Maze Backpackers - Sydney Hostel

Possibly the cheapest accommodation for Mardi Gras if you want your own bedroom. However, the fan broke and I had to get a portable fan so I could sleep. Of course it happens at midnight and the first guy I spoke to ignored my request, I went down again after 10 minutes of waiting and this time the second guy radioed housekeeping, to be left waiting again for another 10 minutes and then find out that I’ve been ignored again Finally, I found housekeeping and asked for a fan and finally got one.

Stayed recently for one night. The facility was good. However I did get bed bug bites and so I think the hygiene is low. Would be careful if you’re staying there.

Great events and friendly staff!

Nice quote and safe place to stay mixture of cultures cheap and central to the city.

What an awesome place! Highly recommended to all!

This hostel is amazing, nice staff, great atmosphere and everyday we have the chance to meet new people in the Maze's events.

Love the hostel the people crew was very kind… Specially the event team. All the parties and activities were excelent! Totally recommended.

Had a great stay at Maze! Met some great people, staff are very helpful, and want to say thanks to Alice & Shannon for getting everyone involved and bringing everyone in the hostel together! Great hosts, comfy beds and free food most nights! Winner winner chicken dinner X.

Best place for stay for long and short period. But this place do not have any elevator service. So you meed to carry your own 25kg bag 1 or 2 floors to your room. This is insane. But on the Monday Tuesday Thursday and Sunday there have free food for you. This save a lot of money for low budget backpacker.

Great location close to central station. Friendly staff who host weekly events like free pub crawls. Free food four times a week and free drinks and cover charge most nights at local bars. If you deduct the free things you get from the room cost you will see great value. Stay a week and enjoy the free perks. Nice TV room and pool table room. 24 hour reception is handy for checking out. You can't check in until 2pm as they have to clean the rooms but will let you use facilities inside until your room is ready. Best value in sydney in my opinion.

Do not book this place if you want to have a comfortable sleep at night. The windows are very old with holes in the top that let cold air come in, and they don't close tightly so you'd hear a lot of noise from the pubs around the place (at least on main streets sides). The noise continues on until early morning, so you'd better have ear plugs with you. The curtains also are very short for the windows so you definitely get some light into your room. Other parts of the hostel don't look that clean or tidy either, so overall it's very basic. The other negative side is the number of toilet/shower facilities for the amount of rooms, which is certainly too low. The only positives about the place is the central location of it and its friendly staff.

Great value for the price and location. The rooms are spacious and comfortable, and I never had issues with the shared bathrooms being dirty or crowded. The free food multiple times a week was also appreciated although there are lots of sit-down and take-out restaurants nearby as well as a supermarket, and the hostel has a kitchen where you can store food and borrow any supplies you need to cook. Staff was friendly and helpful and offer a complimentary airport shuttle as well as organized tours and activities. I'd stay here again if I ever go back to Sydney. It's cheaper than other comparable options and nothing worth complaining about, besides being in a central location where it can get noisy sometimes.

The moment u step into the place, it’s not cozy at all. We have to take our heavy luggage to the storage room (basement) and there are no lifts in the building. The towels are filthy and the pictures on their website DO NOT reflect the true scenario. Once you are in the room, you will be disgusted. The bathrooms and toilets are clean. …
The kitchen though is filthy. The basins are not cleaned and the pans are scratched until the base is off. Do not book this place unless you Don’t have a choice.
I regret booking this place.

We did a lot of searching and this was the cheapest at such short notice. They were really friendly and accommodating for any request and we were reasonably happy with our beds. If it were any colder in winter we would've needed an extra blanket but we were happy with what we had. Lots of great specials and discounts throughout as well.

Great location — only two blocks from Central Station and Museum Station. Only a 10 minute public transit ride to Circular Quay and the Opera House. Lots of bars, convenience stores, and Asian food nearby. Hostel is quite literally maze and a little confusing on the inside, but the kitchen and lounge areas are easy to find and quite big. Bathrooms weren't the cleanest. We stayed in a private double room and the only thing in the room was a double bed and a bedside table. My only complaints would be that the building was old and a little smelly and the street was noisy on the weekend nights. Overall though a great place if you are looking for a great location at a reasonable price.

Worst place in Sydney! To avoid! Bed bugs everywhere, creepy rooms, rude staff, noisy, unsecure and frightening place.

Simple but clean, no bed bugs. We were satisfied with everything the Maze has to offer. For the price you shouldn't expect more but it's worth it. Some staff members were not very friendly that's why four stars out of five.

