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Coachman Backpackers

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stomps
stomps
First Reviewer
3 out of 5
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1
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4
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Coachman Backpackers

  • May 24, 2008
  • Rated 3 of 5 by stomps from Houston, Texas
Coachman Backpackers

I had two criteria for choosing a backpackers in Christchurch: it had to be as close to Cathedral Square as possible (for proximity to transport leaving the city), and it was under no circumstances to be Base Backpackers, the most infamous hostel in Christchurch. I considered the Rolleston House YHA, which I reviewed after my visit three years ago, but then I stumbled upon the sleek Coachman's website. Now of course, there's absolutely no relation between the quality of a hostel's website and the quality of the accommodation itself, but I let it lure me in anyway after reading that the Coachman was only a block away from Cathedral Square. Even better, they offered reasonably-priced singles ($65/night), which was just what I had in mind for the night after my taxing 30+ hour journey from Houston.

When I checked in, the staff seemed a bit rude; I wanted to buy a BBH card for the rest of my travels through NZ and the man serving me did not seem to want to part with one. He questioned me on how long I was staying in the country and tried to convince me it wouldn't be a good deal (which is very difficult to imagine, given that it only costs $45 and gives you $3 off every night in a BBH hostel in NZ). I finally coaxed him into selling me one and walked upstairs, unimpressed but too tired to really care.

My room was on the third floor in a back corner near the kitchen. I was a bit surprised when I opened the door and found that there were actually 4 beds in the room--1 queen bed bunked with a twin, and another set of standard bunks. I was concerned that they'd put me in the wrong room, but as there was no other gear lying around, I just hoped for the best. No one ever did show up, and I slept on a queen-sized bed for the first and last time in the country! I slept like a log until about 4am, when construction started just outside my window.

I didn't really spend much time using the Coachman's facilities on this quick trip through Christchurch, since I checked out before 10am the next morning. I did get a chance to see the big living/bar area, which was newly renovated and really quite well-stocked. There was a TV, computer, chess board, the aforementioned bar, and a big book exchange (which had been heavily patronized by the German backpacker population and thus was rather scant on anything written in English). It seemed like it would be a good place to hang out. The kitchen areas looked a little small to me, but when I used the smaller kitchen there were very few people there so we didn't get in each other's way.

The staff that I met on the morning I left were much more amenable and actually seemed willing to help me. They also directed me to the storage closet where quite a number of other people had already plonked their backpacks; I think the sheer joy of not having a fully-loaded pack on my back while walking around Christchurch's CBD cost me about $2 for the day.

All in all, I left Coachman's the first time with a good impression--so much so that I recommended the place to quite a few other people that I met in the South Island. However, when I returned to Christchurch for two nights before my departure, my impression of the place soured slightly. The bigger communal areas of the hostel were still inviting & fastidiously cleaned, but the main kitchen and the $27 dorm rooms were in another realm entirely. I tried to cook a meal at what was apparently "peak hour" and ended up constantly tripping over both the other chefs and the people crowded around the table that took up most of the kitchen's floor space. We were cramped together and angry; no one really spoke outside of the commonly-heard "excuse me" or "are you done with that frying pan yet?" The bedroom was one of the tiniest I'd seen at any hostel in my ten weeks of traveling; we ended up with bags all over the floor that we had to jump across to get to the door. Believe me, it was fun trying to pack my backpack for air travel the following day when people kept opening the door and knocking me over!

Overall, the Coachman is a decent hostel that's probably the best-located in town. Even though it's got a great communal area, its dorm rooms leave a bit to be desired; if you like a bit more space, you're probably going to have to look a bit further outside the CBD. However, I would definitely recommend a night or two in a single here to get some R&R after a long journey.

From journal Christchurch: The Gateway to the South Island

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