Beautiful old building with plenty of its history dotted about the walls. Excellent location, so close to everything that brings a traveller to Oamaru. A good spot if you want peace & tranquility, good walks and plenty of wildlife (as in penguins roaming the streets at night). Well cleaned and refreshed daily and your dorm bed was dressed on arrival rather than just having the blankets provided. Solid duvet and extra blanket for a cooler night. Two kitchens and a large lounge. Pleasant unisex bathrooms.

The clearance between the lower and top bunk didn’t allow for sitting up in bed if using the lower bed. Top beds had no security railings. They were solid/comfortable, however. Just the more clumsy visitor will need a hard hat!

The staff. Marshall was great. It was comfy and relaxing. The place may look dated, but it's a historic building. All facilities are clean and functional. Bike parking in the cellar. Car parking out back. It's in the best part of town with other historic buildings. It's next door to a cafe and round the corner from Steampunk HQ. Penguins not too far. Other lovely bars and cafes round about. I'll be heading back there.

Marshall is a charming and personable manager. The ambience is friendly and welcoming. The kitchen is well equipped and cleaned morning and evening. The bathrooms are kept very clean and there is always hot water in the showers. The location is absolutely central, so convenient for all attractions yet very quiet. We greatly appreciate the fact that The Empire Hotel is still providing quality accommodation as it did when it was first opened. It continues to be part of Oamaru’s history.

Nothing negative to say.

Great friendly staff. Woodfire in lounge. Great kitchen. Showers hot and clean. Ample parking out back. Pub, cafes, ATMs, supermarkets in easy walk distance. Quiet part of town. Steampunk HQ and Victoria District a 1-minute walk away. Penguin colony, Farmers Market an easy walk. Used this trip to introduce my 19-year-old autistic son to the concept of hostels - I could not have picked a better place to do it - he loved the place.

Can't fault the place at all - only thing I didn't like was leaving. A pity that it's more than 2000 kms from home!

Loved the relaxed atmosphere in this hostel, the decor and grand staircase. It felt very chilled and safe. Great kitchen and bathroom facilities and location were fantastic too! Rooms were basic but that was all we needed/paid for

Double bed was a little small and a bit saggy - when my partner sat down I would end up moving. But still comfortable enough for what we paid

I love to stay here because of the kindness of owner, manager and helpers. There are so many nice and warm people. I feel extra warm and friendly like home. I appreciate the help from manager Vivian and boss Bruce. The location is super good to blue penguin colony and on the Main Street. I highly recommend the backpacker to stay here. ❤️

Very cool backpackers in a heritage building in the centre of town. It felt very much like being at home, especially with the collection of vhs tapes which gave me such nostalgia! Everyone I met at the hostel was really lovely, in particular Marshall who is the caretaker, who gave me some great recommendations for local food and bevs. So nice to have a friendly face when you're as far from home as I was! Thank you to all!

Really close to bus, beach, historic sector. The building is wonderfully unchanged from it's heyday: the basement is incredible!

Signs everywhere say "keep your room locked" but after being cleaned, my dorm room was not only left unlocked but with the door wide open.

Cute, very personal hostel in a historic building, with kind and personable staff. Pretty good facilities, and comfortable common area. Good advice on how to see penguins for free, and the staff seemed knowledgeable about the area in general. Overall nice, friendly vibe. Lucky that a cute small-town hostel like this still exists in New Zealand after so many went out of business in recent years.

The bed mattress was exceptionally thin - I could literally feel the gaps between the bed boards right through it.

Great location, rustic style, friendly staff, warm and cosy

Mattress was a bit thin, we were in the bunk room. No towels. I didn't know they provided them until I saw another room with them on the bed. Wasn't sure if we needed sleeping bags either as it wasn't mentioned on the booking site. Just a few minor things.