Sydney Harbour YHA prices are as low as $46 for a dorm. Discovering the benefits of Sydney Harbour YHA is a revelation for Holiday Goddess editor Sue Ostler, as she stretches out on the roof with other flashpackers. Tip – book your New Year’s Eve room now. Photograph Ethan Roloff.
If the image of spotlessly clean, impeccable accommodation in Sydney Harbour with views to die for doesn’t make you think of a hostel – it’s because you’ve not experienced Sydney Harbour’s best kept secret.
The Sydney Harbour YHA provides both excellent and affordable accommodation in the most enviable position, located just a hop, skip and a jump away from the glamour of Circular Quay, and slap-bang in the middle of Sydney’s historic heart, The Rocks.
With a massive rooftop featuring panoramic views spanning Sydney’s Harbour, the YHA will leave you breathless. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. It is a hostel, not a hotel, manager Ross Lardner reminds me. But what a hostel!
And don’t for a minute expect to find yourself surrounded by crusty backpackers and students – not here. Not a chance. This is not a party hotel and there is not a flea ridden surface in sight. Here you’re more likely to find smiling families, couples and professional travellers settling in for a rooftop gourmet BBQ or DIY pancakes.
The building is easy to miss from the street, not surprising since it is suspended above the remnants of some of Australia’s earliest European settlements. That means you’ll enjoy the surreal experience of looking down at the remains of houses, pubs and laneways that existed way back when, from within the hostel.
That’s just one of the reasons the Sydney Harbour YHA has tallied up some 20 awards in its short but impressive life.
Just three storeys high with dozens of air-conditioned private rooms, equipped with thick foam mattresses for Queen-size beds and private bathrooms (in every room) – this unique YHA provides the ultimate in comfort, cleanliness and cosiness. And for a little extra you can get rooms with a harbour view.
The common areas are also impeccable, from the swish kitchen complete with all the gizmos and gazmos, comfy movie-screening room, internet and recreation areas, sparkling public amenities – and of course, that rooftop.
It’s also worth mentioning that it is the first purpose built environmentally sustainable YHA in a central city location – anywhere. It’s also winner of the Green Initiative Award and Unesco Asia-Pacific Heritage Award for Cultural Heritage Conservation. That means if you pay to stay, you will be helping to preserve this unique historical site.
Situated at 110 Cumberland Street, The Rocks, the Sydney Harbour YHA has to be seen to be believed.
Prices start from an amazing $46 per night for a 4 room same sex dorm and $142 for a private double room.
