Very warm and friendly and welcoming hosts. They went above and beyond in every way to make my stay memorable. For eg. I had traveled over 30 hours before I reached the hostel, my check in time was supposed to be 12 noon I recall (still much earlier than all others who only allow check in at 2 pm). I reached there by about 9 /9.30 am, and to my utter surprise they were kind enough to accommodate me and allowed me to take my room. It made a huge difference to me, given my tired condition then. The next day for some reason I had a small debacle with one of the tour bookings and that threatened that I would have to stay in the hotel instead of checking out if I couldn't go on the tour. They assured me they would keep the only vacant room then available in the hostel for me until my issue was sorted out. The issue got resolved and I went on the tour, but I cannot thank them enough for this gesture, it allowed me to tackle the issue with a calm mind. They also retained my belongings when I went on a trip to Abel Tasman and held it in their storage room under lock and key until I checked in again. The hostel vibes are very positive, the chocolate pudding idea is fantastic apart from the chocolate being delicious, it allows everyone to mingle. Enough wash rooms and toilets, clean place, good drying area. It is an easy walk from the market, more so the walk is a very pleasant one, as the route is nice too. The hostel is in a very nice residential area, so gives a good feel of Nelson. If I go back to Nelson, I would make sure I stay here again.

I really liked my stay at Tasman Bay Backpackers. I had a car and didn't want to deal w/parking in Nelson's CBD (especially over holidays) so that lead me to select this place. And I'm glad I did. There is a small parking lot but also a ton of residential street parking. You're 15 minute walk to the CBD, walkable distance too to a few grocery stores (although car is easier if you're picking up multiple items).

There is laundry on-site but dryers are small so use the lines outside, kitchen gets jammed but is well stocked and there are a ton of fridges for cold stuff. Wifi is also great and works well in the rooms.

I was in a 4-bed and had plenty of room when we were full. Each person had their own part of the room for storage and it was pretty cool with windows open. But, there is no insulation in any room (as is common in NZ) so you can hear EVERYTHING. It can get really loud in the kitchen and common areas below the rooms and in the hallways.

Showers and bathrooms are good and clean. Can be busy in the AM but otherwise fine. Nice seating areas outside in front and behind the hostels.

The nightly "pudding" at 8pm is a cake with ice cream and pudding topping. And you should really go at 8pm because they can run out. It's not the most incredible cake I've had but I love that they do it and am sad I will have less of it in my nightly routine.

No real complaints overall. Would absolutely stay again and recommend it.

Excellent place to stay. Everything about this place is outstanding. From the moment we arrived with a warm welcome everything was never any bother. Large kitchen, comfortable beds clean bathrooms, nice outdoor area to relax. Owners helped every way they can with advice and support plus suggestions. Top place.