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Hippo Lodge Backpackers – reviews, photos

4 Anderson Heights, Queenstown 9300, New Zealand
Hotel amenities
Hippo Lodge Backpackers
4.0 of 5 stars 31 Reviews
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31 reviews from our community

    Trip type
Traveller rating
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Date Rating
Hanover, New Hampshire
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
“Awesome hostel, nice location, nice feel”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 May 2011

I stayed here for about a week in Queenstown and had a great time. From the moment I first got there the staff was really nice and helpful, suggesting a bunch of cool restaurants, bars, etc. They also seemed really knowledgeable about all sorts of activities, hikes, and roads in the area.

They let me put up my tent outside for a reduced rate which was really nice, and I still had the door code for access to all the facilities. The place is older but seems well maintained. Everything worked well, there were ample bathrooms, and the kitchen was well stocked. What I really liked about the place was the feel - everyone would stop and chat on their way in and people got to know each other. It attracted a really interesting and diverse crowd who never seemed to get too rowdy at the hostel.

It is up a big hill, but it's short and the place is only about a 2 minute walk from shotover street, the center of town. The hill becomes a huge advantage once you get up it though - it has an absolutely stunning view of the whole town, lake, and mountains. Definitely worth the hike up. I would totally stay here again if I go back to Queenstown.

Stayed April 2011, travelled with friends
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Hanoi, Vietnam
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
“Such a great atmosphere! great value for money & lovely staff.”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 April 2011

Perfect! just five minutes walk away from the centre, with the best view of Queenstown! The staff are lovely & the people staying there are really friendly.
The only downside is the mount everest of a hill you have to climb before you get there, with a backpack its not an enjoyable walk! but coming back down is picture perfect :)
Well done Hippo!
xxxx

  • Stayed April 2011, travelled as a couple
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 4 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 4 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Ask Tessa9722 about Hippo Lodge Backpackers
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Paris, France
Top Contributor
54 reviews 54 reviews
Reviews in 39 cities Reviews in 39 cities
83 helpful votes 83 helpful votes
“I'd stay there again -- but only if I had a car”
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 January 2011

I was entirely pleased with the solo room I stayed in at hippo, especially considering the communal kitchen area and the large lounge with a nice view.

This hostel is very quite and clean, much more so than the centrally-located hostels much be. The only drawback of this place is that it is a good 15 minute walk into town, perched on a STEEP hillside. It's fine if you have a car (and there seems to be plenty of street parking) but if I were to go to Queenstown again without a car, I'd stay at the Novotel right on the water. Yeah, it's more expensive, but the most convenient joint in town.

If you aren't going to Queenstown to do all of the activities and are more than 20 years old and a big partier, you might prefer Wanaka.

Generally speaking, I would advise to be very careful where you stay in New Zealand if you travel around without a car -- you might find yourself in a difficult situation, especially if you have a heavy bag/suitcase!

  • Stayed January 2011, travelled solo
    • 5 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 5 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 5 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 5 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 5 of 5 stars Service
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Cusco, Peru
1 review
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“Almost spoiled excellent hostel experience in NZ”
1 of 5 stars Reviewed 10 May 2010
2
people found this review helpful

To make it short: Never again. The single room I had had a strong moldy smell to it, but the sheets seemed clean. The kitchen was a mess and just filthy when I was there (red house). Actually the whole building stank. The staff was pretty indifferent upon check in. No explanation of the facilities as in other hostels. The location has its up and down sides. It´s up a very steep hill, parking is terrible if you come late, which is after 6. On the other hand you really do have a spectacular view from the lounge, which I didn´t really enjoy too much because of the filthy surroundings. By far the worst hostel in a 7 weeks stay in NZ.

  • Stayed March 2010, travelled solo
    • 2 of 5 stars Value
    • 2 of 5 stars Location
    • 4 of 5 stars Sleep Quality
    • 1 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 1 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 1 of 5 stars Service
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shana makuta, Manager at Hippo Lodge Backpackers, responded to this review
28 July 2010
Hello all out there in Trip Advisor Land,
I know it is no excuse, but I want to explain why this reviewer had smelled the mouldy smells.

In mid April, we discovered a small leak from an incoming water pipe that had been leaking for quite some time UNDERNEATH the lodge floors and directly onto the ground below and also onto the normally inaccessible insides of the building. By the time we discovered the leak, to our horror, some of the walls of the building itself were quite damp. In fact we only discovered this slow leak due to a wall feeling damp. Ack!

We called the plumber to have the leak repaired. We called in flood damage and flooring experts who helped us and recommended fans for underneath the house as well which we used for about two weeks . Unfortunately all the fans in the world didn't help the walls dry fast enough causing that mouldy smell. When we noticed the smell hadn't disapated, we called a builder/plasterer and had the damaged walls replaced. SInce then the mouldy smell is gone!! Yay!

I am really sorry that this reviewer had such a poor experience at Hippo Lodge. We take pride in our guests enjoyment as we really do care about YOU and your happiness. We normally do explain the hostel facilities and offer to help book activiites as well as make recommendations for around Queenstown, so I would like to offer our sincerest apologies if he felt our service was lacking. (We generally rate quite high regarding staff) I must say that I don't remember if this reviewer ever came to Reception to speak to us about his issues, as with such a complaint, we would have gladly offered to move him to another unit.

Thanks for your time to read this,
Kindest Regards,
Shana
Hippo Lodge
Manager
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São Paulo
2 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
2 helpful votes 2 helpful votes
“I`ll stay there again!”
2 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 January 2010
2
people found this review helpful

I was expecting a very hard walk from downtown to hippo lodge due to what people had written here but.. it is not that hard and yes: the view is very beautiful! The room was not so good but i wanted a prvate room with private bathroom so.. it was ok for the situation.

  • Stayed January 2010, travelled solo
    • 3 of 5 stars Value
    • 5 of 5 stars Location
    • 2 of 5 stars Rooms
    • 2 of 5 stars Cleanliness
    • 3 of 5 stars Service
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