Jolly Swagman Backpackers Sydney Hostel

Fantastic experience: Lively hostel with helpful staff ! Dinners super good too !!

Fantastic experience: Great hostel

Fantastic experience: Super clean rooms, comfortable bed and a great nights sleep. Thank you to Les for going the extra mile for us during a difficult time. Would be very happy to stay there again. Sincerely L

Positive experience: Not bad. Had a good time here.

Fantastic experience: Stayed at Jolly Swagman under an Airbnb booking in a private room which was just perfect for two. We had no problem with booking or checking in and even got an abundance of help from the staff with where to park. The room was small but just enough to suit what we needed with the bathroom within (though without a door) and a bed big enough to sleep two adults. It had a small minibar fridge and lots of bag space for such a small room. It had the perfect location too with kings cross surrounding the place, buzzing with life on the weekend. We even walked to the opera house though it was quite the walk, it wasn’t unreasonable and would be easily accessed via close by public transport too if we put more time into figuring out trains. Though we didn’t get to engage much in the culture of the space due to our stay being short and not geared towards backpacking, there were many communal spaces with beanbags and seating to hang out in, and a communal kitchen open late for all to use. I would say making friends would be quite easy here. Overall great experience and very clean space with a lot of room for social gatherings and plenty of tours on offer, in a great location.

Negative experience: They cancelled the booking with little time in advance claiming a hotel renovation and then they started renting again for higher prices.

Positive experience: Good place to meet some interesting and international characters

Positive experience: I'm going on a family trip with my mum, brother and me. I wonder what the hotel is going to be!

Positive experience: Staff was great, price for a private room was really good, stayed 2 weeks no problems, easy to sleep every night no noise from people everyone was respectful.

Fantastic experience: Love the people I met here and the staff are really nice as well I came on new years

Fantastic experience: Great friendly place to meet new people

Fantastic experience: Hello, your hotel is excellent

Fantastic experience: Jolly swagman is an amazing place to stay due to its colourful atmosphere and friendly staff like nabel and sam who notify backpackers of any work available as they have a Facebook page with work available from local businesses so u will have work available if u want it. Rooms are spacious with some having fridges and tv's and sinks to wash hands which is a definite plus for those who prefer to stay indoors. As I stayed in a couple of YHA hostels and unlike them jolly swags doesn't tolerate troublemakers and will kick out people following day which is good as it feels more safer here.

Negative experience: The most pathetic place you can stay at. The location may sound good. But the place is filled with cockroaches and bugs. When you go in room it smells like something is rotten in the room there are puke marks on carpet. Moreover, the staff is not at all helpful. The staff at reception Mark and Nabeel are the least customer friendly. They really don’t know how to respect women and can been seen smoking not sure what and drinking on shift.

Negative experience: Worst experience ever !! Never stay here. Room was full of cockroaches. The staff was extremely rude, especially a guy called Nabeel. He had no etiquettes while talking. We requested to get a room change but even that had puke marks on the floor and cockroaches, dead and alive, all over. On top of that, the manager refused us a refund as we left the room soon upon checking in. Don’t spoil your money & mood at this place guys.

Negative experience: Dirty, i got bitten by insects, i reckon it may because of the blanket which is never clean. I changed a room but still got bitten. And it smelled bad in the room.

Negative experience: rude and disrespectful manager who gossips like a teenage girl all day instead of working. rooms are nothing like advertised, prices change daily, outdated and misleading website/advertisements, dirty sheets (i worked for accommodation changing beds, there are 0 clean sheets), refusal to buy necessary things and fixes needed due to profits, other staff agree it should close down

Fantastic experience: very clean, friendly staff

Fantastic experience: Great place

Fantastic experience: I booked this hostel on a whim trip to Australia from the USA. Was a bit nervous because I didnt know what to expect but WOW! what a great experience! They had a shuttle pick me up from the airport and carried me directly there, free of charge! You just have to follow the directions on their website to get it. From the moment I walked into the door, everyone was sooo friendly! The guy at the front desk made me feel welcome and one of the guest helped me take my suitcase up the stairs. I went in August, so it was definitely cold put. Unfortunately, there wasnt any heat in the rooms, but I was provided with alot of blankets. Honestly, that would literally be my only complaint and it hardly bothered me. Everyone staying there and the endless adventure suggestions posted on the walls via posters and brochures was perfect for an explorer as myself. Bathrooms were CLEAN! It was my first time staying in any hostel and my first time in Australia. This place really gave a fantastic first impression and I will always recommend it!

