This place seems to have very differing reviews, i must say that it wasn't so different from other city backpacker lodges in Australia. It was on the end of the long main road running through Darwin, Mitchel Street, the further you are from the centre, the cheaper the backpackers are. Except that a few of the other Mitchel Street backpackers... More

I only managed to find one review of this hostel - after I'd booked it - and it was negative, but I decided to give it a try anyway knowing that I could move if I wanted to. The hostel is situated at the opposite end of Mitchell Street to all the other hostels and bars....so if, like me, you... More

I still can't believe I didn't check the reviews before booking this place. Everyone else is absolutely right - Gecko Lodge is horrible. Thank goodness we stayed in a private room, which was upstairs and a little removed from the communal squalor below. With our own (clean) fridge in the room and an acceptable sitting area on the upstairs balcony,... More

I too booked this hostel without reading the reviews - a HUGE mistake. I agree with most of the points made below by other unlucky . The only positivie is its location -ts clsoer to Mindels Beach than Darwin CBD- so nice quiet and suburban but thats the only plus. The hostel is worn, amazingly untidy and one step away... More

I booked this hostel without reading the reviews first - what a mistake. Room was okay - beds were comfortable and safe. Had a TV and small fridge. Outside our door, however, was the communal area with loud, noisy, drunken backpackers who kept us up until all hours of the night- thankfully only me and not the children. The toilets... More

We stayed here for 3 nights in August. When I checked in they tried to charge a higher rate than what I had booked at. We had a private room with a TV and small fridge. The room could have used some vacuuming and the window was stuck open. There was a group of backpackers staying there long term who... More

Gecko lodge was an expensive, dirty, loud, dingy, crowded run down dump! We had a private room with shared bathroom facilities opposite our room. The toilet cistern was broken so we heard a gushing of water all night long! We complained about it on the first night but they never fixed it! In between that and the drunken louts, we... More

DON'T EVEN GO HERE! Arrived a 2am and found an envelope with a key on the outside of reception (well 2 keys for different rooms???) Went to the 1st room and saw that the kichen was filthy with food all over the floor and left over food on the outside tables, looked in the shower room which was so dirty,... More

The advise for this hostel in our guidebook was that it was quite and with a pleasant backyard. After seeing the noisy and nightlife infatuated hostels in the middle of the town, probably this quieteness was quite valuable. The hostel is a little bit out of the way, needing an extra 15 minutes to walk anywhere in the middle of... More