Prince Albert Backpackers (formerly Fern Lodge) Reviews

I loved this Hostel!! So lovely and clean and spacious private rooms. Great downstairs pub/restaraunt with regular meal and drink deals for hostel guests. Lovely staff. Smallish kitchen but at least there is one. Cool little hammocks and communal areas with heaps of parking round the back. Highly reccomend!!! :)

Great staff, great place.

We had a 2 person ensuite that was incredibly clean & comfortable. Not at all noisy but still centrally located. The couple that run this place are absolutely phenomenal -- so friendly and willing to chat with everyone and do whatever possible to improve your stay! They have a bunch of events / games downstairs and at first I was hesitant about it being attached to a bar but we ended getting food & drinks there nightly! Great for Abel Tasman or if you're traveling to the North Island.

Free brekky and wifi, great staff, lovely hostel!

VERY close to bus stops n shops. Based on this reviews, I really dont understand how can backpackers, that are traveling around the whole world, complaining about a 10min walk! Very clean & specious place. FREE internet at all times! They even have a games room, for a rainy day! I loved it, thanks guys!!

Best hostel I've stayed in. The owners are just fantastic and so friendly and helpful. The hostel is connected to a bar which is also run by the owners. Great 10 dollar meal deals, and cheap beer+drinks. Met some awesome people here, and had one of my best night outs. Lots of free stuff as well like bikes (only two hours, but reasonable) and wifi. If you ever find yourself in Nelson, this place will make your stay ten times better!

Located about 15-20mins walk from a bus stop. The receptionist (an american guy) was super friendly and very informative. WiFi is FREE! Free WAFLES for breakfast! I didnt feel very sure about security though since anyone can enter the place and my roommates kept doors open whole day. There is a pub as well, but closes soon so no worries about noise in the night. I stayed at 4 bed dorm, 2 beds and 1 bunkbed. The room was so-so big for 4 people, but for 2 nights it was ok. Bathroom is very nice.

Nice place but disappointed to find bunk beds in our room. The room was very small - the bathroom was as big as the bedroom ! Otherwise no problems.

Overall atmosphere was good, nice patio with seats and hammocks. It's a little out of the way if you arrive at the I-site. I stayed in a 4-bed dorm with large glass doors bordering the patio. The downside was that the sun would heat up the room during the day and there was no way of opening a window at night to let it cool off again. We kept the door open but had to leave the light off or bugs would come in. A screen door would be nice. Bathroom was also very basic, no towel rack or shelves.

This was a great hostel with very friendly staff and a good atmosphere. It was great to sit down for a beer with the owners and talk about the area. Bedroom was very comfortable and facilities were great. Games night is a great idea for some nice free fun and can help you meet both other people in the hostel as well as locals. Great place to stay

Thanks for an amazing stay, it started our trip off just right. Keep up the hard work it hows in every area of your business. Going above and beyond what is expected by helping book tours, clarify directions, etc makes you guys stand out. Thanks Dan & Alicia

The included breakfast was very good although a supply of cream and maple syrup would have been nice to go with the waffles. The lay-about area in the back was a great idea.

Best hostel we've stayed in in New Zealand, thoroughly recommend it!

Bed was poor - please try out yourself for a night. Rooms are too warm and stuff, even with all doors and window open. Area not secure as main gate remains open. Cookers mostly defect. Towels cost money to replace even after 2 days? Very poor. Refusal to add new mixture for waffles because other guest ate too much? Than dont advertise this! Reflected very poor and so did about 10 people waiting think. Best to go see the top hostels in the country and learn about how to run the business.

One of the best backpackers I have stayed at in New Zealand. The owners are very friendly and help out however they can. The rooms are clean and all have an attached bathroom, so at most you are sharing with 6 people. They offer free breakfast (waffles, cereal, toast, orange juice/coffee.tea), free internet/wi-fi, and free to cheap bikes depending on how long you want to ride. It is a close walk into the Nelson city center, although the beach is a little ways off.

The hostel has great potential. Pity that our experience was far from that.

We had a fantastic night's stay at Prince Albert Backpackers. The reviews we had read weren't that favourable, so we arrived with fairly low expectations, and boy were we surprised! Waffles for breakfast - what more can I say! The staff were fantastic also.

Great place! The owners are really nice. attentive and helpful, the rooms are really nice, lots of places to chill and a fun, games room and a TV room with a big screen and lots of DVDs! We had a really good time. We definitely recommend Prince Albert hostel!

Hostel in a handy location, nice room, clean, free yum breakfast, staff were very friendly and helpful.

This was a great hostel to visit. It seems to have recently changed management and the new owners are a couple in their late 20's or early 30's that really understand how to make a hostel both comfortable and welcoming without sacrificing fun and sociability. Michael and Naiane were great hosts and made sure we knew about all the sights and activities around the place, and were happy to help me get around too. Also, if you love waffles, you'll love the free brekkie!