Based Based by the Lake

Hostel

Booked Into base over the weekend for our 17year anniversary and my birthday what an amazing time we had felt like we booked an entire floor rooms where amazing clean and what great views checked out the kitchen facilities omgsh just amazing big and spacious lobby was beautiful like wow go base taupo u really have a beautiful place and what a bonus that everything was just a skip and a hop to our destinations. I'd like to add the guy at the front was too cool knew everything even directed us to good sight seeing places and was just amazing. Thanks base taupo il be back for sure.

Stayed 1 weekend, did not expect to pay for a towel and soap (that's ridiculous) some of the staff were mighty rude. You guys need to have a single private room added, would of been better as I stayed in the Womans Sanctuary and was highly pissed off with the 3 girls who arrived and left the floor a mess, great to trip over it. I suffer from major claustrophobia that made my anxiety worse, no wonder I ended up in hospital! couldn't even move me into another spare room. Not a happy camper.

Well I must say this was nice place to stay n I would stay again thank you ladies.

The facilities are very good but they charge you everything you touch!
Very bad vibe Ma girl from the counter.

You get what you pay for. It was perfect for a nicely affordable stop complete with Wi-Fi, endless hot water, comfy bed and ensuite bathroom. It wasn't the Shangri-la, but neither was the price tag :)

I stayed over long weekend and loved every minute! Great location, close to all main bars and restaurants, 30 seconds from the lake front and In walking distance to the marina, I-site and bus stops. Staff were ridiculously helpful and helped me plan a heap of activities in town! Comfy beds, clean bathrooms and awesome onsite bar with cheap drinks and meal deals! Would stay again, defiantly recommend.

Stayed here in private room for 7 days awesome room clean and tidy. Good for a couple and for single if you want your own space! Have a little kettle to make your own tea or coffee and a free view TV all for yourself! Will defiantly recommend this backpackers!

Sink blocked in bathroom and nothing is put away in the kitchen, and all the surfaces are dirty. Wi-Fi slow. All in all a standard hostel experience. 4 stars.

Nice positioning one street from the lake front and near multiple bars, around 5-10 minutes walk from a large cheap supermarket. Stayed two nights in an 8 bed dorm which had a reasonable amount of space but switched to a 6 bed dorm which would barely have had enough space for 4 beds. Attached to a bar which closes at around 3 and plays very bass heavy music till then so can't recommend if you're a light sleeper.

Room was good, managed to squeeze in a group of seven. Bathroom was attached to room, which was nice. Rooms can get quite stuffy, even with window open. Decent place to spend the night.

Basic hostel without good Wi-Fi (that would be 3 stars) My room was directly above a vent of the bar so it was very loud even at night Also the noice of the bar itself was awful Way to loud The kitchen is below standard, just a few pots and pans and even less cutlery. For drying your dishes you would need dry towels which do not exist The bathroom was okay Staff very friendly and helpful.

Base was listed as family friendly. Not so much. Whilst the double room with ensuite was great the pulsing base from the pub did not stop till 4 am on a Monday.

We didn't stay here, but the staff were very friendly. For a small fee we were able to store our luggage here and use the showers before our overnight bus. The showers were basic but clean, and the lobby/reception area was large and comfortable to sit in and the reception is 24/7.

Friendly services, tidy room and convenient geographical location. Everything is good although the bedroom is a little bit narrow.

Great hostel with view on Lake Taupo! Clean rooms and very friendly staff. The hostel is located central and you can easily visit bars, restaurants and shops. The rooms were big enough and we met really nice people!

The bar downstairs is too loud playing music until 3 am or so. Other than that, it is a decent place to stay, though expensive.

3 of us shared a comfortable en-suite 4-bed dorm. Very clean and affordable including discounts at the hostel-own downstairs bar Element. Dinner specials such as chicken wings for 50c or tacos for $2. The free Wi-Fi in the reception area was bad but there was free coffee and tea. Recommended!

Staff were very friendly. Unfortunately although not really the Hostel's fault but the noise from local bars with music or live bands meant we couldn't sleep. (Hostel did provide ear plugs) so you would be fine if you can usually get to sleep easy enough in that environment. Kitchen was always crowded and not much 'eating space'.

Reasonably nice place for the price Ensuite room was quite small Road frontage room can be noisy on a Saturday night due to the excessive sound coming from the bar across the road.

I feel that the sheets on my bed were not cleaned properly. As my skin was badly irritated. You could hear the people in the other room very clearly and in the coridor. Other then that secure gated parking and the bathroom ensuit was great.

Very nice for a back packers. Only qualm is the hot water did not last very long in the shower.

Never stayed at a base until this one. Definitely really organized and clean. But no "home" vibe. Seemed more like a motel. Maybe that's because it's a chain backpackers? No lounge area but they did have pots/pans and kitchen stuff available to use! Would recommend.

