Auckland · New Zealand
Verandahs Parkside Lodge
Bed bug reports
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Confirmed Booking.com
There were bedbugs in my bed
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Confirmed Booking.com
Horrible Service. bedbugs
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Confirmed Booking.com
I stayed in the 5-bed dormitory (Room 9) for a total of 7 nights. **Day 1:** To go to work, I needed to store my luggage before check-in, and they helped me with it without any issues. She was kind. But it was a bit cold. **Day 2:** The only shower on the first floor was occupied, so I went upstairs. There was no bath mat in the bathroom, and no outlet to dry my hair. It’s still cold in the room. **Day 3:** I started feeling itchy yesterday, and it turns out I’ve been bitten by bedbugs 14 times. But it’s okay—bedbugs are common in hostels, so I didn’t mention it to the staff. **Day 4:** Still enjoying the quiet and relaxed atmosphere in the kitchen and lounge during the early mornings. I like it here. A new female guest with long black hair like mine seems to have arrived. The bathroom is now full of long hair, and there’s something pink on the bath mat. And it’s still cold. **Day 5:** The pink stain is still on the bath mat, and once again, I cleaned the hair in the bathroom. Also, the milk I kept in the fridge is frozen. Both the milk and I are too cold. But it’s okay. **Final Day:** It’s still cold today. After finishing packing early, I went to the kitchen before check-out to sort out my food. For the first time, I used the gas stove to cook the remaining food. Before my food even started cooking, a man came over and told me to turn on the hood. I know how to do that, but I thanked him anyway. Then, suddenly, I got scolded again for not closing the fridge door properly. I apologized, but the discomfort of the language barrier was unavoidable. I’m planning to visit again next year for work, but I don’t think I’ll stay here again. The last day made everything I tried to overlook feel negative. Goodbye.
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Vibe Analysis
Verandahs Parkside Lodge is a proper Auckland soft-landing hostel: two character old houses by the park, with verandas, garden space, Sky Tower views, a big kitchen, lounges, and easy access to Ponsonby, K Road, supermarkets, restaurants, buses, and the CBD on foot. The atmosphere is relaxed and social without being a party machine. Recent stays point to clean facilities, helpful staff, a safe feeling, no-bunk or low-density room setups in several dorms, big bathrooms, a well-equipped kitchen, and enough common space to cook, work, talk, or hide with a book. It suits first-arrival New Zealand travelers, introverts who still want low-pressure conversation, and anyone who likes an old-school guesthouse rhythm. The practical snags are hostel-real rather than dealbreakers: no in-room lockers, limited parking, shared bathrooms that combine shower and toilet, occasional damp/cold rooms, and some management or mixed-dorm discomfort in older complaints. If you want clean, calm, social-but-not-feral Auckland, the recent signal is strong.
Signals to check
- There may be no lockers in rooms, so valuables need extra attention.
- Parking is limited or timing-dependent.
- Some bathrooms combine toilet and shower, so a shower can block the toilet.
- A few rooms have damp, cold, smell, or bedbug complaints.