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Experience a historical and unique stay at the YHA Fremantle Prison. Built in the 1850's it's the only accommodation in Western Australia with UNESCO World Heritage Status. If you’re feeling adventurous, sleep in the actual prison cells! The hostel has an additional purpose-built building with ensuited private rooms for luxurious travellers.
Star ratings are intended to indicate the general level of features, amenities, and services to expect. This property is classified according to Giata.
HOTEL STYLE
Quirky Hotels
Budget
Languages Spoken
English
Location
6A The Terrace, Fremantle, Western Australia 6160 Australia
YHA Fremantle Prison
4.4 reviews
Getting there
Good for walkers
Places to stay are graded on a 0-100 scale. The higher the grade, the easier it is for travellers to find restaurants and things to do within walking distance.
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I liked the prison-like appearance of the hostel. I liked that there were lockers to store personal items in the rooms. I liked there was a room with chargers to charge phones and laptops as well as use laptops. I liked that there was a lockable room where I could place the heavy bags because I was departing after the checkout time. There is also a giant chess set for entertainment. There is also a prison tower nearby the hostel which changes colours at night which I enjoyed.
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Date of stay: March 2024
Value
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Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:There is a kitchen and fridge storage area. You can also dine in that area.
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Fremantle YHA, General Manager at YHA Fremantle Prison
Responded 17 May 2024
Dear Guest, Thank you for the positive feedback about our hostel. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your stay and appreciate your mention of its unique history as a former prison. We look forward to welcoming you back again in the near future. Sincerely,
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The experience was great, staying in a prison and it's great how the place felt. Good kitchen facilities and staff live on site. The beds were quite creaky even with the smallest of movements and the room was quite small for 8 beds, but it was a prison after all
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Date of stay: May 2023Trip type: Travelled solo
Room Tip:Good parking, try to get the bottom bunk... I only stayed for one night but the location was good...
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Fremantle YHA, General Manager at YHA Fremantle Prison
Responded 13 June 2023
Dear Neverendingadventure, Thank you for the great feedback on our property. We are glad you enjoyed your stay and made the most of your time in our heritage listed building. It is great to hear that you made use of our communal facilities and that they met your needs during your stay. We understand some of our co-living rooms can be limited for space but as you mentioned we are unable to make many changes due to the heritage listing on the property. We hope to welcome you back to YHA in the future. Sincerely, Fremantle YHA
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Great value for money in well maintained and clean family room with ensuite and all other mod cons. The hostel is centrally located to the pubs and restaurants of the capuchino strip and Freo markets. All common areas were modern and clean. Would certainly stay there again.
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Date of stay: September 2024Trip type: Travelled as a couple
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Fremantle YHA, General Manager at YHA Fremantle Prison
Responded 21 Oct 2024
Hi there, thank you so much for taking the time to leave us a positive review. It's always great to hear that you found our place to be clean and tidy. Looking forward to having you come back to stay with us again!
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I am currently staying at this hostel and can’t express enough how bad the cleaning is. They took away all the cutlery, pots and pans because some people is not cleaning. They threaten to “look at the cameras” if no one cleans but no action is been taken. Reception is not handling this the right way, they were childish by removing all the utensils and everyone’s paying for it. Also bathrooms are poorly cleaned. I don’t know what the people that works here is doing with their time. Definitely not cleaning, but listening to podcasts during their working hours is a priority as I’ve seen today 08/03/2021
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Date of stay: March 2021Trip type: Travelled solo
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hostel might be good for a one night stay, but if you are here for more than that, you will struggle.
They will make you check in and check out constantly (even though the hostel looks empty and has lots of rooms) and personnel is not willing to help. They are sarcastic and no professional at all. Even if you speak to them in a respectful and pacific way they will reply to you super rude and ironically.
Cleaning is literally disgusting, they don’t vacuum the rooms before checking in (and they might keep you waiting until 5pm to check you in because the rooms “haven’t been cleaned yet”).
If you guys change this, you would have the best hostel of Fremantle because the installations themselves are good.
If you guys don’t like your job, is not our fault.
