Since arriving in New Zealand (three months ago, to shoot an episode of Alive), I’ve had a chance to stay in a few hostels around the North Island. Nomads is a brand of hostel that encompasses Australia, New Zealand, and Fiji, and I was lucky enough to receive sponsorship from them. Here’s my take on where I’ve stayed:

Nomads in general

Nomads hostels cater mainly to “flashpackers”, who are basically upscale backpackers. As with most hostels, kitchens are provided to help travelers keep their expenses down by cooking meals. They have both dorms (large and small) and private rooms; and the bathrooms are either communal or ensuite. They use Global Gossip as their internet and WiFi service provider, which means you need to pay for internet access ($1 per 15 minutes).

Generally speaking there is a great attention to cleanliness, so save for other travelers who don’t wash their dishes (!), the hostels are bright and tidy. All the basic amenities are provided (including linen and duvets for everybody, and towels for private room guests), and coin laundry facilities are available.

Nomads properties also have travel agency services, to help you book either local tours or the next leg of your travel. I found their services in Auckland to be very helpful. There are also social activities coordinators on-site to answer questions and lead inexpensive tours for hostel guests.

Buying into a MAD membership ($37 AUD) entitles you to a discount on nightly rates, travel bookings, phone and internet, and various bars and eateries around town. If you plan to travel around Australia and New Zealand for a while and want to stay at Nomads properties, I would say it’s a good deal.

Auckland: Nomads Auckland (Fusion)

Nomads Auckland (photo courtesy of Nomads)

Fusion is one of two Nomads hostels in Auckland, Fat Camel being the other one. Fusion offers more amenities than Fat Camel (which is just down the street), and thus costs a little more to stay at each night. The Fort Street location is very convenient, being two blocks from the waterfront, and close to the bars and CBD (central business district) action.

Fusion is a large seven-floor property. The top floor is dedicated to a kitchen, sauna, hot tub, and rooftop deck, and the first floor has a bar/restaurant, tv lounge, and internet room. All floors in between are dorms and private rooms.

When you check in you receive a free meal and drink voucher. The free meal is really small, but for $4 you can upgrade to a decent sized meal, and for $7 they’ll throw in a glass of wine or a draft beer. The bar/restaurant is convenient, but not a hang-out for anybody other than hostel guests.

I stayed in both the dorm rooms and private rooms, and enjoyed both. The double ensuite room felt quite luxurious, with the comfort of a hotel, and the convenience and amenities of a hostel. It felt like the best of both worlds.

Wellington: Nomads Capital

Nomads Capital (photo courtesy of Nomads)

Nomads Capital calls itself a “5 star backpacker hotel”, which is pretty appropriate. It has three floors of rooms (again both dorms and private rooms), above a first floor communal area and bar/restaurant. Again it is well placed, being near the waterfront, shopping and eating districts, Parliament, and Te Papa Museum (one of Wellington’s big attractions).

The large reception also serves as internet café and has a small sitting area. Adjacent to it is a tv lounge, kitchen, and courtyard with BBQ. This is the only real communal area for travelers to meet and mingle, but with the large flat-screen tv playing movies all the time, nobody tends to talk to one another. It has strange vibe to it, but I suspect that if the weather were nicer during my stay, the courtyard would have been a little more conducive to conversation.

Blend Bar & Café is the adjacent bar and restaurant that also offers free dinners for guests, with similar rules as Fusion ($4 to upsize the meal, and $7 to upsize with a wine or beer). The “regular” sized meal is a good size however, so you don’t have to upgrade to get a decent portion. Blend also has a full menu with great food (to which backpackers get a 20% discount), and it attracts both locals and backpackers with nightly specials. Since the tv lounge/kitchen seems to be reserved for tv-watchers (!), Blend is a good place to meet and mingle.

Nomads Capital - double ensuite room (photo courtesy of Nomads)

I stayed in a double ensuite, and again enjoyed the luxuriousness of a hotel with the convenience of a hostel.

Taupo: Urban Retreat

Taupo Urban Retreat (photo courtesy of Nomads)

Urban Retreat is considered a Nomads affiliate property, which means you can use the MAD card and bed-hopper passes to stay there, but it doesn’t offer quite the same standard services and amenities as other Nomads properties.

The location is again very convenient, being on the hostel circuit and close to everything. It is a much smaller property, and has a cozier communal feel to it. Although they offer free internet (1 hour per day), there is no WiFi, and so the three computers are in constant demand. Internet time is thus doled out in 20 or 30 minute increments to reduce the waiting time.

Taupo dorm room (photo courtesy of Nomads)

The big appeal for me with Urban Retreat was the bar and restaurant. The bar features the cheapest drinks in town, and the restaurant serves just one thing: chili. For less than $10, you get a generous serving of chili, sour cream, chips, and a glass of wine or beer. It’s great value, and the chili is terrific.

Summary

In all three cases, I was disappointed with the internet access (or lack thereof). I’m not a huge fan of Global Gossip (I’ve had bad luck on more than one occasion with connectivity issues), and I would have been a lot happier if the WiFi was free. Although Urban Retreat had free internet, the 20 minute increments and line-ups to use the cramped computers was onerous, and the lack of WiFi was surprising.

But then again, traveling isn’t about constant internet connections, and it’s not too difficult in New Zealand to find an internet café charging $3-$5 per hour.

When I was in Sydney, I also stayed at a Nomads property for a few nights (before I received the Nomads sponsorship). Being disappointed with the internet, I ended up moving to a less expensive hostel down the street with free WiFi. However in so doing I learned a valuable lesson about saving money on hostels; it was filled with transient locals instead of backpackers, it was incredibly dirty, and the lower price and free WiFi didn’t justify my sleepless night with creepy people.

Nomads pays special attention to keeping the backpacker vibe and catering to the traveling crowd. Each property has its own management style and flavour, but from my experience if you stay at a Nomads (or affiliate) property, you’ll get a decent base standard of service, cleanliness, and amenities. Rolling into a new town in New Zealand, Australia, or Fiji, I would be happy to stay at Nomads and know that I’m getting good value and a safe, comfortable, well-located place to stay.

(Editor’s note: I received free accommodation in the three properties reviewed above).

Tags: hostels, New Zealand, Nomads