Tuatara Lodge

Recently refurbished rooms, ours was a double bed with ensuite bathroom. Fresh new bathroom which had a wall mounted bench seat, much appreciated. Good hot shower which was height adjustable. Nice, clean bathroom & bedroom. Tiny higher window, nice to let in some fresh air. Good heating. Comfy bed. Has a large spacious communal kitchen, plenty of amenities. Could do with an air out as smelled of stale fish & were pots of cooked chicken etc. left in shelves unrefrigerated below bench in the open, so was a bit whiffy, not owners fault as such, but should be monitored & ventilated. Has cubby spaces which you can select to store food items & has good refrigeration available. Has a laundry room with coin operated washing machines & driers, even and ironing board & iron if needed. Quaint old building, cute old lift which was appreciated with luggage to get to our floor. Check in reception isn't monitored all the time, so you have to ph if you need assistance. Is swipe card access to the building & rooms. Check in is strictly 2pm which is a little frustrating when you are lugging suitcases after a long drive & turning in a rental car or arriving on a bus. Would be nice if was easier to drop luggage there when you arrive, even if not allowed to access room. Had to stand around until 2pm on the dot to get back in to cases left in corner of lobby. Has a cafe next door. Good selections of food, hot & cold drinks. really nice cafe/bar space. Sadly nothing gluten free but the mall just around the corner caters well.

The location was good and the only backpacker hostel in Invercargill that I could find. Everything was clean and tidy which is no easy feat in such an old building. So, I could have scored higher. However, scored down because 1. even in a cold climate it's good to ventilate the room with open windows (even if only open a crack) between guests. Odours linger and we are living in post pandemic times. The hallways have a historic odour. This could be easily removed by opening windows and doors on vacant rooms. and 2. there is nowhere to put clothes and dry towel while having a shower. The owners could easily invest in cheap stools rather than hooks (which have been pulled off). I would be more forgiving with my score except that both the manager and previous reviews highlight this issue. Seems an easy fix but nothing done over time.

Had checked out the rooms the day prior to staying.Had hoped to stay 4 nights. One was even 2 many. Paid 90$ for a private double bed room shower etc across the hall Mattress was soft, room Spartan Shocked to find no tea bags,no coffee,or sugar in kitchen to make a cup of tea even. No soap dispenser or soap dish in shower cubicle unit.Door would not lock either. Worst of all the coffee shop opens at 7 At 6-45 exactly I woke to the noise of pop music playing in the coffee shop.I could not get back to sleep.How stupid can staff be knowing people want to sleep ie being on holiday till maybe 7-45 or 8 .Mad system

A spotlessly clean hostel. It felt recently refurbished. The bathrooms were very clean and modern. The kitchen/dining was great, huge, clean and full of light. The whole place felt big and spacious. I got a double room which was $90 and then a backpacker dorm room the following night. I was surprised at how large, modern and nice the place was. The double room bed felt like a fancy hotel one. The rooms overlook the street which was very busy and noisy, but they have installed double windows which cuts the noise down significantly and also keeps the room warmer. They also offer earplugs when you check in. We got warned that it was party season and there would also be noise from the cafe next door. I didn’t notice it much - I don’t think they can do much about the noise other than what they have done - the double windows are genius. The reception/cleaning lady was lovely! Absolutely no complaints about the place. Having stayed in dozens of NZ backpackers it’s one of the nicest. The cafe next door was also good quality, large and spacious.

The lodge was excellent value. Staff were friendly. And very helpfull. Would recommend it to all travelers who go to invercargaill. It's in the town center with easy access to transport. Clean an secure. Great place to stay while in invercargail.

I stayed in a dorm room which was clean and well laid out. The staff were very friendly. It’s a good stop over location when travelling. Parking not the easiest as I could find free parking but not overly expensive.