. People would come into our home and then leave the door open for others to wonder through. The showers were dirty and the drains blocked. One shower was even missing a door. The kitchen was covered with old food and there was even a shelf saying ‘for Filipino use only’. The sofas and lounge area were decrepit and falling apart. When we wanted to check out early because we felt uncomfortable and mislead, the receptionist didn’t seem to care although did say he would offer us another room if he could but they were fully booked. Just stay elsewhere.

Beautiful hostel, great service and staff. The owner is very friendly and you can see that he really take care of the place and all the details. The kitchen is clean all day and the bathrooms too. We payed $60 per day for a double private room which is a very good price for what you get. The location is excellent, in the Main Street, one block from the beach. I totally recommend this hostel.

1 night in ensuite double. Clean economy room in a hostel type hotel. Staff were very good. Original Art deco features in good condition. Large communal kitchen and huge charming lounge with pool table and double fireplace. Excellent location right in centre of town. No parking available so was a challenge to find street parking. Also be aware there are a double flight of stairs to reach the hotel floor. Good value.

It was very upsetting. It didn't feel safe to me. Next room had loud music on till 3Am in the morning, had a loud fight going on with lots of loud banging on the shared wall.The lady at reception was rude when I called her later to inform about my experience, she didn't seem to care at tall.Only one star is for location and price.

Awesome location at a good price point. This is a heritage building with lots of charm and vibe.That said the room interiors could do with a bit of uplift to improve the overall experience - our room has a non functional kitchen sink which might as well be removed, random cupboards etc. Also onsite laundry facilities might be nice for travelers (complimentary would be awesome, otherwise pay to use). All in all there's potential to make this hostel a top class accommodation if it is renovated a little while keeping the art deco style.

Quite a good location - nice area of town. I have stayed here quite a few times as they almost always still have a bed available.However, recently, the showers have always been flooding so when you go for a shower, you endup in your own and others drain-water - guys, if you pull the hair out of the drain - the shower will actually drain. This place is mostly cleaned to a good surface level - slightly grimy but not the worst place out there.However, after staying on Wednesday in Room 8 and getting bitten on my feet and lower legs by bed-bugs - I will not be staying again. I never take a bag into the backpacker room for fear of these horrible creatures (although I had never been attached before), however, waking up with the bites is not acceptable - these guys need to clean more thoroughly. We are not in a village with a mud floor - this is a modern age with Backpackers.

I stayed a little longer at this hostel and it was unfortunately mostly a bad experience.But first of, the room I stayed in was fine, the beds were clean and comfy - therefore the bathrooms were okay and the Showers were big. But to begin with the contra points: The drains of the showers were blocked and it ended up with you standing in a disgusting mixture of water and hair - really not comfortable. Also I was told that they don’t use the vacuum cleaner every day, which is fair enough, but during my longer stay there I never saw anything of that and also - if our room was vacuum cleaned, I never noticed it. The floor was just dirty, the carpet smelled strange and there were dead insects laying around. Therefore it appears that some people might basically live in this hostel and there were also many people making me feel uncomfortable around them occasionally when I was in the kitchen or just in the lobby for example. The Wi-Fi is useless in the rooms, it only worked occasionally and the connection was really poor. The kitchen was partly really a bit dirty - with dried sauces or other liquids such as water or something else on the surfaces. It’s not the hostel‘s fault, but also many people just carelessly leaving their dishes in the sink and waiting for somebody to wash it for them - which is absolutely unacceptable and disrespectful behavior!The staff was friendly though, asking me how I was doing and occasionally having nice talks. Also the location was perfect there - directly in the city centre.Apart from that though I sadly can’t say much good about this hostel. Wouldn’t recommend it.

What a great hostel! It has character and great facilities. Geoff runs a tight ship with his crew and the hard work from the staff pays off and the great results show. Jenny who was in reception was a great asset to the hostel and was very friendly and approachable. Met some great people in a place you can definitely call a home from home! I miss it already. All the best at criterion keep up the awesome work!

A very good place to stay! I stayed 1 month at the Criterion and I was very satisfied. This hostel is comfortable, nicely decorated and the atmosphere is pleasant. The staff are super friendly and always ready to help. The breakfast is simple but sufficient. The cleanliness is not perfect but is still very good. I recommend