Flinders Backpackers

Overall, Flinders Backpackers was a solid choice. I stayed in a private room, which was small but had everything I needed, including a TV with Netflix. The shared areas were well set up — a fully equipped kitchen, a living room with a pool table, and a cool bar, all adding to a fun, vibrant atmosphere. Although it was quite busy, the vibe was lively and friendly. However, my check-in experience was disappointing, especially since I was there for work. After a 32-hour journey from Portugal, I arrived around 8 am, well ahead of the 2 pm check-in time. The hostel does state when booking that they’ll try to have rooms ready earlier if possible but can't guarantee it. Despite this, I didn’t feel any effort was made to expedite the process. I was the only guest there for check-in at that time, and I saw cleaning staff around, but I still had to wait until 2 pm. The receptionist suggested I could sleep in the common area, but I was utterly exhausted and needed the room to rest properly before working. Unfortunately, there was no real accommodation on that front. Another major issue was the noise from the air dryers in the bathrooms. The walls are quite thin, and despite signs reminding guests not to talk on the phone in hallways after 10 or 11 pm, the dryers were much more disruptive. They were loud, ran frequently, and often went off in the middle of the night — sometimes for up to 20 minutes. This noise disturbed my sleep significantly, which made it challenging to get the rest I needed for work. Overall, while Flinders Backpackers has great facilities and a lively atmosphere, the lack of flexibility at check-in and the excessive noise from the dryers impacted my experience, particularly for a work trip

OK, this was my first time to Melbourne, AUS and first overseas since pandemic. I found this hostel the most reasonable for me. At the time I booked it, the reviews were good but not great, so I didn't expect so much. I just want to experience everything I could. What I liked Surprisingly, when I arrived, the reception was nice and informative. I found my bed was well prepared (6 bed mix room). The room was rather humid because of other guests, I guess. I also found the bathroom and toilet was clean and looked just had been renovated. So, my luck, I got the new one. Hot and cold water all fine. For this I can say it above my expectation. About the location, it is unbeatable. It located in city center and in front of Tram stop & train station. The crowd is typical hostel crowd, you can chit chat with everyone. The public room (together with dining, front desk, luggage, relaxing) is rather too crowded for me, so I'd better go out. What I Not so much liked. 1. Just one lift / elevator worked out of two during my time there. There's announcement about it, so it's OK. 2. On my last day, 11th floor bathroom had pipe problem. I consider it as force majeure. We had to use other floor's. 3. The magnetic keycard sometimes won't open the door. Need to reset it at front desk. Hope this work for fellow travellers and the management.

Clean, cheap, friendly hostel in an excellent location. The free breakfast was such a nice touch. The hostel has 11 floors, I was on the 11th floor and did not experience any noise issues. The hostel is well maintained and organised really well. The only negative thing is the hot water in the showers was inconsisten. Would recommend!