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Reviews of 42b College House - Hostel

2 out of 5
42b College House - Hostel
42B Campbell Street, Whanganui

Reviews

8.6

Excellent

Rating 10 - Excellent. 24 out of 51 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 21 out of 51 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 3 out of 51 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 1 out of 51 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 2 out of 51 reviews" "

8.6/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Staff & service

7.6/10

Amenities

7.8/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.0/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Willow

Stayed 1 night in Jul 2021

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness
Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2021

10/10 Excellent

Matt, Dunedin, Mosgiel

Liked: Staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The graden area at the property was so calm and relaxed. The interesting people that hung around the kitchen and eating area made the place seem lively.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2021
Response from Verena on 13 Jan 2021
Thank you very much for your nice feedback. It was lovely having you here. All the best for you Matt and Verena

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Very old rundown hostel. Staff was helpful, had sky in tv room, Pity some owners just take $$ for decades but put nothing back in. Value for $27 a night was not worth it compared to other towns, even national park was only$19 with modern look and spa. I wouldnt recommend this place unfortunately. A lick of pain and new beds might just show some effort back to guests who pay good money to stay. 1 of the only bad reviews ive had to make out of hundreds of places as a hotels.com gold member
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2020
Response from Matt on 6 Nov 2020
Thanks for your feedback. Sorry for not meeting your expectations, but we need to advice you to read what you book more thoroughly. We are neither a hotel nor claim to have a spa. College House is a historical building renovated with love. Fortunately most of our customers appreciate that.

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2020

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Disliked: Amenities
Would definitely not stay here again and would advise others not to , whole family of very loud people !
Stayed 1 night in Jan 2020
Response from Matt on 4 Jan 2020
Dear Ian thank you for your feedback. As the real time feedback we received from you last night was very positive, we assume you definitely liked our place. Sorry that the the family who was staying was maybe a little bit too nosy in the morning. All the best Matt and Verena

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 2 nights in Nov 2019
Response from Matt and Verena on 11 Dec 2019
Thanks for your feedback and enjoy your journey :-)

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Very welcoming and very helpful I will stay there again ! Next time I will bring my friends too! Market was just fab today loved it!! I be back!!
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from Verena on 18 Sept 2019
Thank you very much for your feedback. We are looking forward to welcoming you again. All the best Verena

10/10 Excellent

Norman

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Affordable Accommodation
For the price it couldn't be better. Very helpful hosts. all services available.I will certainly stay there again.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Verena on 14 Aug 2019
Thank you very much for your feedback. It was lovely meeting you and we hope to see you again sometime. Kind regards Verena

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Business traveller
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
The lady at reception was really helpful, and even offered to drive me to my job interview. A cheap and cheerful accommodation, which is very conveniently located.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2019
Response from Matt and Verena on 17 Jul 2019
Thanks, it was nice having you here. We wish you the best with your application.

8/10 Good

T C

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
NZMG participant
Booked into dorm but on checking in there was a single room available. So able to change with additional cost.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2019
Response from Matt on 12 Feb 2019
It was nice having you here. See you again in two years :-)

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This was a nice quiet hostel close to the town center. It’s just a short walk to restaurants, groceries, shops, and cafes. It got very hot and my room only had a small window with poor ventilation, however the other rooms seemed to have larger windows. They have a cute fenced picnic area with animals (a rabbit, guinea pig, some ducks, and a small fawn).
Stayed 6 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Verena on 5 Feb 2019
Thank you very much for your feedback. Safe travels and all the best Matt and Verena

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Stayed 3 nights in Jan 2019
Response from Verena on 15 Jan 2019
Thank you for staying with us and the feedback. All the best Verena

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Staff are really helpful and accommodating. Cleanliness/maintenance is not the best. There is mould growing in the showers, others are either out of order or feel to be falling apart. Over the duration of my stay, I had a handful of cockroaches appear in my room.
Stayed 2 nights in Dec 2018
Response from Verena on 2 Jan 2019
Hello thank you for your feedback. It is great and very important to us, that you were happy with our staff. We are not sure when you were staying , but most likely before the renovations of the bathrooms have started or maybe while we were working on them? As we never had reports about cockroaches before, we are wondering what room you stayed in? Kind regards and Happy New Year Matt and Verena

