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Based by the Lake - Hostel

2.0 star property
Lakefront hostel with a restaurant and a bar

Choose dates to view prices

Photo gallery for Based by the Lake - Hostel

Restaurant
Deluxe Double or Twin Room | Free WiFi, bed sheets
Exterior
Interior
Restaurant
Based by the Lake Hostel offers a welcoming atmosphere by the water. Guests enjoy laundry facilities, a restaurant, bar, in-room WiFi, friendly staff, a pool table, and luggage storage for a comfortable experience. Perfect for planning hiking trips or skydiving.

Reviews

7.4 out of 10
Good

Popular amenities

  • Bar
  • Laundry
  • Kitchen
  • Housekeeping
  • Free WiFi
  • Restaurant

Room options

Available filters for rooms
Showing 4 of 4 rooms

View all photos for Shared Dormitory

Shared Dormitory | Free WiFi, bed sheets

Shared Dormitory

Highlights

Heating
Refrigerator
Private bathroom
Shared/communal kitchen
Cookware/dishes/utensils
Stovetop
Toaster
Daily housekeeping
  • Sleeps 1
  • 1 Twin Bunk Bed

View all photos for Double Room

Double Room | Free WiFi, bed sheets

Double Room

Highlights

Heating
Refrigerator
LCD TV
Private bathroom
Shared/communal kitchen
Cookware/dishes/utensils
Stovetop
Toaster
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 Double Bed

View all photos for Deluxe Double or Twin Room

Deluxe Double or Twin Room | Free WiFi, bed sheets

Deluxe Double or Twin Room

7.6 out of 10
Good
(5 reviews)

Highlights

Heating
Refrigerator
LCD TV
Private bathroom
Shared/communal kitchen
Cookware/dishes/utensils
Stovetop
Toaster
  • Lake view
  • Sleeps 2
  • 1 King Bed OR 2 Twin Beds

View all photos for Basic Triple Room

Basic Triple Room | Free WiFi, bed sheets

Basic Triple Room

10.0 out of 10
Exceptional
(2 reviews)

Highlights

Heating
Refrigerator
Private bathroom
Shared/communal kitchen
Cookware/dishes/utensils
Stovetop
Toaster
Daily housekeeping
  • Sleeps 3
  • 1 Double Bunk Bed
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About the neighborhood

Map
7 Tuwharetoa Street, Taupo, North Island, 3330

What's nearby

  • Taupō Museum and Art Gallery - 3 min walk - 0.3 km
  • Taupō i-SITE Visitor Information Centre - 3 min walk - 0.3 km
  • Taupō Marina and Boat Ramp - 6 min walk - 0.6 km
  • A.C. Baths - 4 min drive - 2.9 km
  • Taupō Hot Springs - 4 min drive - 3.2 km

Getting around

  • Taupō Airport (TUO) - 12 min drive

Restaurants

  • ‪McDonald's - ‬4 min walk
  • ‪The Vine Eatery - ‬1 min walk
  • ‪Dixie Brown's Cafe - ‬3 min walk
  • ‪Fast and Fresh Bakery Cafe - ‬4 min walk
  • ‪Piccolo - ‬3 min walk

About this property

Based by the Lake - Hostel

Hostel near Lake Taupō
You can look forward to laundry facilities, a bar, and a restaurant at Based by the Lake - Hostel. Adventurous travelers may like the hiking/biking and skydiving at this hostel. Stay connected with free in-room WiFi.
Other perks include:
  • Luggage storage, free newspapers, and a billiards/pool table
  • A front-desk safe, an elevator, and a vending machine
  • ATM/banking services
  • Guest reviews say great things about the helpful staff
Room features
All guestrooms at Based by the Lake - Hostel have amenities such as free WiFi.
Other amenities include:
  • Communal kitchens with refrigerators, toasters, and stovetops
  • Cookware/dishes/utensils, heating, and daily housekeeping

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  • Free WiFi
  • Laundry
  • Housekeeping
8.6 out of 10, Excellent, 272 reviews
The price is NT$1,836
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includes taxes & fees
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Property amenities

Internet

  • Available in all rooms: Free WiFi
  • Available in some public areas: Free WiFi

Parking and transportation

  • No onsite parking available

Food and drink

  • A bar/lounge
  • A restaurant

Things to do

  • Billiards/pool table
  • Hiking/biking trails
  • Skydiving

Family friendly

  • In-room refrigerator
  • Laundry facilities

Conveniences

  • ATM
  • Free newspapers in lobby
  • Laundry facilities
  • Luggage storage
  • Safe at front desk
  • Shared microwave
  • Shared refrigerator
  • Vending machine

Guest services

  • Change of bedsheets (on request)
  • Change of towels on request
  • Housekeeping (daily)