Positive experience: The service is very good, we went for one night and they offered us a private room. The kitchen is small and there is no common space to socialize.

Fantastic experience: Very clean, very safe, good social vibe but not too loud, great kitchen, could live here for a few months without issue

Negative experience: A few things: don't allow food in the room, have the beds made for the guests (that way I don't have to make it in the middle of night ), and don't give me physical cash for my security deposit ( I'm leaving the country, Australian money is useless)

Fantastic experience: Super Excellent, Good service and good room. I have never seen a hostel that is as superb as this one.

Fantastic experience: The best backpack in Sydney

Fantastic experience: The staff is amazing, we arrived in the morning and they proposed to check in early as they had a bedroom ready. Really comfortable, we didn't expected to have a private fridge and a tv in the bedroom ! Always soap and toilet paper available, the commun areas were really clean. Nothing to say !

Positive experience: Great service, great people. Sam was amazing.

Fantastic experience: Good hostel with different room categories, friendly and very helpful staff, and a great location at Kings Cross. There are many low-budget supermarkets, shops, cafés, and small restaurants in the immediate area, as well as quick connections to the city center and the beaches. A good base for exploring Sydney or for work & travelers. Would love to return!

Negative experience: I paid for 5 days but since the schedule shortened, I canceled on the same day and rebooked for 3 days. However, they didn't cancel the charge of 247.11 USD for the 5 days I didn't stay. Since it was a same-day cancellation and the same accommodation, I requested a refund for the 5 days I didn't stay, minus the cancellation fee, but they said it’s not allowed according to their policy. It spoiled my mood after coming on vacation.

Fantastic experience: Very good, I recommend. The staff is very friendly. The places are welcoming, clean. The location is very good...nice neighborhood.

Fantastic experience: Didnt stay here - dropped off milk bottle lids for Lids 4 Kids charity. Very helpful

Fantastic experience: It was awesome place close to everything clean rooms loved all the staff so helpful and always happy

Positive experience: Very good hostel especially in price/quality ratio. The double rooms are spacious and have their own mini fridge a sink and a table. The staff was amazingly helpful especially Joe! They provide you an Airport pick up for free witch is something worth some dollars. The only negative thing i can recall was the guy that kept making pressure on everyone to leave the kitchen as he always started to clean and store things away even before the breakfast closing hour.

Fantastic experience: Very clean hostel near king cross train station 10 min on foot to the opera house friendly and helpful staff just the perfect place to stay in Sydney.

Positive experience: Mostly a pleasant stay. What I found inconvenient though, is the lack of cooking utensils. if you want to cook you need to deposit your room key at the reception for a pan or a pot and you get the key back when you return it. The problem is they don’t have that many pans or pots and in peak time for cooking, you’d be lucky to get a pan or pot you want. Also, there’re only 2 chopping boards in the whole kitchen during my stay? Again, you can imagine how it wouldn’t work when it gets busy in the kitchen. Another thing is, there is a recycling bin and organic bin but no general bin. I’m all for recycling and everything, but the recycling system in this place is not the best I’ve seen. I would recommend adding a general waste bin to the existing organic and recycling bin. Because otherwise people will throw everything in the recycling bin, which is what happens during my stay and it ends up being a general bin anyway. Same problem in the double room I stayed, only recycling bin, no general waste bin. I had nowhere to put my general waste. They need to put more thought into this. The staff might also want to mention the cleaning time from 9am-10am in the kitchen when guests have no access to the kitchen. I mean this is a very inconvenient time to close the kitchen for cleaning considering it’s when many people are planning to make or have breakfast! There is a poster on the kitchen wall with small fonts reminding guests of the period when kitchen is closed but you hardly even notice it’s there. So give this a second thought, manager. I recognize this is quite a new backpackers and they’re still figuring things out. Good part is, the staff are very friendly and the location is superb, close to supermarkets, 30min walk to the opera house, a few minutes walk to Kings Cross Train Station and everywhere is pretty much very clean. 24-hour reception is definitely a rarity among Sydney backpackers and will be highly appreciated. The staff can also help you with job hunting, tax return, tour and ticket booking etc for free.