10/10 Excellent

P, Oscoda

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great attitude by staff! The hotel has a pet deer named Bella who was rescued as a fawn when she lost her mother and it is Bella’s job to keep the lawn (back garden) mowed. Two pet rabbits also assist. All will eat apples or carrots from your hand. This place has amazing character and dates back over 100 years as an educational dormitory! There are clean shared bathrooms and showers. The WiFi works great and the common.rooms and kitchen are large and we stocked. No TVs in the room. The facility is two blocks off the CBD of Whanganui so food and shopping are a short walk. The Town is on the western shore of the north island of NZ a little over an hour dive south of Mount Taranaki and about a 2.5 hour drive north of Wellington.. It is a great value and the pets give it a wonderful character.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from Verena on 2 Nov 2018
Dear Peter thank you very much for your feedback. We are very happy that you and your wife enjoyed staying at our place. It was lovely meeting you! Wishing you all the best and safe travels Matt and Verena

2/10 Terrible

Stefan

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Maybe Ok if you are a backpacker
Not the place to stay with your twelve year old son... Maybe my bad but with the great reviews we thought would try it but after seeing the room left and had to pay for another motel...
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2018
Response from Matt on 31 Oct 2018
Hi Stefan, sorry for not having met your standard. On the other hand, if you order a white wine it would not be fair to blame the winemaker for not serving you champagne. We offer well priced accommodation with good quality standard for a wide range of travelers including families. We wish you a nice journey Matt and Verena

8/10 Good

David

Friendly staff and host. Good for budgeted traveling.
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2018
Response from Matt on 5 Sept 2018
Thank you David. Great that you like your stay. We are looking forward to seeing you again Matt and Verena

8/10 Good

Bill, Hamilton NZ

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Very nice, friendly atmosphere. Centre of town, easy to find.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2018
Response from Matt on 29 Aug 2018
Thanks and have a good time :-)

10/10 Excellent

Jamie, Northland, NZ

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Good place, reasonable rates.
Great stay. Unfortunately I only was able to stay for one night. Especially love spending time with Bambi, the tame fallow deer.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2018
Response from Matt on 29 Mar 2018
Thanks Jamie, enjoy your journey

8/10 Good

Sameena

Liked: Staff & service, room comfort
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Friendly and welcoming atmosphere
My stay was from tues 13/2/18 - thurs 15/2/18. Upon check-in the host Matt was very friendly and welcoming. He showed me around the hostel and to my room. There was no lockers in the room which was a downside for me. The other only downside is the flies inside the hostel - in the room and in the breakfast eating room. The kitchen was spacious and very big. The showers and toilets were okay, however they could have been cleaner. The large garden space was great. The hostel offers guests free intercity bus stop pick up and bus stop drop off which is very convenient. Any queries and questions about trips can be asked at reception who are very helpful. There is lots to do and see around the local area of wanganui. I would stay at the hostel again as there was a very friendly atmosphere and I would recommend the hostel to others.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2018
Response from Matt on 6 May 2018
Thanks Sameena :-) We have put a fly net at the window meanwhile to keep them outside. Still working on the lockers - there is space at the reception made available for personal belongings already. Cheers Matt

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in May 2017

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Very convenient
Staff lovely and friendly. Rooms very clean and tidy. Great value

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Friendly staff but cold rooms
It was a really nice hostel, friendly staff and good common areas. However the room was cold, a heater would have been nice. Otherwise awesome.

10/10 Excellent

April , New Zealand

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
First time in a hostel!
Owners are so welcoming and friendly ☺ would certainly stay here again. Rooms are clean, bathrooms clean. Cute collection of animals. Great for people travelling through on their own

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Manager shuttled me to the bus stop for my 8am bus, thanks, Max! Very friendly staff, fun atmosphere.
Response from General Manager on 4 Feb 2017
Thanks for your kind feedback. It was a pleasure having you here. Enjoy your journey :-) Cheers Matt and Verena

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Ver very helpful and friendly. It's nice place to stay
Response from Matt on 22 Jan 2017
Thanks :-) It was lovely having you here. Cheers Matt

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Hotel is clean and comfy but not warm enough
The panel heater doesn't help much in winter. It's especially cold at night. Travellers from hot country might find it hard to get used to.

10/10 Excellent

Juergen, Munich, Germany

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It's like home!
Very nice and clean hostel with newly re-done rooms. Great kitchen and cooking facilities. The host-family is extremely friendly and helpful!! I will visit them again!

