YHA Wanaka - Hostel

Amazing. Peaceful Staffs are kind and friendly. Room and common spaces are clean.

Perfect location, great value, clean rooms, friendly & helpful staff, I recommend it to anyone 🚀

We were unfortunately very disappointed with our stay. The building itself is great, and with the right staff the hostel has the potential to be one of the best. Sadly, the current staff made our experience quite negative. First, the staff — particularly the French staff — were very unfriendly. They also forgot to hand over a package that had been left for us, even though they had promised our family member during check-in that they would give it to us. On top of that, they seemed annoyed by our arrival and showed little interest in us as guests. While walking around the hostel, we often saw the staff avoiding guests and mostly sticking together in their own group rather than being approachable. In other Haka Houses we’ve stayed in, the staff were always kind, welcoming, and engaged with their guests — which is essential in hospitality. Second, it often felt like the staff cared more about their own holiday and vacation time than about their responsibilities in the hostel. They behaved as if the rules did not apply to them, leaving their dishes and cups around without cleaning up after themselves. The worst experience was on Christmas Eve. The staff started cooking and baking in the shared kitchen, then disappeared for a long time, leaving the kitchen in a disgusting state during peak hours. Later, when we went to the kitchen to eat, their things were still everywhere and nothing had been cleaned. Several other guests we spoke to also said they were disgusted by this behavior. At the very least, it is appropriate to clean up after yourself when you cook — especially during busy times. Because of the staff, the kitchen was in terrible condition. That said, we believe this could be a great hostel if the staff situation changes. Most of the guests we met cleaned up after themselves immediately and helped keep the shared areas tidy. With more respectful, engaged, and responsible staff, this hostel could easily become one of the best.