walking . is . overrated

We all know that good budget accommodation is hard to find. And I’m sure many of you know that finding good accessible budget accommodation is even harder. So it’s with great pleasure that I present my overdue review of Wellington’s YHA.

Location: Located directly opposite a local supermarket, it is incredibly central, situated just a few minutes walk from many of Wellington’s fantastic attractions. Te Papa, the waterfront, and the many cafes and op-shops are all within easy walking / wheeling distance. Car parking is not available, as far as I’m aware. We ‘borrowed’ a supermarket carpark hehe

Accessibility: Well for a hostel it’s pretty decent. There’s a little ramp up to the entrance, and all the other areas of the hostel are easily accessible, including the kitchen, games room, and ‘chillout zone’. The rooms themselves are tiny, and I apologise for not having a photo up (but here’s someone else’s), but it’s basically -bed- , -gap- , -bed-. The gap fits my wheelchair, but not a lot of turning space! Having said that, it is definitely liveable. The room has a mirror, temperature control, and all linen is included. Do note that these ‘accessible rooms’ have wider doorways than others, so make sure you request them in advance.

As for the bathroom (see, I did get a picture of this!), it is first and foremost communal. While this might put some of you off, I never once had an issue with other people using it when I needed to. This might be due to the big ‘wheelchair’ sign on it, and there being other able-bodied-only bathrooms on the same floor, but in any case, it was much less gross-hostel-bathroom and much more ensuite-across-the-hall. The shower temperature left a lot to be desired, it must be said, but in terms of access it’s a hell of a lot better than this one! It has a wheel-under sink, a regular L-shaped rail and toilet combo, and a flip-down plinth of a shower chair. It wasn’t the most comfortable thing in the world, but it was practical, and hey, you get what you pay for.

Oh one last thing on the bathroom, I found the lock really hard to use on the bathroom door. So difficult, in fact, that I often used the toilet / had showers with the door unlocked, because I simply couldn’t push the switch down. A little disappointing, and worth noting if you have poor hand strength. Let’s hope they do something about it!

Speaking of money, the room we stayed in cost $74/night, so divided by 2 it worked out at around $37/night each, which is very reasonable really! Other things worth mentioning is that the lift access is excellent, and the doors are opened with those swipe cards, so no need to fumble with tricky locks - hurrah!

Like I said, you get what you pay for, but if you’re looking for good wheelchair accessible budget accommodation in Wellington central, you really can’t beat the YHA!

(Official site here)

THE LOWDOWN:

• Right in the heart of the city, everything is within walking distance
• Friendly and helpful staff
• Great amenities for a hostel, the whole place was very clean and had a great atmosphere
• Accessible rooms with wider doorways, but still fairly small
• Bathroom ticks all the access boxes, but is let down by small things like a ’stuck’ lock and an uncomfortable plinth for a shower chair
• Overall accessibility rating: 3 / 5