The hostel reception opening hours are from 8am - 6pm daily. You will find friendly, attentive staff at reception during office hours. If you have any queries come and talk to us. Payment options available are: cash, credit card (Visa and Mastercard) and Eftpos.
If you are arriving on a late flight, or have a long day of driving ahead of you, then a late check-in is easily arranged. Just enquire when you are making your reservation and we will organise this for you. We can also pre-book your early morning airport shuttle if you are planning to catch an early flight.
Dorset House Backpackers Hostel has 15 quality guest rooms which have 5 different budget accommodation options: Double, Twin, Small Double, Single and Share . All the beds are fully made with sheets, duvets and pillows and all rooms have bedside tables and lamps. The rooms are clean, light and airy with large windows. All rooms are situated close to a shared bathroom. Share rooms take either three or four people - no huge noisy dorms here, and no bunks either. Guests describe our rooms as comfortable, homely bedrooms.
The kitchen at Dorset House is spacious and sunny. Facilities include: two large dining tables, four separate cooking units, one large oven, two small ovens, two microwaves, three fridges and plenty of food storage. There is always plenty of room available even when the house is full. All cooking utensils, crockery and cutlery are provided as well as free tea, coffee and sugar. The kitchen is cleaned and tea towels and dish cloths are changed on a daily basis. Adjacent the kitchen is a large balcony with plenty of seating and tables available. This is a great place to enjoy a relaxing breakfast and catch the warmth of the morning sun.
In total there are five full bathrooms (toilet and shower combined), three individual showers and two individual toilets at Dorset House. All of these are situated throughtout the house in close proximity to all rooms for your convenience. Efficient gas heating means there's always plenty of hot water available. Hand towels and bath mats are provided, as is hand soap and toilet paper. The cleaning of these facilities is completed on a daily basis including changing the hand towels and bathmats. Towels and bathrobes are available for hire at reception.
Dorset House is a historic building, built as a private family home in 1871. Bathrooms are plentiful, very close to the rooms (and individual-style), however we do not have private ensuite bathrooms or bathrooms that open directly onto individual guest rooms. All guest rooms are within just 3 - 7 metres from the nearest bathroom.
While backpacking, there is always a need for a well equipped laundry. The laundry at Dorset House provides you with two washing machines, two dryers, an iron and ironing board, as well as a washing line situated in a sunny spot outside. The washing machines and dryers are operated by coin machines and you can purchase washing powder sachets from reception.
The lounge otherwise known as the ‘Old Chapel’, was the original Drawing Room, built as an anniversary gift for the wife of the house's first owner. At 15.7 by 5.4 metres, it is a very large room with plenty of comfortable couches and is a great space for relaxing and socialising. Facilities included a pool table, various board games and jigsaws, internet computers with CD burning and Skype, TV, DVD player (a selection of DVD’s are available for hire from reception), Cable TV, a variety of books for exchange and a stereo.
Here at Dorset House we understand the importance of staying in touch while you're travelling. Dorset House Backpackers Hostel has two guest computers with word processing, spread sheet, printing, SKYPE, USB ports and CD burning functions. This means you can download your photos from your digital camera and burn them to CD, email your friends with your latest holiday pictures or create and print an ad when selling your trusty travel car!
These desk top machines are coin operated and cost just $3 per hour, or $1 for 20 minutes (they take any NZ coins, just ask at reception if you need a note changed).
If you are travelling with your own laptop and don't need to use our computers, then wireless internet (WiFi) is also available, free of charge. Just ask reception for an access voucher. WiFi is accessible in the kitchen and lounge, and also in some bedrooms.
There is a large screen TV in the guest lounge, with comfortable couches creating a very cosy TV viewing corner. The TV has both a DVD player and Cable television.
Sky television enables you to catch up on global news by providing reports from both BBC and NBC. There are also various other entertainment channels such as Discovery, National Geographic, movie channels and sports channels such as ESPN. You definitely will not be bored with the wide selection on offer.
If there happens to be a wet day or you have spent enough time walking around the tourist sights, why not relax and watch a DVD? DVD’s are available for borrowing free of charge from reception. A great selection of movies are at your disposal including: “Dazed and Confused”, “Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon”, “Lord of the Rings” and “Finding Neverland” amongst others. Or borrow a copy of Kiwi classic film 'Once Were Warriors" - hard-hitting but well worth watching. Other Kiwi classics include 'Whale Rider', early Peter Jackson favourite 'The Frighteners', 'Smash Palace' and heaps more. The DVD player is situated in the lounge with a wide screen TV and comfy couches for great movie watching!
The pool table is available in the lounge free of charge and is a great way to have fun, meet other travellers, chat and share the stories of your adventures.
The lounge and kitchen both have a stereo for your use, whether you are cooking, having some drinks or shooting some pool, music is always a great companion. Both stereos in the lounge and kitchen have a CD player, tape deck and AM and FM radio.
You will find the board games stacked in the lounge and there are plenty to choose from including sets of cards. Most of the games are group activities: Upwords, Backgammon, Scrabble and Yahtzee, and are all a great way for you to get to meet new people.
The pay phone located in Reception that takes $1 and $2 coins and also allows you to use pre-pay phone cards. A Fax machine is also available during Reception hours. Ask Reception for our rates for sending Local, National and International faxes.
The Lounge is heated by gas in compliance with the Clean Heat Project that aims to improve air quality in Christchurch during the winter months. All rooms are heated by electric heaters in winter and for those chilly nights hot water bottles, extra blankets and duvets are available from reception.
Dorset House has recently completed building a Lock-Up Room, if you are travelling New Zealand with your bike, skis or snowboard we now have the facilities to keep all your property safely stored in our secure purpose built Lock-Up Room.
Dorset House offers you beautiful surroundings with a garden full of vibrant colours. You can enjoy the evening relaxing at one of the many tables and chairs scattered around the garden. Or make the most of good weather in the peaceful, sheltered environment. The balcony upstairs catches the morning sun and allows you to sit back and enjoy the views of Hagley Park.
Dorset House offers six off-street car parks located at the back of the building, for hostel guest use. These car parks are available on a "first come first served" basis. On street parking on Dorset Street is directly outside the hostel is restricted to 2 hours, however, on street parking on Dorset Street on the opposite side of the street to the hostel is unlimited.
Dorset House offers free WiFi vouchers for guests. Just ask at reception for your access code, and surf to your heart's content! We also have standard cable based internet available at a low cost.
