Strattons Hostel

This hostel made my stay in Sydney a bad one. Overall the only good thing about this place is the location, which is convenient if it suits your lifestyle, for example if you're working around the area. If not, don't stay here. There is no vibe, you're not going to make friends for life here. The rooms are way too small, dirty, and there's only 2 plugs for the entire room. The cleaners are really annoying. Their list if check-outs is never correct, meaning that every day they came to our room and started cleaning random beda while nobody was checking out. This made a lot of people losing their stuff. My book and sunglasses disappeared from my bed after it was cleaned, and when I told the staff, they wouldn't believe me. Next to that, while I was staying, one night, the owner came back to the hostel at around 01:00 am, very drunk, and started singing out loud in the hallways and jamming on the doors. There's plenty of other options in Sydney, look further!

Well, the second time I came here, which was basically so write a review of the place, did impress me a little more, but since it has gone from one star to two stars that probably doesn't say all that much. At first I thought it was just a pokies room and a sports bar, however when I came here a second time they did have a band playing, which did add to the ambience of the place. Mind you, it was pretty quiet, and quite dark, and there are much better places near by to spend a night, but it is okay if you are looking for some place quiet.

The former Strattons Hotel now known as Dowling is starting to improve. Recently renovated, it is looking better and the staff are friendly enough. There is a brief bar menu which is adequate for lunch. The lack of air conditioning makes it extremely uncomfortable on warmer days or during peak periods. The meals are usually prompt and of standard pub food quality. I would not recommend eating the wings as they are quite messy. The burgers and steak are good. Ok for an after work drink or a quick lunch. Looking forward to seeing the renovations completed so that the overall experience improves.