The Old Swan Barracks Reviews

Would've given a 4 star as good prices, showers are hot with good power, rooms have aircon and friendly staff at reception, but the beds we stayed in had bedbugs. Also had to make own beds when arriving which isn't ideal although it is a huge hostel so would take the staff a lot of time. Rooms are good enough but nothing fancy. Seemed a pretty social place but wasn't staying for long. Parking is on road outside, paid from 8am-6pm Mon-Sat

The place is centrally located. However there is no more positives. The staff is nice at the beginning. But once you stay there a bit longer, even if you pay your rent on time, there have issues. Do not stay there long term as you won't be treated with respect unfortunately.

Best things is a dorm rent of 18AUD per day with free breakfast. The rooms are not good and bathrooms are even worse but the prices makes it up. Prefer YHA over this

Very good hostel! A smiling staff. We met a young lady at the reception who was really adorable! The bathrooms are clean, we met several men / women maintenance in just one night. A breakfast with choice, the best! We have our own cutlery for lunch that we must of course wash, I find it rather well personally! The facade of the building is just beautiful. I recommend this hostel !!

No decent parking or anywhere to secure bikes I locked mine where they said it was safe and it was stolen in the night..

Love staying here in private rooms or dorms. I work FIFO and call this place home sometimes .. the staff are very helpful and always friendly.
Have to say Friday/Saturday nights are awesome entertainment in the Mess hall

Yeah it s ok. A bit wild and some sketchy people stay here, but it does its job at a good price

If the staff weren t so friendly, this place would get nothing.
Our room smelled like a group of apes had had an orgy in it. If we borrowed a black light from one of those CSI shows, it would explode from exposure, I m sure.
Unclean doesn t even begin to describe this place.
No locks on any cupboards worked, the aircon sat on milk crates and wouldn t work unless the window was open but it didn t matter as the one Power outlet meant choosing between the aircon , fan, tv or fridge.
No other word describes the bathrooms except Gross.
Lasted a whole 20 mins at the place; 5 min trying to keep my stomach contents in check and 15 min booking new accommodation where the likelihood of catching something was a whole lot less.

it's OK. Currently smells funny. Pretty crowded and a fair number of long term residents (young) so if that's not your thing...
But!
It's not bad! Just not brilliant for the price..

The worst so called "hostel" I've ever been. When we entered the room an awful stench overcame us. The room was in an horrible uncleaned condition. The beds were messed up with hairs and other biological objects. The bathroom nailed it, I was afraid to enter it because its likely ebola and other deadly diseases have their origin in there. After all we decided to take a other hotel. The staff was friendly and quite helpful. All in all if you're not coming out of kambodias jungle you dont want to stay there.

Yeah nice place, clean, quiet, some nice staff, some are rude and obnoxious.

Wifi isn't working at all. Some of the staff are unfriendly. Other than that its more or less alright really not far away from the cbd
Beds are really good

Everything is good, they just need to install stairs for the double decker beds.

It's dangerous to do some climbing stunts in the night when lights are off if you got the upper bed

This venue was so dismal, my colleague and I had to resort to blowing beer kisses to pass the time. The leaning station that resides outside the front was the best feature.

Nice and clean hostel. The tv area needs attention though. Well maintained kitchen and friendly staff.

I only gave it one star for the location and the historical significance of the building. What a dump! Seriously, this place is only slightly better than sleeping on a park bench with the drunken homeless. Filthy, cheap and nasty, there is nothing to recommend about this "accommodation". The dorms are disgusting and there is zero chance of getting any sleep, the bathroom is similar to a public toilet in a third world country and the "breakfast" included consists of stale cornflakes and UHT milk that you need to pay a $10.00 deposit to get an uncleaned bowl to eat from. There are much better backpacker options if you shop around for a similar price. Avoid this one at all costs.

I would recommended here for visitors, good budget andcvery clean and easy to get to places, in the CBD, Public Transport, Library, Museum, Restaurants...

A nice and affordable hostels for backpackers in Perth, Western Australia. The building is very nice. It has historic values as well as the building was served as a military barracks. The employees were very friendly as well.

This is surely a place for backpackers! I recently went to Perth, where I was looking for an affordable accommodation with good ambiance when I came across The Old Swan Barracks. The place offers a lovely stay with friendly staff, ample facilities, nice locality and welcoming atmosphere. Can t resist to mention that the food here is absolutely delicious! I personally recommend this place to those who seek a lovely, comfortable stay in the city.

Checked in for 6 nights. Checked out after 2nd night. It was dirty filthy smelt. Our room and corridors smelt of urine. We had a private room and the springs in the bed were popping out all over. The toilet and showers were dirty.

Bread good for breakfast Cereal Jam Butter Milk
Milk is not full cream milk

The Old Swan Barracks Backpackers is located in Northbridge,a stonesthrow from the Perth Cultural Centre Precinct. It is as it says it is. Old old late1800's barracks restyled to be a very unique kind of accommodation. The bar & the restaurant are very Colonial in a very Historical part of Perth...