Fantastic experience: Very frendly staff. Breakfast is included and two meals a week which is really nice. Clean toilets and showers. I liked it here. Good price for a dubble room.

Positive experience: Not easy for me to climb up my bed. The shower and most toilets were on another floor. Very slow WiFi or you pay for a faster one. Quite early check out time at 9am. But there was breakfast in the morning.

Positive experience: They offer many services through posters, but they do not have all of them available. Bathrooms and kitchen are small for the size of the crowd. Room is okay. Convenient location, close to KingCross metro. Friendly staff.

Positive experience: Clean hostel. Clean kitchen - you have to exchange your key to use pots and pans so it was much tidier and cleaner than most hostels. Smaller kitchen and eating area though. 4 bed room was nice - lockers and mini fridge. Bathrooms were tight but clean. $3 laundry.

Fantastic experience: The best place to see opera house

Fantastic experience: Best hostel in Sydney by far

Fantastic experience: It was a neat hostel, great for making friends.

Fantastic experience: Amazing hostel with a good vibe.

Fantastic experience: really lovely staff that went out of their way to help me with visiting Sydney. The hostel itself I couldn't fault in anyway

Fantastic experience: Amazing stay everyone is so welcoming and helpful. Very clean and great atmosphere.

Negative experience: When I arrived at the place I learned that it is infected by cockroaches. When I checked my room I found many cockroaches different size (which suggestes that they must have been there for a long time) under the bed. They were breading there as there were many food leftovers not cleaned (poor housekeeping). I did not stay there a single night due to hotels fault (cockroaches) and they still refused the full refund. I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE. The Manager of the places only gave a statment that "Sydney is a cockroaches city" and it is normal to face such issues in Hostel - great attitude which doesnt need a comment. My advice? Safe yourself time and go somewhere else where staff takes care.

Fantastic experience: I stayed here 2 nights and got a room to myself. Staff are friendly, my room was clean . It wasn't loud at night (i was fully expecting to wear earplugs) and honestly the bunk beds are so comfortable. I swear they have higher thread count sheets than i do at home.

Fantastic experience: Awesome hostel! Booked one week and 3 months later im still here and have no plans on leaving any time soon! Lovely staff, great vibe, great location and very clean, what more could you ask for!

Fantastic experience: Great place to stay, very welcoming. Always clean and tidy. They help you find work and always give advice on restaurants and bars. Perfect for working as it is very relaxed during the week and most guest are working so are respectable .

Positive experience: Stayed in a private room mostly, which was a good price compared to a lot of other places we checked Staff were incredibly friendly, always nice to chat to Dated decor but was always kept really clean by staff Kitchen was always kept immaculate and hostel rules kept it running perfectly Showers were good When we did stay in a dorm for a few nights, in March, and it was unbearably hot. There's no way we could've stayed there in the dead of summer, even this was too much. Moved to a twin room when one became available and still it was too hot. Eventually got a double room near the front of the building and it was a lot cooler and became okay at this point. Air con would go a long way in the rooms People staying there were easy to get along with, could go out for drinks a few days in the week which is always good A good hostel overall

Negative experience: The guy in the reception really doesn't care, I tried to ask him about blue mountains and all he cared about was clicking on his computer, making it impossible to have a conversation. Saying "Yeah you should def look up where to go before you go" when that was exactly what I was trying to do, he just didn't feel like answering or helping me at all. Made me really sad honestly. Edit after getting a reply: It wasn't the lack of answers, I did get a few words about where to go and the recommendation to visit the website was a very good idea indeed. Nevertheless, I felt mistreated by the attitude and obvious lack of intrest, I felt disrespected, and like I was in the way and just annoying, all this just from asking some basic questions (did not want a full day planned, I just wanted some kind of idea about whar parking lot I should go to and if there would be good treks around there.)