10/10 Excellent

Tanja, Germany

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Really nice hostel
I stayed at this hostel for one night. The owners and the staff are super friendly and I felt really welcomed during my stay. Rooms are clean, have a good size and my bed was comfortable. My room had a beautiful view of the garden. Cooking in the hostel was no problem as it has a big and well equipped kitchen. Showers are clean and have good water pressure. I had a very good time when I stayed at the hotel and can definitely recommend it.

10/10 Excellent

Christof, Germany

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Family style home far from home
That hostel was the best I have stayed so far. The owner Matt was very helpful, there was great space to relax inside and in the garden. I felt like beeing at home with a big family. If I can, I will come back again.

10/10 Excellent

Vincent

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Welcoming staff and a nice house
Convenient and central location with very helpful staff. Nice house, rooms and outside areas.

10/10 Excellent

Raja

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great hosts, very friendly environment. Will stay there again

10/10 Excellent

Sabrina, Taiwan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful service, nice backpacker !
The reception was really kind and gave me a lot of information. Rooms were comfortable, clean shower rooms and toilet. Full equipment in the kitchen. Reallyhad a great time. Highly recommand.

4/10 Poor

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
You get what you pay for
Staff was friendly but facilities were dated, dingy, and dirty.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Friendly Service
The hostel itself could do with some modernising, but the owners are so friendly that we felt very at home.

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great atmosphere here!
Great place to stay, family owned, makes it feel like your home. The staff is friendly and helpful. Large kitchen, lots of ammendities. Don't forget to see the dear too!

10/10 Excellent

Neil, New Zealand - Auckland

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities

8/10 Good

chantal, wellington

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
friendly place to stay
Budget price meant bonus satisfaction. Room was clean, had everything we needed. Shared bathrooms were clean. The kitchen looked great, but we didn't use it. We went for the breakfast option and totally satisfied. Owner offered us info on the area to match our needs. Would (and probably will) stay there again.

10/10 Excellent

Celine, France

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Really nice hostel with central location
I really enjoyed my stay in College House. The owners were extremely friendly and helped me to organise my visit of Wanganui. The hostel is close to the main street so it's easy to go shopping or to visit by foot. Also, the surroundings and the building are quiet so I was able to relax.

8/10 Good

Jason, Boston, MA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
Cheap, clean, I'd stay again
German hosts are quite nice, room was clean, single rooms small and fine for a night. I had a bad wifi experience and learned that I don't like Zen bu during this stay. Owners found an abandoned baby deer in the woods that was living in the back with some chickens. The deer and chickens were really cute and tame, the deer let me pet it like a dog! The town is quaint, and just like everywhere else in New Zealand, the food is ridiculously expensive.

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Cheap for the price.. Ok for facilities
We stay there for too nights. Host was very kind and helpful. Overall it was ok to good.

10/10 Excellent

greengingergirl, USA

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Fantastic Service
I stayed here for two nights and had a great time. The owners were very nice and accommodating to anything and everything. They had a nice single room with great linen and bedding. The mattress was a bit uncomfortable but was a very nice room. Garden was nice with an area located with chickens and even had a baby deer that you could pet and feed! Hostel was very clean and showers and toilets were very very clean! Great location, 10 mins walking to all major shopping. I highly recommend this place!!!

10/10 Excellent

Vivien, New Zealand - Bay of Plenty

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Facilities: Good; Value: Bargain; Service: V Good; Cleanliness: Spotless;

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2019
Response from Matt and verena on 11 Dec 2019
Thanks for your nice feedback. All the best on your journey :-)

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2019
Response from Verena on 26 Sept 2019
Thank you very much for your feedback. All the best and safe travels Verena

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
最高！！
今までで一番素晴らしいドミトリーの宿でした。
Stayed 3 nights in May 2018
Response from Matt on 30 Jun 2018
greetings from Wanganui :-)

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2018
Response from Matt on 26 Mar 2018
thanks :-)

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2017
Thank you for your feedback. Have a save trip Matt and Verena

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Gerne wieder!
Familienbetrieb geführt von ausgewanderten Deutschen. Sie geben sich echt Mühe, dass alle zufrieden sind und sind total Hilfsbereit. Auf Nachfrage bieten sie auch einen kostenlosen Transport zur Busstation an, was sehr hilfreich ist, da diese ca. 10-15 Minuten Fussweg vom Hostel entfernt liegt.