bornintheusa

We are starting the planning of a first time trip to Australia and are looking to stretch our travel dollars by staying in a double room/shared bathroom in hostels or caravan parks (cabins) that are close to public transport. Am looking for the nicer places that will take us 60 year old geezers for under $100 a night. We need hostels in/around Sydney, Melbourne, Great Ocean Road and Port Douglas areas. Any suggestions?

stilltraveling

Great comments - we are thinking the same for new zealand - and were just wondering if the "young ones" would be ok with us in their spaces!!?? we are looking for suggestions for places in Punakaika, Abel Tasman, Franz Josef. thanks

longhorn55

You might try reading the reviews of hostels in the towns you want to visit on Hostelworld.com. My kids found their reviews very accurate, so you should be able to get a good feel as to whether a particular hostel is "party central" or "geezer-friendly".

www.hostelworld.com

Diamantina

still traveling, a couple of my friends who visited NZ in November, both in the 70s, traveled around New Zealand for a little more than three weeks, staying in private rooms in mostly "AHA" backpacker hostels, which they booked at the last minute or a day or two in advance through the I-Site tourism office (in Wellington, Auckland, Picton, Queenstown, Mt. Cook). They also stayed with friends (in Dunedin and Marlborough).
They were here in November, which is the start of high season, so they did have some trouble booking at the last minute. They couldn't find anything in Franz Josef in their price range, so they had to move on to an inexpensive motel in Haast, which is 1.5 to 2 hours down the West Coast. In Wellington, their hostel room did not have private toilet facilities so they moved to the Ibis Hotel after a day. Also, they could only get one night at the hostel in Queenstown, so they relocated to inexpensive motel in Glenorchy for a second night (Mt. Earnslaw Motel). They also stayed in a waterfront apartment in Kaikoura and on Waiheke Island.
They took buses and train on the North Island, took the Interislander ferry across Cook Strait, and then rented a car in Picton to tour the South Island.
While they were staying with us in Dunedin, a couple of their friends came over to visit. They were also in the 70s and travel the world, often staying in hostels or with friends.
A few weeks ago, on a bus ride from Christchurch to Dunedin, I met a woman in her 60s (I would guess) and she was headed to Hogwartz, a hostel in downtown Dunedin. So, no, it's not just "young ones" staying in NZ hostels.
http://www.hogwartz.co.nz/accommodat...oms-and-prices
If you need to watch costs, avoid NZ's peak summer season. Ski resorts, like Queenstown and Wanaka, also get pricey and busy in winter. Though in general, accommodation prices for self-contained accommodation drop in autumn, winter and early spring.
Hopes this helps.

Bokhara2

Have a look at YHA, too. Despite the title, they are far from restricted to the younger set. They are often in interesting positions and in lovely heritage buildings.

It may stretch your budget a little but the YHA Sydney Harbour is a standout with million $ Harbour views.

Hotels / pubs sometimes have accommodation at very reasonable rates and give an opportunity of mixing with the locals having a meal/ drink.

bornintheusa

Thanks everyone...some great suggestions for me to look into!!

tt7

I can't really help with hostel suggestions, though longhorn55's link to hostelworld looks very useful. You might also want to check out wotif (www.wotif.com.au ) - it's really focussed on hotels but, if you can stretch upwards to $150/night, it does provide a good idea of what's available at what price point in that market. Wotif allows you to filter properties based on maximum price - I just tried $150 (max) and was somewhat surprised at the number of central Melbourne places that came up. You don't say what time of year you're planning on visiting, as that (and what 'events' are on) can obviously factor into the cost equation (so there's not much in Melbourne in the next few weeks, for example, because the tennis is on).

If you find some hostels that look like they would suit you, let us know - we can at least provide some input on the location etc. (at least for Melbourne and, to a lesser extent, the GOR and Port Douglas) and no doubt others can provide comments on Sydney. For Sydney, in addition to the YHA suggested by Bokhara2, the Russell Hotel in the Rocks seems to get mentioned frequently (though inevitably "Sydney + hotel + cheap" is an oxymoron....).

tt7

On the YHA front, there's this one -
http://www3.yha.com.au/hostels/vic/m...entral-hostel/

It also has a link to this one for the GOR ....
http://www3.yha.com.au/hostels/vic/g...ns/apollo-bay/

cathies

http://www3.yha.com.au/Hostels/NSW/S...ydney-Harbour/

Do stay at the yha that bokhara2 suggested. My daughter used to work for yha and she and her husband would stay there from time to time. They loved it. It has double rooms with ensuite bathrooms.

It might be over budget but is worth it for the location.

Diamantina

This Melbourne hotel is slightly out of your price range, but it's a good value if you book at the 60-day advance price/minimum three night stay (AU$115 nightly). The units have kitchenettes and bathrooms, but you'd have to pay extra for WiFi. It's one block from Queen Victoria Market and one block from the free circle city tram that during the day takes you to major tourist areas. City Tempo is also about a 10-minute walk from Federation Square.
http://www.citytempo.com.au/index.php
The Sky Bus, if you pay for your ride with them into the city, runs a free transfer service to some accommodations, including City Tempo and many of the hostels. You can check their website for its hours of operation: http://www.skybus.com.au
There's also Star Bus airport shuttle that runs 5 a.m. to 7 p.m.
http://www.starbus.net.au

Diamantina

Forgot, if you're interested in the 60-day advance purchase discount rate at City Tempo, you'll have to go to this page:
http://www.citytempo.com.au/s_rates_specials.php
You might be able to get the same rate on Wotif
Here's a link to reviews for City Tempo:
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev..._Victoria.html

ElendilPickle

stilltraveling, we stayed in hostels in New Zealand 10 years ago. We were in our 40s and never felt out of place; in fact, most hostels had travelers of all ages.

Try www.yha.co.nz and www.bbh.co.nz for hostels. BBH hostels are independently owned and are often smaller than YHA hostels.

Lee Ann

LilyEva

Scuba Diving is an amazing experience.

mlgb

Can't comment on Australia but I've used wotif, bbh and yha in NZ. Be sure to read reviews and ratings, a few if the YHAs have lots of noise intrusion due to poor design and age, but they tend not to be party hostels. I also sign up for email specials on Millenium's website. Not a huge fan of the holiday parks but sometimes there is little choice. The glaciers are always a problem so definitely book those early.