Positive experience: Good n nice hostel ..staff is very cooperative

Fantastic experience: very best hostel! :-) Friendly

Positive experience: A very decent hostel with friendly staff in a prime location. Clean and private rooms are equipped with a sink and a fridge...recommendable!

Positive experience: Solid backpacking place. Decent service, rooms are reasonably clean and well priced. One major note: don't park in the garage they suggest unless you already have a voucher, because they ran out and we had to pay the full $56 dollars to park in the parking garage.

Fantastic experience: Best hostel in Sydney. A lot of beautiful people and open-minded. A place you can call Home for a couple of weeks

Negative experience: No a/c

Positive experience: + good location + quiet area + relaxed seating options + TV in the common room + Wi-Fi (could be better - better available, but at a cost) + oven available (not every hostel has that) + daily food offers - squeaky beds - broken socket - no air conditioning - rooms only 70% clean (socks from previous guest in a corner) - too small toilets and bathrooms - no shelf space in the toilets - BREAKFAST CATASTROPHE! (see pictures) For all the advertising this gets and probably many people choose this hostel because of it... it’s outrageous. So if you decide to choose this hostel, please don’t do it because breakfast is included! - pots and pans only available with a deposit. Can be annoying - cups also only with a $1 deposit - computer usage at a charge - flies in the bathrooms

Fantastic experience: As far as hostels go, this is a good one. If you have a vehicle, parking is either incredibly hard to find or incredibly expensive. I felt the hostile was safe and clean.

Fantastic experience: The hostel was great, clean, quiet, in the centre so great location, and every day they prepared the event for us... I tried 2 different hostels in Sydney and always I’ll come back to Jolly!!! Cheers guys!!!

Fantastic experience: Amazing place to stay and make friendships! Everyday free breakfast and free transfer from airport. A lot of social events! So much fun and a lot of party opportunity! The best place to start your adventure in AU!!! Just come and see!

Fantastic experience: great hostel great ice cream monica was very nice good rooms just sometimes mosquitoes

Fantastic experience: Monika is lovely and gives ice cream. Lovely vibe at this hostel, very international guests and events like picnics.

Fantastic experience: I've stayed a few hostels, this hostel is definitely one of the best hostel I've ever stayed. Seriously I don't know how this negative comments coming from… For starters, most of the staff is pretty nice, especially shut out to Monica. Second the hostel is is clean, and I like cleanness, so yeah. Good for someone just arrive Australia, they organize all sorts of event pretty much everyday, so if you are social, making friends 24/7 . Of course not everything is gonna be that good, let's say I never used the kitchen, seems not that convenient, and bathroom's tap water too small, other than that. Everything I like it so far… Worth it!

Positive experience: 4 months of travelling in Australia, this was the first hostel where I could sleep without earplugs, which is awesome. Stayed in a 4 bed female dorm for 3 weeks, overall I had a nice stay. Kitchen wasn't very functional.

Fantastic experience: Great atmosphere at the Hostel with people and Staff being very nice, helpful and making your stay enjoyable. There's always something going on such as group workouts or clubbing. Also the Hostel is very clean.

Positive experience: Transportation is convenient, no air conditioning, relatively clean, and the cost-performance ratio is high at this price.

Fantastic experience: Great spot /location with easy access to a good variety of spots in Sydney. Pretty decent rooms, great staff who are very friendly and helpful

Fantastic experience: I spent my best time in this hostel. Good location. Good staff.

Negative experience: Auberge to avoid, very dirty with animals everywhere, noisy, very poorly received, fictitious breakfast, no hot water for the shower, and on top of that, they charge huge fees for cancellation!!!

Fantastic experience: Beautiful place, 5 minutes from the train station and bus stops. Excellent cleanliness and very good service.

Fantastic experience: Great hostel!

Positive experience: Backpacker, clean and pleasant.

