The Holiday and Travel Magazine: The Big Hostel

Tuesday 12 May 2015

The Big Hostel - big on service and smiles

Big Hostel

When I visit Sydney I usually stay in 5 star hotels. On this occasion I decided to experience a stay in a hostel. My children often stay in hostels when they travel overseas and come back saying they like the community feel about them.

I chose to stay at the Big Hostel because of the good reviews I read about it and its handy location. I travelled down to Sydney from my country hometown by train, so arrived at Central Station and found the Big Hostel just one block away.

I am glad that I stayed at the Big Hostel. The reception and cleaning staff were friendly and helpful. The hostel was clean, carpet was like new and paint work in good condition, there were even prints decorating the hall walls.

Kitchen

The Big Hostel is not a 5 star hotel. So do not expect any massive lobbies with chandeliers. What you can expect is a friendly, quite place to stay in Sydney. Do not expect to pay the high prices that 5 star hotels charge - it is quite economical to stay at the Big Hostel. You can choose to stay in private rooms (single, double, triple, quad and family rooms) with ensuites or in shared dorm rooms The only visible reminders that this is a hostel and not a hotel are the posters on the walls. These remind you not to talk in hallways on your mobile phone and that there is 24 hour camera surveillance. These are welcome signs that perhaps should be placed in the 5 star hotels as well.

Lounge

On the ground floor is the reception desk, lounge area, kitchen, dining area, laundry and luggage storage room. The lounge provides plenty of comfy couches to rest your weary limbs on after a day of sightseeing in Sydney. There is a large flat screen TV on the wall showing either movies or TV shows, and there is free wifi to keep in contact with family and friends on social media.

The kitchen provides all the cooking gear so you can be your own Master Chef with your own gourmet creations or simple snacks. Fridges and cupboards are provided to store your meal ingredients.

The good thing about the Big Hostel is that they provide a free breakfast for all guests. It is a help yourself to cereal, toast and jam, peanut butter, or the good old Aussie Vegemite, and tea or coffee.

My guest room

A lift provides access to the guest rooms on the three levels of accommodation. My guest room was on the 3rd floor. I had a twin ensuite room which came with all the necessities for a good nights sleep. My room had a chair, open wardrobe, bunk bed with a comfy mattress and pillows, wall mounted TV, reading lamp and plenty of power points for recharging my devices. An air-conditioner with remote control meant that I could control the warmth of my room. The linen and doonas were all of good quality, and none had rips, holes or stains.

My ensuite

The ensuite had a shower, toilet, basin, mirror, towels, floor mat and liquid soap provided.

When I peered out my best room window, I could see other new and old buildings towering in the distance. I was worried about seeing the railway line heading to Central Station and the possibility of noise disturbing my sleep. However, I was pleasantly surprised by not hearing any train noises at all during the day or night due to the sound proofing of the room. In fact, I did not even hear any car noises. I only heard a distant siren in the background at one stage. This meant that I had a good nights quite sleep.

Rooftop

The roof top garden courtyard provides a comfy outdoor seating area with BBQ with views over the city. Unfortunately it was overcast on my stay so I opted for the ground floor lounge area to relax in.

The best part that I liked about staying at the Big Hostel was mingling with the other guests, who came from different parts of Australia and overseas countries. I found them all to be friendly and helpful. They were not a noisy and rough lot. I chatted to a few who shared their travel stories. One guy from Germany even shared his bottle of soft drink with me.

Wall print

The Big Hostel is located on the corner of Blackburn Street and Elizabeth Street in central Sydney. It is in a very handy spot close to everything. It is only short walk from Central Railway Station, and handy to buses and the Light Rail. You have to look twice to spot the Big Hostel, as unfortunately the graphic artists who chose the lettering for the Big Hostel signs chose a font that makes it hard to read at first glance.

The name of the Big Hostel is perhaps misleading. With only three floors of accommodation there are not huge masses of people everywhere. What the Big Hostel is big on is friendliness, cleanliness and quality. It offers a variety of economical accommodation suitable for backpackers, families, groups or individuals visiting Sydney for business or leisure.

I liked my stay at the Big Hostel so much I would like to stay there on other occasions when I visit Sydney.