Site 61 Hostel

Great safe area I will highly recommend it to others in the future!!!

Area around hostel is dangerous. There is a prison right around the corner. The hostel was dirty and loud. Choose a different hostel!

I loved it!

The lady at the reception area was so amazing, she made sure that i was settled in properly

You get what you pay for You get what you pay for. Pros: The hostel itself was fairly clean and the bathrooms were cleaned daily. Most of the staff are extremely friendly. Nice study/lounge room and patio. WiFi was not working when I got there but they fixed it by the next day. Room temperature was ok. Not too loud outside. Cons: Disorganized check in. Never received key to the room so it was unlocked all the time. Door to shared room wasn’t working closing properly. Shared room smelled like alcohol. No oven or stove, just a microwave and hot plate. Disorganized check out.

Look elsewhere for better value on holidays/events TLDR: Positive hostel experience, but at an average of $190/night for a private room during Jazz Fest, the extra $20-50 of a hotel room is worth it for the attached bathroom, additional amenities, and extra space. Pros: Beautiful restored building. Basic breakfast. Staff was helpful and other guests were friendly. Great AC, comfortable beds, and mostly very clean and quiet. Note that unless you arrive before 4-6 pm, you need to contact the property in advance to get contactless check-in instructions. Cons: Other reviews have commented on the type of neighborhood... The hostel is on a block that is indeed a bit sketchy, and it neighbors a junk yard and busy road (see pic). But you only need to walk a block to get to a scenic residential neighborhood. I did feel safe the whole time. Keep in mind that the private room is veryyy small. The door also didn't stay closed unless you locked it, which became annoying if one person stayed in the room while the other went to the bathroom. There were only 3 shared bathrooms on the hall, so there was sometimes a line, and they lacked a shelf to put a toiletry bag on. Mostly, given all the above, I found the hostel to be far too expensive for what you get, and I'd recommend finding a hotel instead.