Attic Backpackers — Hotel in Waitematā

The attic did not disappoint. It has everything I look for in a hostel. It was clean. The staff was helpful and friendly. The kitchen had everything I needed and more. There were group spices and oils for cooking. There was plenty of space for dry food and foods needing refrigeration. There was a wonderful patio to sit at and enjoy a breeze, watch small birds, and eat. It was a peaceful place.

If you have your own lock, you can put valuables into a locker, no charge. There was a TV room, a chill room, and even a quiet area. The usual rules applied -- wash, dry and put away your dishes; observe quiet hours, take your pillow case and bring it to the front with your keys when you leave; treat the staff with the kindness they deserve.

Now it was a little noisy. However, that's because Auckland is a city building a subway at the foot of the building. And the Attic is located right in the middle of that vibrant city building a subway at the foot of the building. You are right near the bus terminal. You are in the very heart of clubs and restaurants and there is a bus or other options to get to the airport.

Now when a person stays at a hostel you can expect that you might need a hair dryer or shampoo or a towel. So you should be delighted to get any of these and not worry if you don't get them all. At the attic there was a place for free stuff in the bathroom -- some people left shampoo. And there was a hair dryer. But you did have to pay to rent a towel. I didn't care and...

I would not recommend this hostel in summer. The air in the whole building is just terrible: very hot and stuffy. The dorm with 14 people was the worst. It was not possible to open the windows properly, so the air in there was extremely bad. They had fans and that saved the night. Otherwise I wouldn't have been able to sleep at all. I read in other reviews that it is very cold in the hostel in winter, so the temperature seems to be a general problem.

The kitchen, bathroom and the staff were fine. I could store my suitcase and use the bathroom after I had checked out. The beds in the dorm were very basic. No power outlets at the bed and nowhere to put your phone.

Another negative thing: The lift didn't seem very trustworthy to me from the beginning (like the whole building) and of course it happened on the day that I checked out. The lift was broken. So I had to carry my bag all the way down from the 4th floor.

Summary: kitchen, bathroom and nice staff, fans temperature and bad air, old building, broken lift, very...

I have stayed in a lot of hostels over various continents and this is up there with 1 of the nicest. Big rooms include sofas which is a lovely little extra. A very spacious kitchen that has everything you would need to put together a decent meal. You have 3 or 4 hang out areas which include bean bags. It also contains a tv room which comes with Sky.

The downsides are it can feel a little sterile. It's wouldn't have the atmosphere somewhere like Nomads or Base (that could be good or bad thing depending on your pov) and the kitchen closes from 11pm - 6am. I really don't see why they have to do that. They'll likely say they don't want drunk backpackers in the kitchen but in that case turn the gas off. I have stayed in many hostels with kitchens and never had a fire and there was a lot more drunk people than The Attic gets!

It's a bit on the pricier side compared with Nomads, Frienz etc but it's very much a place that you get what you pay for. So if you looking for a nice comfortable hostel in Auckland this is the...