Katoomba Mountain Lodge

i’ve stayed in 50+ hostels and this was by far the worst. i was in a female dorm and the both of the other occupants were full time residents - they were keeping food, plants, and all their possessions in the room. there wasn’t even room to get to my bed. additionally there was many old men who were staying/living there, and i found it uncomfortable when trying to use the common spaces. numerous times they were consuming alcohol before 10am. the kitchen and bathrooms were extremely dirty.

Hair in all the bathrooms and plug holes, even in the private room sink. The room we booked hadn't been vaccumed properly or dusted in a while. The whole place smelled dirty. No proper bag storage at the property, not ideal if you want to go walking without your valuables. Never actually met the receptionist - out keys were left in the check out box in an envelope and we weren't checking in out of hours. The whole place had a halfway house vibe.

Do not stay here if you are a solo female traveller especially. Lots of strange men around, I felt very unsafe and uncomfortable from the minute I arrived. Showers were filthy.