I choose Ariki because of the excellent location right down town where I wanted to be and because it was cheap. $89 for a Family Room with private bathroom for my 13 year old daughter and I. Ariki was in this regard exactly what I wanted. As an added bonus it was good to see that they had good policies around security and the staff member I dealt with, Chris, was super friendly and informative. Couldn't have been nicer and more helpful if he tried. The place is a tired and basic and the beds are not the best I've ever had. The late night pub noise is also loud. But I won't put those down as things I didn't like because I knew what I was getting - its a backpackers next to a pub after all. The sort of place I used all the time back in my 20s. I got exactly what I paid for and expected. For $89 you can't expect an absolute palace but you can expect it to be clean, tidy, comfy enough, friendly and safe, which it was. I would happily come back here again.

Nothing.

It's party central in the evenings until late due to the nightclub downstairs. So, if you are young and hip, then go and enjoy. In this respect, I would regard it as the best place to stay if you want to party across the whole of the North Island because the night club is so accessible - no need to worry about drinking and then finding your way to your accommodation afterwards. Plus Ariki's is centrally located AND close to the sea AND close to a whole lot of other tourist attractions including markets on Saturday mornings plus it's opposite the waving wind 'Wand' which is a great selfie sight all to itself. This is a young person's party paradise so don't go there expecting peace and quiet in the evenings! The young international travelers that stayed there (when I was there) are universally friendly (why aren't more of our kiwi's kids like this I wonder) and I found it a very life-giving place to visit. New Plymouth has so much to see over the summer and I'd heartily recommend to even the most seasoned travelers even if you are staying elsewhere. It's an extremely unique location and is different to most other places I've visited in New Zealand.

Absolutely lovely staff. We had a private room, which was huge with plenty of room for our stuff. Comfortable bed - I slept really well. Right near the centre of town so we walked everywhere. And bikes for hire for doing the coastal path.

They weren't kidding when they warned us that it could get noisy on Friday and Saturday nights because there's a nightclub downstairs! We were getting in late anyway so it didn't worry us, but you'll need some serious earplugs if you plan to go to bed early.

- great location (right in the CBD, next to InterCity bus stop, close to Coastal Walkway) - facilities (washing machine, kitchen etc.) - cheap - they had at least one cat - very nice and helpful staff - informed me before my stay that it might be noisy at night

- a bit run down, but it’s still totally fine for the price - kinda noisy at night (window had to be open due to 6 people sleeping in the room and there are a bunch of restaurants/bars close by), not their fault and they communicate it as soon as you book a bed to warn you

Great communication from Rob, I didn’t meet him on check-in but he was very helpful! Sent instructions for after-hours checkin and replied to my text about parking. A message was sent post-booking that it does get noisy Thursday-Sunday, which I had already read from reviews, but very considerate heads up. The beds were surprisingly comfortable, and the curtains were high quality in that they blocked any light coming in. Overall, very satisfied :)

Nothing.

I love this place. Just stayed there for three nights last week. Rob the boss is so nice. He gave me some great advice when I check in. Before that, he emailed me about the karaoki bar next door, said it may be a little bit noisy on weekend. And there are some earplugs at the front desk if I need. That doesn't bother me at all because I'm a heavy sleeper. Such a thoughtful person. The bed sheet is very clean. The suite bathroom and the floor is very neat too. It's great bargain to rent bike for 10 bucks half a day. And last but not the least, these is a beautiful cat.

Nothing.

The staff were brilliant, great service before and during our stay. The backpackers had one of the most warm and welcoming atmospheres of anywhere we've stayed. It was homely in it's furnishings and very cosy.

As warned, due to the neighbouring pub it was quite noisy on Friday and Saturday night - although we quite enjoyed our karaoke serenade to sleep! There was a bit more wear and tear of the building that we would normally expect, but nothing of concern.

On the day of our arrival we were welcomed by Chris who is super awesome. He gave us explanations on all the facilities of the hostel and was always keen on giving information on the surroundings. We stayed here before and after our Mt Taranaki hike and would definitely recommend the accommodation to others. Kitchen has all the facilities you want, there are also warm showers, washing machines and a dryer.

It can get noisy at night because of the bars, but just use some earplugs as you should always do in hostels 🙃 It was also really warm everywhere inside. But every room has a fan or air-conditioning.

It felt very accessible, both in location and anything I needed the team were there to help straight away :) I was only there a few days but it felt like a little family pretty soon in. It was also great how much info there was available just by looking at all the different walls, and there are shuttle services to some parts of Mt Taranaki too. It is very well located, it is a walk to the beach but you can pretty easily climb down & back up if you just want a short trip.

Rob, Chris, and Julia especially were super helpful. Location couldn't be any better... kitchen table could be cleared of the clutter in times of high occupancy perhaps but it was large and practical for the circumstances.

Can't remember the room but the two single bed room... The bed with its pillows situated against the window was the hardest but right under the window with a draft... Simple fix, I switched bed ends to avoid a stuffy nose in the mornings from the cold airflow. The bed directly infront of the TV had a soft mattress, so being a single occupancy I used as luggage storage. Not really complaining as such, just years of sleeping rough and trying to make the best of any situation.