My boyfriend and I stayed at Egmont Eco Lodge for 1 night. As backpackers on a budget, this hostel was the cheapest (with a BBH card discount) in comparison to others' down the road, and had a few beds available still considering the long weekend here in New Plymouth. We had not read one review on this place- and I probably wouldn't have stayed if I did. Fortunately, it was an overall great experience for us both.
Aside from being 30 minutes or so from the "city" (and carrying 50lb bags on our backs up steep hills), the hostel was worth the trek (of course you can pay to cabby your way but again, we are cheap). The hostel is located in a very friendly and respectable neighbourhood and we both felt safe and at home here.
Check in was 5pm, which left us waiting for 3 hours exhausted from our travels and wanting a place to snooze. This was not a HUGE deal though, as we made the best of the property and took a stroll deeper into the "grounds". The receptionist Christina, was amazing. She was friendly, had a great sense of humour, and was very approachable. We paid for our room ($23 each for the 7 room dorm) in cash, so had no issues with credit card charging. ***MY ADVICE TO ALL TRAVELLERS REGARDLESS IS PAY WITH CASH*** We learned quickly that paying with credit adds an extra 4% to the total cost in most hostels, and that can add up quickly if using it often! There was a $20 key deposit (which we didn't have to pay as business was slow) just so you're aware too, that is returned to you upon checkout.
Christina took us to the river in the back and educated us on the tame eels and offered suggestions about times and places to feed them if we wanted. We met Peanut, the hostels orange tabby, as well as some chickens, sheep, bunnies, and birds. The only noise you hear around are the trees and birds- simply amazing.
We enjoyed a nice stroll through the property and got to see the BIGGEST wild lillies we'd ever seen (the size of our face!) as well as some old high-ropes courses- kinda cool. I am still wondering if these facilities were once a camp?! There's a couple individual buildings (aside from the main building) that play host to travellers I'd imagine too.
The kitchen was kept clean and tidy, and the food cupboards had cute chalkboards above each cubby to write your name and date of check out. Both the kitchen and "dining" area are very small and hard to navigate around when there are even just 5 of you there.
You can use the computer monitor with Internet for $3 for 30 minutes OR pay $5 for 24 hours of wifi. We opted for the $5 plan and received a card with login information. If you have 2 devices (a phone and a computer for example), the code only works on one at a time. This wasn't a problem for us. In fact, this wifi was the fastest I think I've ever experienced!
We bunked with 4 other gentlemen (6 of us total in the room) and each one of us respected each others privacy and belongings. The room is small, especially with bags and personal items everywhere (we tried to organize as best as we could!) but we weren't all in the room at the same time so again, this wasn't really an issue. We must've all been tired because our lights were out, everyone in bed sleeping, by 10:30pm. In fact, I had the best sleep in New Zealand this far on that night. My mattress was almost TOO soft, I literally had a sink hole in the middle that was hard to even get out of! This wouldn't be a good bed for those with back issues. My boyfriends mattress was more firm though. He could feel a couple springs but still a rested sleep nonetheless.
The showers and toilet facilities were very clean (I think there were 2 communal showers and 2 communal toilets for the entire main building) and never had to "wait" to use them. We didn't use the laundry facilities either, so I can't touch on the price of that (sorry!).
In the evening, we sat on the back porch as the sun went down, enjoying a good read and a cup of tea.
We checked out a couple minutes late (15 minutes or so) with no repercussions. I was also told they offer work for accommodation at this hostel too, should you be interested in that!
Overall, we really enjoyed our stay here and would definitely go back. The price was an added bonus too! I hope this review helps!
Cheers!
