Friendly staff. Comfy bed. rattly door knobs, and crooked floorboards which added to the character of this really old old building, it was cosy though and I slept well. Will stay again for sure. Nice river to explore, beautiful bush all around, nice peaceful, kitchen big enough. there were not many people when I stayed so it was pretty quiet too
A lovely home with a lot of history tucked into the hills on the outskirts of Greymouth. John was a great host, cold night but the fires were stocked. Beds were warm, room was clean and the vibes were stellar. We played Uno by the fire. Would highly recommend, thanks so much for the stay and the stone.
I stayed a couple of nights at the tail end of my West Coast adventure. It is within easy driving distance of a few public gold panning areas, and is still close enough to Greymouth to do a shopping run, and has better ambience than Greymouth. Tip 1: there are absolutely no food shops in Taylorville, so come prepared. Tip 2: sometimes nobody is there to greet you. Read the noticeboard outside the back door, instructions are left there. I did find this slightly weird, but it was all sorted out in the end. I did get to meet the owners later that night, John even set me up with a log fire one afternoon after a long day goldpanning in the rain. It was really nice to just sit there, watch the flames and chill out. As far as backpackers go, the standard of kitchen and bathroom arrangements is pretty similar to what you see elsewhere on the West Coast. At the moment there are only 4 rooms available, so if you can't abide being alone at times this isn't the place for you. What is different about this place is that it comes with chickens in the back yard (eggs available for purchase for a donation), plus it is a historic old coalminers pub. The current building is just over 100yrs old, there's plenty of articles and newspaper clippings about the pub's history in the lounge to read. As is normal for really old buildings, the floor may not be level in places and some fixtures can be rickety. Overall my experience was friendly and positive.…
This Backpackers is a little way out of Greymouth but the location is great. You are out in the countryside and there are plenty of nice walks or bike rides to do. It's the perfect place to switch off and chill out for a bit. The stove in the kitchen was absolutely fantastic and there was a living room with piano where the guests could hang out. There's just the one shared bathroom but it wasn't a problem. The lodge is quite old but has a homely feel which is just what we were looking for. The best thing about the Backpackers was the wonderful hospitality. They were so friendly, helpful and kind. The owner even dropped us off at a good spot to begin our hitchhiking down the West Coast! Thanks so much and if we're around Greymouth again soon we'll book in again!
If you want five-star hotel buffets, foo-foo drinks served with shaped ice cubes, and memory foam mattresses...go else where. I don't want to see you here and you certainly aren't into cooking in a shared kitchen with other like-minded folks. The showers were hot, the beds comfortable, fireplace and lounge cozy with a piano and guitar provided, the WiFi functional, refrigerators provided and staff friendly and fun. Plenty of parking and a coal pile in the parking lot for the stove in the dining room brought back fascination with yesteryear...lots of interesting artifacts sprinkled about and a real pub that should be made a historical landmark all sum to make a very comfortable experience for travelers looking for a social atmosphere, Kiwi-WC-style. Bathrooms are shared but a bathtub and shower were all clean and well-lit. Will be back on my next visit to the area for all the great tramping and MTB and hunting opportunities.…
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