Spent a couple of nights here, we had a bedroom and sitting room, all areas were clean and pretty well maintained. Cost was a little more than you would expect from accommodation of this age but it was in town. Reception staff were friendly and helpful ensuring we knew that the on site dining closes at 8pm - no exceptions so it was a quick bag drop and back downstairs to grab a bite to eat. Food was OK.
Hobart City Apartments is located right in the downtown shopping district of the city. You don't stay there for the view, but you are in the thick of things and still only a 12 minute walk to the harbor for endless choices of restaurants, bars, cafes, etc. With notice and availability, they offer underground parking for $20.00 a night. Otherwise, there is night street parking and a couple of lots close by. Though this review focusses specifically on the 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom penthouse apartment where we spent 6 nights, 3 of us first spent 1 night in two large single rooms, while awaiting availability of the Penthouse apartment. Each large room included a king bed, with end tables and lamps, a wall mounted TV, and a seating area, plus a good sized bathroom with large walk in shower. These 1 bedroom units include a small kitchen with a mini fridge, and stove top, microwave and dishwasher. Suffice to say that both the single units and the Penthouse we stayed in, are beautifully and relatively recently decorated, and very comfortable. The Penthouse apartments are large and feel quite new, like the single units. Similarly they are well appointed, and nicely decorated, with lots of light. The upstairs consists of one bedroom, with a king bed, end tables, table lamps and a wall mounted TV, plus an ensuite bathroom. The bedroom space is tight which of course, can't be helped, and so there's minimal drawer storage though enough if you plan it out well. There's a wide, deep ledge in front of the window, so one of us used that to lay out clothes, and toiletries, while the other used the shelves in the closet and though we needed more hangers, there was enough hanging space for 2 of us. The suites are relatively new so having what felt like new bathrooms was a bonus. The upstairs bathroom has no counter space but under counter storage, a large shower and it's well designed. There is no door at the top of the stairs into that bedroom/bathroom, so if privacy is an issue, be prepared. The main floor houses a small kitchen, with a microwave, full fridge and stove, flat cooktop, plus dishwasher and just enough plates, cups, glasses and utensils to get by. Don't plan on cooking a big meal though. It's best for breakfast, and serving up take-away. The adjacent living space had a large, 'pleather' (ie: looks like but isn't leather) couch and matching chair and the flat screen TV is mounted on the wall beneath a media unit, and across from the couch so it's a pleasant place to sit. Behind the occasional chair, is a small dining table, seating 6, then a sliding door, and screen out to a large but unfurnished patio. It would be nice to offer up 4 outdoor chairs and a couple of small side tables to enjoy a cocktail. The 2nd bedroom on the main floor, is larger than the upstairs, and houses a Queen size bed, end tables, with lights, and a closet. There is no TV in that room; something else they should add. The 2nd, large bathroom is across f
I stayed at a Imperial backpackers two years ago and was very keen to persuade my four friends to stay with me this time. Frustratingly, a bunch of little irritating things add up to a negative review, when actually Imperial backpackers should be a great place to stay. The kitchen is great, with lots of equipment and fridges and space for your food. The hot water in the bathrooms takes a while but it’s really hot when it does come through. Beds are comfy and the room had an efficient heater. And there’s a guy called John who is so helpful – he was a guest last time. I was there, but now he works for the organisation. All in all, it should be a five star place. However, in the past couple of years, I don’t think they’ve done much maintenance In our room, the locker doors were either locked shut or couldn’t be shut (and there was no place to put the padlock that the website suggested we bring!). Our flyscreens were also badly torn, while in our friends’ room across the hall, there were gaps at bottom and top of the windows, which let in both freezing blasts of winter air, and the hideous smell of cigarette smoke from directly beneath the windows. Stuffing several towels in the gap eventually did the trick, but it shouldn’t be necessary. And there’s a bunch of inaccurate/ misleading/ dangerous signage. Firstly, there are 2 huge fire doors as you climb the stairs from the night entrance. They both have large signs saying they must be kept shut at all times (they are, after all, fire doors). But they are both left open all the time, and I was told have been for a while. On the main entrance door, opposite reception, the biggest sign says office house are 9-5.30pm (same as last time) but right below it is another sign saying office hours are 9.30-230pm This shorter opening time impacted our stay in several ways,l. With that office only open from 930 to 230pm, eerything else is “ after hours”. So, if you want to use the laundry - you pay a deposit and a per hour fee - you have to do so between 930 and 2:30 pm. If you want to leave your bags during the day, after checking out at 10 am, you can only do so till 2:30 pm. (Last time we left our bags until 5pm , when we got the Skybus to the airport(. We phoned the Imperial number, at 3pm on day 2 , to ask for a second key to our room, and we’re told that there would be an “after hours fee” of $20, even though it was still 3 pm. None of this happened on our first visit, and the website doesn’t mention that all the services mentioned are only available 5 hours/ day. So, like I said, I should be giving a great rating, but I’d go for 2 1/2 stars.