Not the best but definitely not the worst hostel I have stayed in in Australia. The guy a reception unfortunately forgot to tell me that there are rooms with the same number but different colours on one floor, which got tired me pretty confused, the hostel is definitely a maze! The only big Problem I have with the hostel was the bed. It is quite uncomfortable and loud! Me and the girl in the other bunk could not move an inch without the bed being incredibly noisy. The bathroom is okay pretty clean, everything is a bit old and the cleaning staff came to clean the bathroom at 8am when everybody needed to get ready for check out and/work etc. A bit weird.

Don't normally expect a lot from hostels but, firstly we requested an early check-in which was turned down when we arrived due to how busy it was which is fair enough. We could leave our bags in a storage room which wasn't secure. Would of been much nicer if it can only be accessed by staff with a key. Once we got our room, it was smelly and very dated. The corridors had a bad odour and carpets looked like they had never been cleaned. I refused to use the showers as I felt dirtier coming back out the bathroom than when I went in. The road noise was hurrendous because the windows were open as no air con. If you share a room with someone and both come in, you both have to swipe a key. Annoying but security measures and what not. When we checked out, we had to take our towels down and pillow cases (yes, pillow cases) to the reception and put them in a basket. Possibly the weirdest request I've had to do when paying to stay somewhere? Makes me wonder if they don't change the bed sheets and only the pillow cases?

Great Hostel — best one I've been to in Sydney. Lived here for four months, three years ago and just spent a couple of weeks here now. The hostel has had a lot of improvements — showering facilities, more secure and more free food. They really make a big effort to give guests a good time with free food, drink vouchers, cheap nights out and daily activities. Holly and Jess are very helpful and very friendly on reception. The only down side is they took away the free goon games. Having the goon games in the kitchen was always very inclusive and a good way for people to meet, so it's a shame that has gone. Apart from that I would really recommend this hostel to anyone. Clean rooms, big kitchen, good showering facilities and free food!

Access control is very good, access and access to the room need door card sensing, luggage storage is convenient, the room clean only soundproofing is poor, there is event hall Wi-Fi. Hit the ball table, restaurant and toilet and other public areas are maintained very clean, 24hrs counter, regular free breakfast or dinner activities, located in the city, location is very good, nearby is shopping center and supermarket, there is a paid airport transfer, the whole is very good.

Backpacker's paradise! Sydney accommodation is very expensive! This is a convenient and inexpensive location in the city center. Buy food and cook it yourself. Easy and Convenient!

Ideally located if your room does not overlook the avenue. Here the world wakes up early!
The room is equipped summarily.
The staff are friendly.
It is a hostel, so many well disciplined young people use the common areas.
It is possible to leave your cooler in the refrigerators.
A room allows you to leave your suitcases on the morning of the start.

The guy in charge is a bit incompetent, no people skills at all. Also very rude to almost everyone, I think he forgets that guests are actually the one paying his wages. The stars are for all the other lovely people at reception that were always there to help with a smile. Oh yeah, random backpackers get employed to clean the rooms, which is not very uncommon. In our room (shared with friends) we had jewelry and other stuff stolen.

Well priced, friendly staff, good location, 24 hours reception, good activities every day and the kitchen is pretty good. Bad things… many rooms smell like dirty feet and some are very hot, isn't the quietest place at night specially on the weekends and housekeeping staff is very incompetent.

Great place with a wonderful staff. Extra points for Byron who sets up activities for people to do in the Eve. The hostel is so big it's a great way to meet new people. And I'm not just writing this for free drink tickets (though I won't decline them).

The location is great, but there's a musty smell throughout the carpeted areas. As far as I know all rooms, hallways, and a few common areas are carpeted, which is an unfortunate choice because years/decades of backpackers have taken their toll. I did see daily vacuuming, but the carpet had clearly weathered stains and other marks. When I stayed there, the men's bathrooms were not in the best state of repair. Some stalls didn't close, and not all showers worked properly, but there were usually a few free stalls or showers to choose from. Most of the staff was pretty nice, but there were some exceptions. Overall it's not bad for a brief stay in a central location, but you can probably find something cleaner if that's important to you. There are lots of events and notices posted, so it's not hard to find typical tourist activities.

Loved the welcome I got when I walked in friendly warming the staff so welcoming helpful rooms so good would recommend it to anyone to stay there keep up the great work but recommend that toilets bathroom always clean and fix water pressure.

