We've stayed in a number of backpacker hostels over the last 3 months, so we have a reasonably good benchmark for quality by now.

The check-in was fine and the staff were warm and friendly. My girlfriend and I were assigned the room called "the Glade" - all very picturesque sounding. The Glade was actually a stand-alone prefab - possibly a converted shed or garage. Actually, not bad inside, but the main problem was that the nearest toilet and shower was a good 30-45 second walk away across a garden and, depending on the route, through the TV lounge. Not ideal at all, especially at night in the rain. The room would also be absolutely freezing on a cold night, as it seemed to have limited insulation and only a small plug-in electric fire (not a particularly environmentally friendly heating option either).

The lounges were comfortable, the showers and toilets ok'ish (not by any means the best we've seen) but the communal kitchen really let the place down - we were staying on a busy night, which didn't help, but the kitchen and eating area was way too small for the number of users, and it is only cleaned once, in mid-morning, which meant that by evening meal time it was pretty rank. (And by breakfast, obviously, even worse...)

On balance, if we went back to Te Anau we'd look hard for alternative budget accomodation before rebooking.

Te Anau Lakefront Backpackers in the peaceful town of Te Anau, overlooks the lake of the same name (the largest on the South Island). Friendly staff, large dorms, great big kitchen and good communal areas.

I've stayed here a few times (by myself and with friends), in various rooms. I enjoyed staying in one of the smaller 4 bed dorms (routeburn, greenstone..etc) when i was by myself. The rooms are spacious for four people, lots of space to put your stuff, desk, balcony with nice couches to sit outside and enjoy the view. If you stay in one of these rooms you have to use the shared kitchen (pretty decent and clean/tidy..etc) which is good if you want to be social.

If you stay in one of the rooms with your own kitchen, they are nice if you are a group of friends, it feels like your own hotel!, but for half the price! The communal TV area was pretty small, and hard to relax as its right by the dining area. Staff was super friendly (a friendly south american girl). Good location. Internet available. Kind of annoying that reception closes pretty early, especially if you need to use the internet and haven't pre-purchased your voucher. But not a biggie.

Would recommend this place. They also had alot of useful flyers/information about the tracks in the area, and other touristy stuff.

Despite Lakefront Backpackers' central location in easy walking distance to anything of interest in Te Anau, I cannot recommend it as it fails in all other areas important to budget travelers.

The property (several buildings) is rather run-down. My partner and I stayed in a 4-bed dorm in a cottage-style building that had 2 very old kitchens, 2 bathrooms and 2 toilets. Rooms and facilities not exactly clean and everything looked quite neglected. The place could need an overhaul, and some proper locks on the doors, too.

Our room was spacious enough, beds were massive wooden bunks but mattresses were quite bad and the bed linen really smelled. The light in one of the bathrooms didn’t work. The kitchen were not very well equipped, but the state of them (old, in need of renovation), the smell of the building and the dirt didn’t really make us want to cook and eat there anyway. The furniture in the living area of the cottage was shabby and old.

Reception wasn’t particularly interested in providing us with a nice stay either, totally disinterested in any form of conversation or making travelers feel welcome.

I cannot recommend this place to anyone. Lakefront Backpackers needs a general overhaul and also needs to replace rickety old windows and makeshift locks on external doors. Although on the cheaper side of hostel accommodation in Te Anau, it still fails to provide value for money, which says it all about what a stay there is really worth.