This is a warning: The other ratings are totally true. This was one of the loudest motels I ever stayed — even or especially at night. Don't come here if you want to sleep after an exhausting day! The rooms (double room with private bathroom) look nice on the first view, but you'll soon recognize that everything is very worn-out and there is obviously no intention to repair anything. The bed was so soft that I woke up with very bad back pain. Definitely the worse thing about this motel is noise from the bar below. First night it was loud — even music out of speakers next to the room's door. But the second night exceeded everything. The music in the bar became so loud from midnight on that it was almost impossible to find any sleep — even with earplugs provided by the motel on the rooms by default.

Staff was sometimes friendly, other times couldn't care less to help. Wifi is $4 for 24 but is slow (not worth it) go for the $6 premium for good Wi-Fi. Laundry is $4 to wash and $4 to dry. Descent sized kitchen, ensuites are new and look great. Bar was noisy, they should offer free ear plugs if they don't already. Also I read a review from 5 months ago about the duvet cover not being washed between guests. And that was my first experience, having to ask for a clean duvet. Why is this not being taken care of? Unacceptable.

Stayed here 1 night in a double room. What I really liked a lot was the en-suit bathroom, which was modern and clean, shower with a lot of water pressure, complimentary shower gel, shampoo and conditioner, as well as free fresh towels. Also, I remember the staff being very nice and polite on the phone as well as in person. The two things I did not like are the noise coming from the backpacker's bar downstairs, which used to have the windows open so loud music and people's screams could easily be heard in the room even with windows closed until 4:00 am in the morning. Despite having read that there should actually have been some improvement, I could not tell a difference to an earlier visit about 6 months ago. Also what I find not acceptable at all, is that duvet covers are not changed between guests. They change the flat sheet under the duvet, as well as bottom sheet and pillow cases but the actual duvet cover was heavily stained and made me not feel very well. I would really appreciate you guys starting to wash these between different guest. I know it is more work to do that but I would encourage you to do so. Getting rid of this and the noise, which is clearly above a backpackers median level (I know what I am talking about) and washing the duvet covers between guests would get you 4 stars.

Really nice facilities but the downstairs bar has really loud events almost every night.

We booked a double bed room for two days. But they gave us two double bed room and said that since there is no room that I booked so they gave us two double bed and there will be no more extra charge for it. But next day they charged it and said "since you slep with two room we will charge you about it" Can you beileve it? They deceived me. Watch out guys u can be the next victim.

Bloody noisy! Never stay with this hostel ever again.

Tiny dingy cramped dorms on main street with bars blaring loud music until the early hours, as well being next to (actually partly on top of) its own nightclub, this place is not one for the weary traveller wanting a rest after their exertions. I pity the people who book here for doing the Alpine Crossing (getting up @ 5am)! They have to contend with all that noise PLUS drunkards lurching in at un-Godly hours. Try the immeasurably superior and more laid back Rainbow Lodge or Tiki, both highly recommended in comparison.

Pretty noisy place due to the bar next door. Not the best if you wanna rest.

Just a little bit noisy from the element bar sometimes, rest it's very good.

Ear plugs, ear plugs, ear plugs. Do not stay here if you want to sleep. Hard to believe they can hire rooms out with the amount of noise coming from the competing bands in the various bars, clubs etc. How do they sleep at night! Oh wait they don't, the noise is incredible. Friday and Sat nights anyway. The rooms are ok ish. Our room that had six of us in it, luckily we knew each other, was small, and there was still two spare beds. Room smelled a bit, even before we occupied it. Doubtful if ensuite toilet and shower had been cleaned as the toilet had not been flushed from the previous occupants. Hairs on the sink and scaling grubbiness on shower glass. And the Element bar, that stunk too, and was a skanky sort of a place. The lounge area was basically in the entrance area, with bugger all seating. 3 two seater couches What can I say positive. The staff were ok and its cheap. You get what you pay for I suppose.

I would give Base Taupo a two and a half stars. First the positives. The staff were great and friendly, great view of lake from room, we had a private room with ensuite — ensuite was clean, new and modern, wonderful shower. Negatives. Bed base was on floor (no legs) and room was very tiny with nothing but a bed. The noise was excessive, the clubs went for hours and the music sounded like it was in the room next door! Recommend for: Excellent for backpacking, students who want to party Not recommended for: people who want a good nights sleep, have children (us — we had our two year old sharing the bed with us). Dorms were a great price but if you want a private room I would suggest a motel as for $82 a night the room was not worth the money.

Central Backpackers has tried to change their name and address to GoGlobal. It's dirty, the staff are rude, not motivated, and on ocassion, even drunk. It's shabby, and you get a truck past your window every 10-15 minutes DAY AND NIGHT. Nowhere to dry laundry, hidden charges, and lots of excuses to keep your $20 room key deposit, you even have to strip your own bed and take it to reception when you leave.! Don't be fooled by the photos. Cleanest place in the building is the kitchen, thank goodness, because nearly everybody uses it. They need to smarten up and replace a few cracked bathroom tiles and ripped mattresses and pillows.