Though there are some nice activities during the week, but I expected more. The personnel is very nice, I must say. The hostel has a strange smell, however it appears to be clean. I had no idea that in Australia the checkout was at 10, so I was hurried by the personnel and my deposit was not taken away.

Well placed in city center, rooms fairly spacious unfortunately without air conditioning. Clean and large kitchen, clean showers. Good place, a bit expensive in holiday times but for Sydney it is a good hostel.

Used this location for a 2 night drinking trip in Sydney. Was in a good location but that is about it. Beds and towels were clean but the rest of the place needs a freshen up. Got what you paid for and the staff are friendly. Suggest looking at YHA in the Rocks.

This hostel is great value for money! Staff were friendly and helpful. Properly was fairly clean and very secure. Would recommend it. The location was the best part of this place, pretty much everything you could want is within walking distance. Plenty of great places to eat nearby, as well as vending machines on the property. Room was small, but very reasonable for the price. Great facilities, movie room, ample kitchen and dinning as well as decent bathrooms. Can get a little street noise, but the hostel itself has a no noise after 11pm rule for guests, didn't have trouble sleeping.

If you do not have another possibility, as we well, go ahead, but if you can avoid the better. Noisy, smells of carpet marred by all sides, a lot of people and few bathrooms.

It's dirty, it's noisy, it stinks…
But it is well placed in Sydney…

Room was very good and mattresses comfortable. 3 times a week there is free food. Very large hostel. Kitchen was good and always Clean. There was generally a relatively high level of cleanliness.

The best hostel Ive been in Sydney. So spacious. Nice rooms. Great staff. And the kitchen is the best Ive ever found in a hostel and Ive been in too many. The location is great If yu wanna stay in the center.

Super hostel, staff all friendly, high security, free good food, cleanliness is capitalized here!

Everything you need for a "cheap" big city stay It's close to the centre, it's clean (although a bit old) and the facilities like kitchen is pretty good. There could be more laundry rooms, sometimes you have to queue. I can only speak for the double room which was clean and enough for a two night stay, don't know about the conditions in the dorms. You get a towel, free food like burger pancake and chicken curry on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for everybody which is really nice and made by volunteers (just grab a plate and have a nice free dinner). They have lots of vouchers and free activities and they care about your safety (it's huge hostel and that's not easy). I would recommend it! Thanks ;)

Loud, not unclean but a normal about of me for a backpackers place. Nice staff, good rooms but no nets on the windows so you can open them without bus getting in at night. Middle of central area so not quiet but not louder than expected.

It's how you would imagine a hostel. First night was kept awake by people in the next room but the guys working here dealt with that the next day and told them to leave. Debatable yellow stain up the wall in the corner of our room but the beds seem clean. The twin room also kinda has that harry potter feel of living in a cupboard. They provide a towel for guests which is unusual! Good location though, short walk away from central station.

Good location and great kitchen facilities but I can't look past the mould that we found on our mattress. Staff told us that we couldn't move rooms because they were fully booked that weekend. They then came back and said they could swap us out. I guess someone else got that mouldy mattress that weekend! Pretty bad health hazard.

Outstanding prices! Excellent location and very friendly and helpful staff 24/7! The bathrooms are nicer than a lot of other backpacker hostels I've visited in the past. Communal Kitchen is very well equipped for heavy use across patrons, and well maintained! The carpets could use a refurbished or replacement (there was a perfect 'Iron face' melt-print on the floor in the 2-bed room we were in on 2nd floor) But that aside would very highly recommend this backpackers!

I stayed here 2nd time. Stay is good. Everything is fine but at the time I checked out they doesn't give my key deposit as I am am little bit late for checkout. I stand there for more than 1 hour for my deposit and later the guy on Reception named Nick said he will blacklisted me in their and all other backpacker in Sydney if I stand there for more than 10 min. Thanks for giving such a good experience.

Absolutely disgusting! We arrived to a freshly painted room which still smelt like paint fumes and on the ceiling was spots of green mould. We asked for a refund so we could go elsewhere however that was denied so we where moved to another room which was slightly better. The showers and toilets smell like dirty feet all day every day. One shower block had mould growing around the silicone joints on the floor. Beds are like rocks, if your over 6 foot you wont fit in the beds. All the carpets throughout are badly stained and have a distinct smell to them. Seems like no rules here, people yelling at all hours of the night. If you are a clean backpacker with a sense of pride then this place is not for you. Prison would be cleaner and more peaceful.

