MOM Darwin

I've never been in such a dirty hostel with such bad customer service before.

The hygiene is terrible. When I arrive in my room, the previous guest’s sheets are still on my bed and I am told to remove them myself. So the bed has even been properly cleaned between guests, which is disgusting and unacceptable. The air conditioning is freezing cold, yet I am only given a thin sheet and no blanket. It is very uncomfortable to sleep in those conditions. There is also a serious lack of respect in the dorms. People are having sex in the room while others are trying to sleep. I work early in the morning and stay in a hostel to get some rest, not to listen to that all night. I have also personally witnessed theft during my stay, which made me feel very uncomfortable and unsafe. The showers are dirty, the rooms are dirty, and overall the whole place feels neglected and poorly managed. For $65 a night, this is honestly shocking. The standards of cleanliness, comfort and security are nowhere near what I would expect for that price. I would not stay here again and would not recommend it to others.

This place feels like an absolute dump, maybe I start to get to old for hostels however I have stayed in plenty also recently, that were clean and had a good vibe. It's dark, shabby and smells like drugs in every corner. Towel rental ? nope buy one for 10$ loose your key 20$ store your bag 10$ per day. I totally understand why this hostel is not part of YHA anymore, take the sign off that's still hanging and do better 🙄

Stayed here for 2–3 nights and unfortunately had quite a frustrating experience. 🥶 Air-conditioning issue The dorm air-conditioning was freezing and couldn’t be adjusted. The blanket was very thin and I couldn’t sleep. At around 3am I went to reception for help, but there was no one there and no answer on the phone. I had to wait around and find the night receptionist. 😡 Plate & cutlery deposit hassle (main issue) Kitchen had no plates or cutlery unless you get them from reception with a $10.18 card deposit, but only $10 is refunded (no cash option, so $0.18 is lost as bank fee). This was not clearly explained upfront. I RETURNED THE ITEMS BUT DIDN'T RECEIVE REFUND. I had to ask again during checkout while rushing to the airport. I left my number and asked them to contact me any updates, but no one did. I called the hostel mainly because of this $10 deposit. It felt very unnecessary to spend so much time and effort to finally get back the $10. 🚗 Transport info Reception only suggested taxis to the airport, but there is actually a free public bus option. I took buses 10 and 3 plus 10min walk. It works fine, but schedules are limited so you need to plan ahead. ✖️ No parking There was no hostel parking available during my stay, which was inconvenient for travellers with a car. 🤷🏻 Noise vs facilities Laundry closes at 9pm, but loud party music continues late into the night. Strange priority when basic facilities are restricted but noise isn’t controlled. For context, I’ve stayed in many hostels over the years, and this is the first time I’ve ever left a 1-star review. The main reason is honestly the $10 deposit system (plus bank fee loss) and how much I had to chase it just to get it back. Overall, it’s a budget hostel in Darwin and may suit longer stays with weekly rates. But for a short stay, my experience was disappointing. ❗Update: After the owner's public reply stating that "your deposit was indeed refunded successfully before you left", I emailed them directly. Their own records showed that my call log matched the time the refund was processed, contradicting that statement. Because this involved a refundable deposit, I consider it a serious issue. Despite being presented with the evidence, there has been no correction to their public response, no acknowledgement of the mistake, no apology, and no reply to my emails. From my perspective, this makes their response appear dishonest and misleading. The claim that there was "no record" of me raising these concerns only reinforces my impression that customer feedback is not taken seriously. 👎🏻