Can t complain at much because of the price. Here are some pros and cons anyway.
Pros: cheap, powerful showers, wide comfy-enough beds, great location, 24 hour check in desk and good air con (though can get v cold).
Cons: Thin walls, quite dirty kitchen and facilities, had to make own beds on arrival which was not ideal when we arrived at 2:30am and couldn t see a thing, terrible WiFi, can t bring in own alcohol (due to their license) and no recycling bins.

Free breakie free wifi close to northbirdge friendly staff. Would stay again!

Stayed in a private room which was cheap and cheerful enough for one night. Bit rundown in spots but good value for money.

Great Place. Nice Staff. Perfect location! I absolutly liked it to stay at this place.

Stayed there in 2012, most of staff was nice, some were rude. I discovered there that the night some homeless guys are used to come and take a look in the dorms and take the empty beds. this is obviously a common thing in the cheap backpackers of Perth

Check In / Check out - easy and friendly
4bed room for girls - perfect / enough space
Bathroom / Shower - good
Kitchen - oven, stove, etc good

Just had a drink there with some Germans. Nice place.

Has a lot of potential. But unfortunately not used.

Service was great, and the location is fantastic. Facilities are sufficient (about as expected and appropriate for budget accommodation), everything was clean and tidy, and mostly in good repair. The hostel includes a huge common room with a small bar and a furniture layout to handle several groups at once (not that you stay in a hostel this close to the CBD to hang out in the hostel). Excellent value, in my opinion.

I only know the hostel bar and it is a curious and perfect place for backpackers with the best deals in Perth.

The place was very nice, we stayed two nights. While the first night was uneventful on the second one we had problems with moskitos. The facilities (kitchen, TV, bar, laundry) were clean. However the men's bathroom was not.

The security isn't very good here. Lock your doors.

The facilities were not completely clean and it is a bit noisy if you are not used to living with a lot of people.

Good value for money and being housed in a a former army barracks was unusual. A few thing that let it down though. There was no ladder for the bunkbeds which makes it difficult. Deposit for kitchen utensils and cups (when you want a cup of tea or coffee you have to put a $10 deposit down) The mattress were uncomfortable as you could feel the springs digging into you at night when you moved. Overall a good value for money but need to be updated.

Ps. Maybe the uncomfortable mattresses added to the authenticity of an army barracks life.

Old, dingy, loud, and a little sad. This place isn't a great value, and it's pretty well exemplified with a $10 deposit for towels of which only half is refunded after check out. I could have bought a towel that hadn't already graced the bodies of countless backpackers. Seemed like they had their share of long term residents as well.

Great location though.

Terrible, dirty and dusty all around, seem no cleaning and house keeping at all. Big common area but very small kitchen. No refill toilets paper...

Well located, rooms and service are good. Restrooms need to improve

Service was absolutely wonderful; all of the staff that I met were friendly and hospitable. The entire hostel was clean. One down side was having to put a deposit down for your room key and dishes for the breakfast in the morning. It was in a great, central location, and I'd love to go back one day. I had a great time!

Convenient location . Didn't find the bed comfortable.

Location is pretty good and silent however room is so dirty and while i was staying here, i felt itchy

We spent two night in this frankly passable facility, toilets and showers are common for everyone even those who booked a private room, no towels provided he pay $ 10 to get one for which he will be returned as $ 5, free breakfast is more like money drawer than anything else, it gives you and also converts base rent for $ 10, the service is better than average, we went back at night and two people the reception were very rude and spent 10min to check our identity despite our passports and key to the rooms we had in hand ... and the air conditioning can not be adjusted in the room while we were cold all night, this place and passable all angles at least in value for money you can find much better than this dump in prison-like Perth

Pretty comfy beds and rooms and the entirety is clean enough. Its an old building, the placement of the showerheads reminds you that a few generations ago the average Aussie soldier stood 5 foot 5. How vast this land must have seemed to the poor sickly porridge raised London street urchins that comprised the first fleets. How harsh the unrelenting sun on their whiter-shade-of-pale paper skins. Well nowadays the Aussies are still sunburnt but by now well fed and hearty. Some of them stay at this hostel but mostly there is a camp of Germans and a camp of French who move in their own circles and speak their native tongues.

Dont book this hostel...buy a tent instead ....
I have travelled all over the world and visited 26 countries... this is the worst place i have ever been...

Its like staying in a over crowded prision...the carpets and beds stink of urine

The staff are very aggressive and rude...

I even sore a homeless man one night sleeping in the toilets

Look at the reviews on trip advisor

Apparently if australian cannot stay more than a week and if you question this you get pegged as a drug dealer. One staff member made it worthwile staying there

Excellent staff and great prices, this was my first time staying at a backpackers. I'm a weary and choosy traveller who really hates anything communal - this place changed my mind - everything you need is here. Definitely will stay again.