Worst hostel I have set foot in my life, dirty, that ridiculous young 18-year-olds all proud to drink the goon every night and to tell how much it is "adventurers". Laughing out loud.

Comfortable rooms, personal sympathy.

Not really a maze but cool anyway to get outnof the cold.

Very clean. Good beds. Good location. Good kitchen facilities. Plenty of bathrooms. Cheap for 4 bed dorms. Would stay again.

It's a well situated place in the centre of Sydney, relatively cheap. Nice staff. Paid Wi-Fi. Still was kind of a disaster. There was a street lamp opposite the window, so it was very brightly in the room, curtains didn't help at all. Also bad chemical smell in the room — had to throw away my backpack afterwards, because washing didn't help too.

Die Ausstattung in der Küche ist sehr gut. Es ist Zentral gelegen und der weg zur nächsten Busstation beträgt ungefähr 500 Meter. Es gibt nahezu jeden Abend ein Programm, bei dem man auswärts feiern kann und kostenlos in Clubs geht und dort günstiger Getränke bekommt. Leider haben die Zimmer keine Klimaanlagen sondern nur Ventilatoren und teilweise ist es dreckig in den Zimmern. Die Angestellten sind dafür sehr nett allerdings auch sehr streng. Man darf zum Beispiel keine Gäste mit ins Hostel nehmen. Und kein Essen im Zimmer lagern.

Worst experience. Worst customer service especially from the manager. It's a sham they sell Wi-Fi but you can't access it in your room. The price changes depending on whose at the front desk. Safe to book online. Don't even think about switching rooms if you aren't happy with the one you have or anything small as forgetting your key card. They keep records of complains they have against the guests. It's ridiculous.

Unbelievably attractive and nice girls working on the reception, all staff are incredibly helpful. The atmosphere is great and perfect for new backpackers looking to make new friends. Great short term accommodation. The new access card is a much better/safer system than when I previously stayed and used a normal key. Bathrooms are extremely out of date compared to others that I have seen. The carpets need replacing. I would 100% stay again.

This backpacker's one of those, if you first arrive off the plane and have never done anything Australia as the guy's behind the reception are pretty good at pointing you in direction of what you should be doing on your gap year. It works well as working holiday accommodation as well as short term. The problems are to do with facilities, the kitchen is small and crowded and Wi-Fi is expensive. However, you are in Oz, if you do not need tech or will probably just buy Oporto there always people here to hang out with and make friends so easily. Free goon is actually good.

I had a weekend in sydney and needed to be in the centre of town. Everything is so expensive in there, but the Maze offered very reasonable rates. Then I read all the scathing reviews… I was almost put off. The majority of these reviewers are clearly over-pampered backpackers. It saddened me how petty some of the complaints were. Sure it's a little noisy; you are in the middle of town! The room was fine, relatively clean with fresh sheets. The carpet was clearly old, but not anything that concerned me. I arrived at 4pm and the staff (especially a spritely irish lass) were incredibly happy and helpful. My room was right beside the pool room; alarm bells? Sure there was a little rowdy behavior… it's a friday night… it's the city… I get on with things and shut mentally shut it out… being tired when you go to bed helps. Overall, I was extremely surprised at how much I enjoyed my two nights at this timesaver.

I had an aMAZEing time at Maze. Clean hostel especially the kitchen. Love the staff and the people in the hostel. Would definitely recommend to stay there if you like a fun atmosphere and friendly people!

Was a disaster. The rooms were dirty and the beds had bugs as well. Pointed it out to the staff but they were clueless. The bathrooms were filthy! Later in the night drunk guys were trying to be forceful with girls. Camp in the park if you must. Dont stay here!

The carpets are so dirty with lots of stains and the rooms are very smelly. Laundry room is always full and washrooms are hardly cleaned. Wouldn't recommend to anyone… Even nomads westend is more preferable.

I have been in a dirty room for one week. It was full of water on stormy days. The reception refusing to refund me I was forced to stay.

Great hostel if your easy going great entertainments team especially the new girl and staff are aMAZEing reception and cleaning.

Only for the young people who are keen to party. OK great team who are always there to help guide you around the city. Right in the heart of the CBD 1 minute walk to World Square / Coles / Liquorland A. K. A great location.

Loved this hostel! Perfect location, good to party and have fun. Different activities everyday, free food 3 times a week, entertainment every night & also great staff. Would definitely recommend it for backpackers!

Overpriced, false advertising, disgusting rooms with a window that didn't open and a heater that didn't work, incredibly uncomfortable beds, absolutely freezing at night (it was warmer outside), and the staff didn't help us with our bags even after we requested it. Will definitely not be staying there again and do not recommend it.

