During my first solo trip, I spent 5 days in Sydney, Australia. To this day, it has remained one of my favorite cities in the world! Something that made my experience so wonderful was the hostel I stayed at. It is called YHA Sydney Harbour and it is located in a neighborhood called the Rocks. Check out this article for a full review of the best hostel in Sydney and the area surrounding it!
Contents:
The Location
The Rocks was the perfect location for my trip! I was within walking distance of all the major attractions, including the Sydney Opera House, the Sydney Harbor Bridge, and the ferries to the beach areas. This hostel even had a rooftop view of the Sydney Opera House. I could’ve spent hours up there relaxing and enjoying the view!
The Rocks was such a charming area with many restaurants and activities nearby. You know it’s a nice area when you start daydreaming about moving there! One night, as I was walking back to the hostel, I stumbled across a free outdoor movie screening! It was so much fun and a great solo activity. You can find the schedule of free Laneway Cinema movies HERE.
The Rocks also had a great weekend market, called The Rocks Market. You can spend an afternoon browsing the local art, jewelry, and food at the fun market stalls! I am very satisfied with my decision to stay in the Rocks. It was the perfect laid-back area to have as a home base and there was so much to explore nearby!
The Experience
YHA Sydney Harbour is very laid-back. I wouldn’t classify it as a party hostel, but they do offer organized activities if you are looking to make friends. I think this hostel is a perfect blend for extroverts and introverts alike. If you are looking to make friends, you can hang out in the common room or attend one of the activities and meet someone. If you want to keep to yourself, I found that the hostel was quiet, and I was able to relax. Since this was the last destination on my solo trip, I was exhausted and just wanted to explore the city at my own pace. This hostel was the perfect choice!
There was a great common area with a kitchen, and there was even a cafe inside the hostel! As if the rooftop view wasn’t cool enough, this hostel is also built above an archeological dig. While you are entering the hostel, you can see into the dig. Coolest hostel ever?!
The Rooms
I stayed in a 4-bed female room. There was a bathroom in the room which was helpful for my early flight home. The room was very clean and the outlets were easily accessible from each bed. When I was there, there were no privacy curtains, but after looking at the website it looks like they have renovated since my stay and added curtains! This moves this hostel from a 10/10 to an 11/10! I always appreciate hostels with privacy curtains.
The room was the most basic part of the hostel. It met my expectations, but the other aspects of the hostel are really what makes YHA Sydney Harbour special! This is a hostel that you will want to hangout in! If you are new to hostels, check out my article, “How to Choose Your First Hostel,” for a better understanding of the types of hostels!
Other Locations in Australia
YHA has many locations across Australia. I only have experience with the Sydney Harbour location, but you can find other locations in the following areas:
- Byron Bay
- Brisbane
- Cairns
- Darwin
- Alice Springs
- Melbourne
- Hobart
- Adelaide
- Perth
- Broome
They even have 2 other locations in Sydney: Sydney Central and Pittwater Eco. The Pittwater Eco location is a gorgeous mountainside hostel in a national park. How cool is that?! I’m definitely adding it to my bucket list when I return to Sydney!
Check out this YHA map which shows all of their hostels!
Key Points
- YHA Sydney Harbour is the best hostel in Sydney!
- Check out the Laneway Cinema free outdoor movie and The Rocks Market!
- The Rocks is within walking distance to all of Sydney’s most iconic sights.
- YHA Sydney Harbour has organized activities if you want to make friends, but the rooms are very quiet and peaceful if you are more introverted.
- I stayed in a 4-bed female-only room with an ensuite bathroom. The rooms now have privacy curtains on each bed.
- YHA has hostel locations in 11 cities across Australia.
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