Negative experience: I'll be clear here this is a review of our booking experience, not the hostel itself (We didn't end up booking). In short, was about to book online at a certain price, and convieniently at that very moment the price went up significantly. My partner than rang for them to honour the price in that moment and was met with an extremely rude response saying too bad etc, and rushed her off the phone. It is normal practice to honour a price even a day after, and especially within the proceeding 2-3 minutes, especially do soldering the fact it was clearly changed as were were looking that the room (you can see this detail on hostelworld). Very poor service and attitude would not recommend

Negative experience: The worst place i ave been so far. No backpackers hostel or hotels would asked you to pay for storing your luggages since you are the customers and worst, counted by hourly. Why should i pay for that and i dont even want a night refund or my key money back. Not recommended at all. Place is small, packed and dirty. Never vacuumed. And not a reasonable price after all.

Fantastic experience: Good atmosphere. Clean. Well informed friendly staff. Hostel rules enforced in a visitor friendly way. Quiet at night. Excellent location

Fantastic experience: This review is for the awesome staff. Nabil and Bernie are super nice and really went above and beyond for us on more than one occasion. Would thoroughly recommend.

Negative experience: The place is OK

Positive experience: Your standard no-frills backpackers hostel. Looks worn, bathrooms were reasonably clean, rooms average size, staff were friendly.

Positive experience: Good hostel. The communal showers are really clean and the rooms are well arranged. The included breakfast is sparse, so you have to take care of that yourself. There is a refrigerator in the room, which we thought was great :) Coin-operated washing machines are on almost every floor. There are movie nights, nothing club, and once a week pizza is ordered. The hostel also has a great location, so we would stay there again anytime.

Fantastic experience: Bernie and Chris were awesome! Cheap, friendly, and amazing location

Positive experience: Staff was kind of rude to Americans

Fantastic experience: The location is very convenient. The staff are very friendly and helpful. We had a double room. It was clean and simple. Bathroom and showers were clean. Great value!

Fantastic experience: That will be a good place to stay if you like the friendly service and good atmosphere

Fantastic experience: Jolly Swagman Backpackers. Reasonable rates for clean and well kept premises. Free pickup from the airport and free breakfast everyday. Also there are nights out with the jolly swagman family. Will come back the next time I visit Sydney.

Positive experience: Inn to recommend! Very clean, very helpful hostel staff... go there!

Fantastic experience: Lovely stay. There is a welcome round for newbies. Very good located if in terms of nightlife and sightseeing, everything is walkable. If you r in Sidney this would be my 1st pick.

Fantastic experience: Amazing hostel, friendly and helpful staff, decent rooms, very relaxed atmosphere

Fantastic experience: Good wifi, clean rooms, friendly staff and cheap, all around great place to stay

Fantastic experience: Compare with another backpackers hostel , here is really good. Clean and nice reception , able to relax room. Free breakfast is good enough. In the Bathroom , need to subtle control the temperature of shower but still good.

Fantastic experience: Friendly inn, very well located, with smiling and competent staff. Clean bathroom, handy fridge in the rooms. Pleasant stay! Bonus: very nice running circuit that goes to the Opera.

Fantastic experience: very good location and extremely helpful staff.

Positive experience: Good amenities although everything requires a deposit or money. A pan for your key. Great if you are new to travelling.

Positive experience: Hotel backpacker

Fantastic experience: Stay here a lot great place to stay you can meet some cool people here

Fantastic experience: Very good youth hostel. Clean, pleasant, less than 10 minutes from King’s Cross, Coles, tobacco, restaurant, and bar ...

Positive experience: No individual bathroom, and don't open the window at night, lots of insect outside, also this place is near the red light zone.

Negative experience: A cheap option if you're just finding a place to stay. The beds are clean but the place is generally unclean. The toilet is not individual and it is shared publicly.

Fantastic experience: A nice hotel

Fantastic experience: Had such a great stay. Hostel is close to everything. The people staying are really friendly and the staff where very helpful. Room was a good size and had everything I needed. Bathrooms were bright , clean and airy and on every floor