I was most intrigued by the reviews of the Maze Backpackers providing abysmal service, generally, for their guests. The reason for my intrigue was because I had the misfortune to find the conditions exactly as these unfortunate guests found their conditions during their stay. However, my stay there was under its previous name of the CB Hotel and I stayed there as long ago as 1996. That's correct, 19 years ago! Nothing, it would appear has improved. The CB Hotel/Maze Backpackers is simply an insult to the hospitality/tourism industry. And should the future powers-that-be decide to demolish it, I for one would join the demolition crew, free-of-charge.

Do not stay here. I have stayed in hostels, guest houses and accommodations all over the world. This is by far the worst place I have stayed. It was actually warmer out side (inside 12 degrees, outside 14). It's hard to believe that a Canadian could feel freezing her whole time in Sydney but with windows to rotten to close and no heat, it apparently is possible. Only one sink in the communal bathroom worked and it only had scalding hot water. Same with the showers all 2 of them (for a floor with over 50 rooms) had broken shower heads and only produced hot water. There is grime and dirt on everything. In the evening there is no reprieve from blaring techno music, it is blasted through speakers in the lobby, the kitchen and the game room. Also the tiniest rooms I have stayed in. Singles are cheap, they have no bathroom and are more reminiscent of a prison cell then a room one would pay for. As in all places staff vary from incredibly nice to surly people who act as if your existent in the hostel is a burden. Sadly if you've paid your stuck. There are no refunds as it is owned by a large corporation.

This hostel was disgusting, on TWO different locations I found poop in the showers, toilets were always dirty, everywhere smelled like mold, probably because we saw black mold all over the place. My blanket smelled like the guy who slept there before me, and our rooms were about the size of a bathroom. I would not recommend this hostel to anybody, the only positives were the location and the people who worked there were nice. There is tons of other hostels around the CBD and I would recommend going to anyone of those or even the homeless shelter before maze.

50 bucks per night for private room. Rooms are empty and dirty — only bed and firm exclusive fan on the ceiling. Stinks awfully. But some free stuff — It was rise with chicken on 22th January 2015.

Staff was helpful. The room was basically clean. But with a bad smell. That was probably because of the lack of air conditioner.

U get what u paid, it's not that clean, but not so dirty, the only thing I dont fancy here is there is no locker to store ur valuable stuff.

The room was small with cobwebs and smelled like urine! If you come to sleep, this is not the right place.

Good location but pretty gross, rooms aren't that nice. Communal areas are good — bg area for drinking and big kitchen, but rooms are a mess and the whole place is just really confusing. Loads of corridors (hence 'maze') so can't get anywhere in a hurry. Full of loud backpackers so don't stay here if you want a good nights sleep.

In all fairness, I think if you walk into Maze with the right expectation, it can be a pretty cool place for a budget stay and partying with fellow young people. The hostel is centrally located, supermarkets and a variety of (Asian) restaurants are just steps away. I did a quick research on nearby hostels (for my friends' short stay) and Maze pricing was the most competitive. As the rooms are tiny with just enough space for beds and minimal moving around, there are common areas for cooking, eating, showering and laundry. The kitchen and bathroom can be filthy and noisy especially when there are free food and activities; but with that many party animals residing in the building, one can't expect squeaky clean floor always. The front desk staff are very efficient and willing to assist. There's also a locked basement area for luggage storage. Internet can be purchased. All in all, if you look for an affordable stay in Sydney city, t'is a place to consider.

I've been to more than 20 countries around the world and went through a lot of backpackers, b&bs; from horrible ones to five star hotels. Also, I've been to three different hostels in Sydney and entering this place, I'm literally 'mazed'. This is the FILTHIEST place you can imagine in western countries — something that reminds me of some cheap local hostel in India or Vietnam. I have never been to such a disgusting room in any industralised countries. I can't find a word to say. It's just. Macabre. Trust me, there ARE some comfy, clean and well located accommodations in Sydney and if you can afford just a few dollars a day more, much more choices available. I definitely NOT recommend this hostel to ANY person. If you're too late booking so that you cannot find any cheap room, just spend some more to keep your dignity. I would rather not sell my soul for just a few dollars.

This was my first backpacking experience and for $40 per night I had an expectation for something far worse than I got, pleasently surprized a great family feeling with the staff and wonderfull hot strong showers.

Not hyper clean but especially loud!