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Location
Located at the seedy end of Fort Street, but it's only a short walk to Queen Street and the centre of Auckland.
Security
Very good security with a 24-hour reception, key card access and a locker for each bed.
Facilities and Atmosphere
This hostel is a former apartment building and accommodation is in self-contained apartments, each with a small lounge area. Although there is a bigger common room on the first floor, the self-contained nature of the place keeps people in their rooms, so it doesnt have much atmosphere.
Reception open
24 hours
Cost
Dorm bed $21 ($20 ISIC/Nomads)
Single room $40 ($39 ISIC/Nomads)
Double room $55 ($53 ISIC/Nomads)
Twin room $45 ($43 ISIC/Nomads)
Credit cards
MC, Visa
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Average Reviewer Rating:
  
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Number of Reviews:
18
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( Displaying Reviews:
1 - 10 )
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Stayed at Fat Camel for 5 weeks
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Reviewer: Anonymous
from UK
September 15, 2005
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I stayed at the Fat Camel for 5 weeks during winter 2004 whilst working in Auckland. The free meals are great - well appreciated when on a budget. The bar is excellent and has since been renovated and looks even better now. Great common room with heaps of space but can be annoying when watching TV as theres a pool table and air hockey game - very noisy. The phones could be more private.
Worst points were the key cards, you need this to gain entry to the common room, flat and room but i found they kept having to be recoded....very irritating. The internet is expensive as you can use the internet in city for $2 an hour and you dont need those stupid codes for access which on the two occasions i used it in the hostel didnt work so it ment going back to reception to get another code.
I liked the feel of the place with its apartment style. Can be noisy, showers are cramped but its a good place to stay
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A bit oldder but the culture and atmosphere is AWESOME
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Reviewer: Tony Chadwick
from UK
April 30, 2005
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Well on arrival I was planning on staying at base backpackers but i took a lilttle stroll further down the road and saw FAT CAMEL..as i walked in i was greeted by their lovely reception staff who were very welcoming and friendly to help me with anything including my travel arrangements..i stayed in a 8 bed dorm for $19 abit croweded but worth it..The FREE DINNER was a treat and a half..The Camel Bar is a great place to start and finish your night..internet was abit slow and tempermental(works then doesnt work)..one major plus is that on every floor in every apartment theres a kitchen..but all and all the stay at the fat camel was excellent its abit worn around the edges but that just brings characther to the whole place..
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0
out of
1
people found this review helpful
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Nice Entrance To New Zealand
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Reviewer: Anonymous
from America
April 21, 2005
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Great hostel for you first time in New Zealand. Ment to only stay 2 night but stayed for a week. The bar was great it wasn't to noisy for a early sleep, but had enough people for a great start to a night out. The Staff were great the were friendly and informative. It is a big hostel but the rooms are set out great it's like a apartment.
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Not Bad for an Auckland Hostel
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Reviewer: Anonymous
from Canada
December 21, 2004
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Landed in Auckland at 5AM, and headed to the Fat Camel to drop our stuff off - desk staff were super helpful and friendly - we stored our packs in the luggage room, and had a bit of a poke around - As this was our first 'hostel experience', we weren't quite sure what to expect.. a fair size common room, TV with bad reception and cheap(ish) internet. The bar was always pretty quiet.
We had a double inside room (no windows) which was a fair size. All rooms are 'apartment style', with 4-5 rooms sharing a bathroom and kitchen. Nice setup.
Busy place, but clean and quiet. Don't be put off by the location (next door to a dodgy strip joint)..
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4
out of
4
people found this review helpful
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Average
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Reviewer: Manuela and Chiara
from Italy
December 18, 2004
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Throughout out stay in NZ we went back to the Fat Camel three times, one of which for 3 consecutive nights. We had problems with this hostel from the start I booked through the internet, then confirmed on the phone, they told me to fill in the internet form again and ended up having two bookings under the same name! It took them quite a while to find my booking but in the end we did have the room we wanted (a double), but on our third check-in I saw some girls who had booked a 4-bedroom being put into a larger dorm because they had lost their booking or something like that.
It has some good points thought, like the very central location, and there are enough payphones and computers. They also have a free meal, which we never tried but its worth saying. It also has some bad sides, for example the staff was often cranky and not helpful enough. The last time we checked in I was waiting for my girlfriend to come back from the ATM to pay and even after she came back the staff member at the counter kept checking in other people who had come in later. They also gave us a good scare because we were waiting for a letter, and while one staff member had said there was no problem, when we came back to get it another staff member said it had been sent back because we had not paid (it turned out our letter was actually in a drawer and we were able to retrieve it at no charge). What else they have a big luggage room with a surveillance camera, but it can get pretty full in there! BTW they dont refund you the WHOLE airbus ticket but only $11 of it, which is very good anyway and there is a sign saying it when you enter, its just not specified on the website. Lastly, in the apartments it can get pretty noisy even after midnight but that's not the staff's fault, just people being disrespectful.
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1
out of
1
people found this review helpful
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Safes!
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Reviewer: Anonymous
from Germany
November 16, 2004
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The Fat Camel is a nice and clean hostel. I especially recommend it because of its free meal, 24 h hour reception and its safes (next to the reception) for only 2 $ a day (with multiple access!).
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2
out of
2
people found this review helpful
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Top Hostel Top Value
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Reviewer: Justin
from Holland
August 04, 2004
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Just spent two weeks at this hostel. Before heading south for the snow wahooo. This is a great place, I had a clean room with a free small meal that i could upgrade for $3. They are right in the middle of a complete rebuild of the bar 3/4 finished, its going to look great. Hey guys check out the two swiss interns they have working in the bar. Must say after reading the other comments that I think they were spies planted by other hostels.
I sure as hell will be staying here again on my return.
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3
out of
3
people found this review helpful
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Room for Improvement
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Reviewer: Anonymous
from UK
March 30, 2004
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In Oct, we booked a 4 bed dorm and turned up to be told that there were no 4 beds available. Sent to a larger dorm only to find 2 drunk homeless guys sprawled out on the bed. We asked to be moved only to be put in a room with empty beer cans and cigarettes on our beds. Didn't bother staying, no apology/explanation from the manager - even though we booked well in advance.
I understand that renovations were underway at the time, but was still not good enough.
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0
out of
1
people found this review helpful
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Great lively place to stay
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Reviewer: michael & Nathalie
from Holland
March 11, 2004
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This lively hostel is located right in the city centre of Auckland. The people staying here are very nice. It has all the facilities you look for in a hostel. Including this they have a free meal every night and a airbus refund if you stay 2 or more days. every 4-5 rooms share a kitchen and 2 showers and 2 toilets. It also has a bar with special nights like quiz and darts night! Good place to stay!!!
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5
out of
5
people found this review helpful
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Enjoyed my stay!!!
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Reviewer: Barry Walter (barrywalter7539@hotmail.com)
from Alaska
February 26, 2004
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I'm really sorry, but I don't know what sort of backpackers the reviewers with the negative opinions of Fat Camel are - perhaps you should upgrade yourselves to 5 star accommodation as you obviously don't understand what value for $$$ for budget travellers is all about. Unappreciative.
This hostel is in the middle of Auckland, has a bar onsite and you have free dinner included in your affordable room rate.
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2
out of
3
people found this review helpful
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1 2
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