Jailhouse Accommodation — Attraction in Christchurch

Not very impressed at all. Student week rooms (which is what I had) are the pinnacle of disappointment. No student will ever be able to afford $380 a week (winz will not cover that cost, considering there are plenty of rooms available for $150 a week which include everything except food, just so you can have an idea on it) for a cell size room nor would they want to, especially during this pandemic, that just seems like highway robbery right there. On top of that, the "fast free internet" barely exists unless you have your door open, which means I have to give up privacy just so I can have somewhat of a joke of connection to do my work. The room I had (cell 27) was in shocking condition. When I opened the door, the first thing I noticed was the floor was moving! On closer inspection I noticed the floor was riddled with silverfish, disgusting! The beds are ok. Staff are exceptional. Quality of life could be so much better for a place rated 4star plus. How it gets that is beyond me the place is not really adequate for the price this hostel is charging. I've received a better quality of life stay with hostels a lot less experienced and with

Stayed here as a solo 17-year-old traveller in Nov 2024 and it was definitely worth the price.

Room (single room): The room was effectively a Jail cell with some furniture. I could comfortably walk around and had space for most of my stuff everywhere. The bed was alright, im about 5ft 8" (180-190cm) so it was a bit of a squeeze but other than that (no fault of the place) it was an amazing bed and room. Only downside was the charging ports were far away from the bed, so if you like having your phone close to you at night you may need to adjust or bring an extension cord.

Bathroom/tiolet: This is the only thing I didn't like about Jailhouse. It seems as though they haven't updated the men's tiolets since it was an operational prison. I love the authenticity but I think bathrooms are one of those things you update. The tiolets are super cramped and sore as to sit on, so if you tend to be on the tiolet alot I'd not recommend this place sadly. If they ever update the tiolets I'd love it.

Communal space: I never used the shower but the shower set up itself seemed really good, what you'd expect to see in a bathroom/shower set up. I didn't visit the laundry or kitchen (purely didn't need to) but the foyer areas were really good. During 9pm to 8am the bedroom sector is a quiet zone and is light up in some really low but awesome colored lights. I quite enjoyed the communal areas.

Overall I would highly recommend this place, especially for people like me (solo youth travellers) as the process is really easy (reach out to them to discuss your own situation). The price wasn't the best but considering my circumstances it wasn't...

Aesthetically attractive place but generally impractical.

The conversion of the building is very well done, and the aesthetics of the place and the way it leans into the buildings history is fun.

The toilets were horrendously cramped though and had no plug sockets in them for hair drying and things like that. The showers were also fairly impractical as there was no where dry in them to place toiletry bags as the layout of the shower meant the floors became flooded, and debris from the drain and other peoples showers also floated around as the water rose. The floor became dangerously slippy as a result after. Only one plug socket in there which was hidden under the hand towel fixture and in an incredibly cramped space.

The kitchen also contained those horrible metal counters that never seem clean. Food labelling system was great though and the kitchen was well equipped.

I literally despise the GOKI key system. Great in theory, but so impractical.

Rooms were well ventilated (I stayed in a 10 bed), provided plug sockets and lamps by the bed and wall heaters...