P.s The hall is awesome

Staying here at the moment and it's nice. Building has character but its a little bit older, but just fine for a budget hostel. Only 1 hour wifi per day in 2017? Atmosphere is Ok, there's a bar but not too many people here. Quiet in the room and there is free air con in the rooms! Not a bad place to stay.

Really nice staff who help you out a lot. But the rooms weren't too clean, the facilities were fairly limited and not very comfortable. Lots of spider webs around the windows. Still worth a night or two if you're not looking to stay long term

Staff were incredibly rude and incompetent, Kitchen, toilets and rooms are filthy. There is no hostel vibe, mostly just locals. Only positive i found was the location as it was very close to the centre. Would recommend paying abit more to stay somewhere else. Extremely disappointed.

Went to check out the bar on a weeknight. Pretty dead. Not much going on. Average prices at the bar. Bar is cash only with an ATM on site. ATM was broken so that put a damper on my night.

Overall very good hostel, ok sanitary facilities, very large common areas and above all very good wifi but only free for one hour a day!

Wouldn't go back, rooms were stuffy and untidy. Duvets didn't look like they were clean. Good place to meet people but kitchen is way too small for size of hostel

stayed for 3 months while they were in the middle of renovating...
+ free storage room (lockers in rooms are too small)
+ aircon - when its on
+ WIFI - when you can get it
+ Bar, game tables, big screen in the hanger on Fri/Sat nights
+ Bar in reception on weekdays
+ free sausage sizzle on friday nights
+ 2x TV rooms (one with couches)
+1 study/common room with tables
+ laundry with washer/dryers, big sinks for hand-washing and sunny clothes line.
+ rubbish bins in rooms are emptied once a day, mid morning.
+ dorms are vacuumed once a week.
+ bedbug covers on beds
+ mozzie screens on dorm windows.
+ perfect location if you want quick, easy access to the city and transport
+ cheap
+ free breakfast (white bread, jams, cereal and longlife milk)
+ friendly atmosphere with other travellers if you make the effort.
-LOVED the old hanger ten yrs ago when I first stayed. It doesn't have the same atmosphere.
- only a couple of helpful staff which do make it worthwhile, the others are either lacking a helpful attitude, care not about your stay or are straight up rude and dismissive!
- complaints aren't taken seriously and/or actioned. Definitely not 'the customer is always right' approach towards a paying guest which i witnessed multiple times.
- showers are in need of reno - mouldy tiles, barely working shower head, also there are no shower mats so its very hazardous when wet. The taps on the sinks spray water at you and there is only an old hand dryer with no paper towels.
- showers/toilets only cleaned once a day.
- central aircon but not at set times and/or based on outside temperature ie. over 30 degrees. At the mercy of who ever is on reception.
- the entire front of outdoor area is for smokers and is often filthy.
- they don't recycle which is poor form.
- long term residents should all share the one dorm, they are too weird for other travellers to have to put up with.
- breakfast utensils for condiments should be provided.
- there is no aircon in the kitchen and it's on the 3rd story so food spoils unless kept in the fridge. Food from peoples shelves and the fridge is pilfered on the regular. Any utensils, cups, bowls etc left laying around will also go missing (you have to pay a deposit for cooking equipment).
- intermittent WIFI unless you are close to reception or one of the modems in the hallways.
- computers for paid internet (slow). Your best to go to the library across the road - free when you join up.
- no refunds or credit on weekly payments if you leave early
- construction site across the road at the museum with work starting every morning approx. 7am (until 2020).
- pay to park out on the street or behind the building. They tow on the regular.
- metal bunk beds are squeaky af
- not easy to access all levels and common areas which makes it hard to socialise and/or find anyone unless you can hear them or see them out from from upstairs
- lots of street noise thu-sun due to onsite bar and the area being close to nightclubs and Northbridge.
- $20 key deposit
- staff have been known to come in to your dorm without knocking and with no explanation which is uncool.
- No BYO (due the onsite bar)

Good building from outside. But hard if you bring lugage. They only have stair. Kitchen-chill room was in different floor. So not easy access. Room is good

Breakfast has toast, jam, no one wants to eat, can eat noon, lunch is also saved.
The kitchen is inconvenient, the tableware needs a deposit, and the pots are taken to the counter every time, but this is also good, the kitchen is not crowded.
The public space is large, parking lot, ball table, game room, film and television hall.
The wifi signal is weak.
It is recommended here, it will not be too expensive, antique, walking floor screaming, like the feeling of the ancient city.
It is not convenient to wash clothes. There is no place to dry. It is very expensive to dry clothes for 10 minutes. I spent 5 yuan to dry.
The dryer is super dirty, and my bright clothes are completely destroyed.

honestly the worst hostel i have ever been at.
really dirty! sheets, room, kitchen...uargh.

Still the best hostel to perth. everything you need is there.