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Date of stay: February 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
The hostel has the rudest staff that I’ve ever seen, Rueben and Mell are really mean. They treat get guests like if they were their bosses, they have bad actitud, they are not helpful at all, they are also racist and lazy. They forget that we pay to stay here, we are not asking any favor, just for them to do their job. It’s feels like they don’t want you to stay in the hostel because it means more work for them. They don’t clean the kitchen every day, neither the toilets, you need to beg for toilet paper, and also you get an angry face. This its really sad because the hostel has good facilities, good common areas and beds
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Date of stay: April 2021Trip type: Travelled with friends
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A good hostel with the worst staff. I've been in this hostel for two weeks. The staff is awful and they don't know how to be hospitable and even worst, they don't care and they will do everything they can to make you feel not welcome. My worst experience in a hostel. About cleaning, they clean the common areas every 3 days, the hostel is full at 100% so the areas are always dirty. During my 2 weeks they never vacuumed the rooms, even If I ask If I can do it myself. They do not empty the rubbish bins. I arrived an hour before of my check in time and I asked to leave my bags in the deposit or reception for this time but they refuse to do it. I had an issue with the staff and when I told them that I was going to put a complain, they said that If I do so, then I had to leave the hostel. In short, they kick me out for wanting to make a complaint. The most immature attitude I have ever seen. These people don't know what feedback means.
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Date of stay: March 2021
Value
Service
Sleep Quality
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
It was not my first experience with hostels. I stayed at hostels several times in different parts of the world and was satisfied with cleanliness and service. That's why when my friend and me needed a one-night-stay before our cruise around Australia and New Zealand, I didn't hezitate to book this hostel. We needed only the place to sleep, not more. What I can say positive about this place - its location and polite staff. It is in the historical place and it's easy to get a railway station and buses. We knew that the rooms were located in the former prison cells. It was very stuffily there (the weather was not very hot). Besides that at night we found a very big bug (6 cm х 3 cm) in our room. We were frightened because we read that there are a lot of poisonous features in Australia. The toilet room was not cleaned in the evening. It was written that the breakfast was included but it was very poor (extremely) and we left the hostel without it. The towel is not included into the price and you should pay for it extra.
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Date of stay: February 2020
Value
Location
Service
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
A perfect visit for a morning or afternoon and recommend the guided tour as the guides are both informative and amusing. The site has limited facilities but adequate for a short visit. In summer the site is hot so take water on the tour as it’s one way and no going back. Overall a good value for money attraction.
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Date of stay: September 2024
Value
Rooms
Location
Cleanliness
Service
Trip type: Travelled as a couple
Room Tip:No free parking nearby
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Response from Fremantle YHA, General Manager at YHA Fremantle Prison
Responded 21 Oct 2024
Hi there, I think you meant to leave a review for the Prison Tours next door! We do agree that they do an amazing job and their tours are definitely worth doing. Next time you are in the area you will have to come and stay with us in one of our Cell rooms to see what the Prison is like overnight!
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Very nice a real youth hostel many people to talk to. There were lots of cooking surfaces and lots of dishes. The rooms are very clean and the showers warm, as a family you have a bunk bed and a double bed (nicely implemented).
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Date of stay: November 2024Trip type: Travelled with family
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Hi Joanne - the hostel is in one wing of the former Prison. The rest of the building is now a tourist attraction, open for tours and visits during the day. The car park you are referring to is the Prison car parking - which is busy during the day but quiet at night. These spaces are run by the local council (City of Fremantle - lots of information on their website) and are $2.20 an hour during the day. There are a few limited spaces up by the entrance to the hostel - please phone and discuss with staff.
Hi Moira - there are a few spots right beside the front door of the hostel - first come, first served. If not, there is a huge car park about 50 metres away but this is a pay park during the day, but free at night. You need to check the times. You wouldn't have any issues getting a spot here as empty after the main Prison museum closes.
Hi Adrian - the hostel has a 24 hour reception so you can check in late in the evening. However, it does count as a night's stay. Otherwise, check in is available after 2.00pm each day.
Hi Mutia - yes, there is heating, and air conditioning, in all the family rooms - so perfect for summer or winter. These are new, purpose built rooms - so no ghosts there!. But there is reports of ghosts elsewhere in the hostel - in the old jail cell wing which are now twin share rooms. There is lots of information about the building displayed, and the staff can tell you more. Enjoy!
Hi Ck - yes, of course they can! This hostel has family rooms that sleep four people and have an ensuite bathroom. And then you can use the large kitchen for self-catering. Or you could choose to rent one of the historic cottages - they sleep six people in two bedrooms and have their own entrance, bathroom and kitchen. See all the information on our own website.
Prices are provided by our partners for one room, with variable occupancy rules as provided by the property, and reflect total costs of the stay, including all taxes and fees known to our partners. Please see our partners for more details.
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