So far, that was the best hostel I have stayed in New Zealand. Pretty tidy, with a good equipped kitchenette, plenty of space for parking.
The reception was still opened at 21.15, even though it was supposed to be closed after 21.00. As in most NZ hostels, the book-from-the-counter prices do not match the booking.com prices, but you can always negotiate, if there are plenty of free beds left.
Definitely recommend.
We found the Egmont Eco Lodge to be clean and the staff to be friendly and helpful. The kitchen was well stocked with equipment. The bed was very comfortable and the bathroom clean with good hot pressure in the shower. The lodge has a friendly resident cat who sleeps on the sofa. We thought it was good value for what we paid.
We stayed 2 night at this place. We had a private 3 persons room, space was enough, warm thanks to a small heating. Common parts could have been cleaner in particular the bathrooms but it contains all that you need.
I had a good experience at the hostel. It was not too busy when I was there - I think maybe 10 guests in total. I stayed in the 6 bed dorm. The rooms linens, bathrooms, and kitchen were clean. The beds were mediocore, but I don't necessarily have the highest expectations at hostels.The kitchen has a bunch of pots and pans for you to use. The other guests were friendly and Christina and Chad were both helpful hosts giving some recommendations of different places to see and shop in the North Island.
Like other users stated, you have to pay for WiFi, which I passed on. I had a car, so it was nice to stay at a place that had free on-site parking. If you had to walk, it is an uphill walk from New Plymouth's city center. One of the guests told me it took about 30 minutes to walk to the grocery store. From what I remember, the shower was lukewarm at best. On the plus side it is nice and quiet in this part of town.
This is a perfectly nice place to stay in New Plymouth. I have a car so didn't mind the distance from the centre. I didn't explore the grounds as others did because I actually didn't know there were any grounds beyond the big field and leisure block! But apparently there are some animals around. As I said it's totally fine for a budget place - it hasn't been updated probably since the 80s so the furnishings and bathrooms are very dated, but during my stay everything was very clean (though the room smelled a bit musty).
The sitting room is quite small and it was hot during my stay so I spent a lot of time on the deck which is very nice. The outdoor area is quite large so it would benefit from some more furniture, bean bags etc as that would maybe encourage more people to relax outside. There is a barbecue and a bigger kitchen at the Leisure Lodge; I didn't know if I was supposed to use them since I was staying in the main hostel, but we just used it and it didn't seem to be a problem. Make sure to bring some bug repellent because there are a lot of sand flies around which is to be expected in the summer and near the river, just they will spoil your fun at night if you don't spray yourself.
When the staff were around they were helpful and there is a lot of information about what to do in the area, plus some games and cards.
I didn't spend heaps of time there because I was busy with hiking and surfing, but I wouldn't mind staying there again some time.