Outdoors

  • On a lake

Accessibility

  • If you have requests for specific accessibility needs, please contact the property using the information on the reservation confirmation received after booking.
  • Elevator
  • Handrails in stairways
  • Visual alarms in hallways
  • Well-lit path to entrance
  • Wheelchair accessible (may have limitations)
  • Wheelchair-accessible path of travel
  • Wheelchair-accessible path to elevator
  • Wheelchair-accessible public washroom
  • Wheelchair-accessible registration desk
  • Wheelchair-accessible restaurant

More

  • Designated smoking areas

Room amenities

Bedroom

  • Bedsheets provided

Bathroom

  • Shower

Food and drink

  • Cleaning supplies
  • Cookware, dishware, and utensils
  • Refrigerator
  • Shared kitchen access
  • Stovetop
  • Toaster

More

  • Heating

Policies

Check-in

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: anytime
Contactless check-in available
Minimum check-in age: 18

Check-out

Check-out before 10:00 AM
Contactless check-out available

Special check-in instructions

The front desk is open Sunday - Thursday (8:00 AM - 5:00 PM) and Friday - Saturday (8:00 AM - 5:00 AM)
Front desk staff will greet guests on arrival at the property

Access methods

Staffed front desk, smart lock

Pets

Pets not allowed (service animals are welcome, and are exempt from fees)

Children and extra beds

Children are welcome
Rollaway/extra beds are not available
Cribs (infant beds) are not available

Property payment types

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy
Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card, or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges
Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed
This property accepts credit cards, debit cards, and cash
Cashless transactions are available
Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a smoke detector, and a first aid kit

National rating

For the benefit of our customers, we have provided a rating based on our rating system.

Property is also known as

Based by the Lake
Based By The Lake Hostel Taupo
Based by the Lake - Hostel Taupo
Based by the Lake - Hostel Hostel/Backpacker accommodation
Based by the Lake - Hostel Hostel/Backpacker accommodation Taupo

Frequently asked questions

Is Based by the Lake - Hostel pet-friendly?

No, only service animals are welcome at the property.

How much is parking at Based by the Lake - Hostel?

Based by the Lake - Hostel doesn't offer parking.

What time is check-in at Based by the Lake - Hostel?

Check-in start time: 2:00 PM; Check-in end time: anytime.

What time is check-out at Based by the Lake - Hostel?

Check-out is at 10:00 AM.

Where is Based by the Lake - Hostel located?

Located in Taupō Central, this hostel is within a 10-minute walk of Taupō i-SITE Visitor Information Centre and Lake Taupō. Taupō Museum and Art Gallery and Taupō Marina and Boat Ramp are also within 10 minutes.

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Reviews

Based by the Lake - Hostel Reviews

7.4

Good

7.8

Cleanliness

7.2

Amenities

8.2

Staff & service

7.4

Eco-friendliness

7.4

Property conditions & facilities
Rating 10 - Excellent. 38 out of 115 reviews
Rating 8 - Good. 34 out of 115 reviews
Rating 6 - Okay. 24 out of 115 reviews
Rating 4 - Poor. 8 out of 115 reviews
Rating 2 - Terrible. 11 out of 115 reviews

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Callan

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice friendly staff, cozy private room

10/10 Excellent

Jackie

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Easy access to the township. An affordable stay, great value for money.
Stayed 2 nights in Apr 2024

10/10 Excellent

Siu

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great digs for a short stop over, was a bit noisey at times due to thin walls but would stay here again and the staff were ever so helpful and informative thanks.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Shane

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Very tidy, friendly staff very helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

10/10 Excellent

Nicholas

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Good service
Stayed 3 nights in Oct 2024

8/10 Good

Christine

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Central location with easy safe parking, room was w at Ely what was required. Very clean, fresh and tidy. Staff were amazing.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2023

6/10 Okay

Raman

It is good the price we paid for. It’s noisy and small room with bathroom which was nice and clean. Its value for money, no complaints!
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2024

8/10 Good

Dragana

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Nice.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2023

6/10 Okay

Craig

It was ok
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2023

4/10 Poor

Brad

Liked: Staff & service, amenities
What you would expect for the price. Except the noise from the nightclub across the road is unbearable.

10/10 Excellent

Cecilia

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great spot! Nice vibe. Huge kitchen with stuffed fridge worried me a bit on arrival (that it would be loud/party) but everyone was just friendly and chill. Very clean and nice environment, great location in town. Laundry facilities were always busy but I guess that can't always be helped on some dayes
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Verified traveler

Liked: Staff & service
Right in the acti e night life so was quite noisy. Up 3 flights of narrow stairs. Small sized room but adequate for overnight stay. View of the lake yes over the back of the local bars.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2021

8/10 Good

Wendy

Liked: Staff & service
Very basic but all that we needed. We had an amazing view of lake and everything right at our doorstep. Only drawbacks were that there was no fridge in the room, the plumbing from the room next door was very noisy and there is no lift (we were on the third floor). All in all it was good value for money and suited our budget.
Stayed 2 nights in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Vahid

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Great management and maintenance crew. Great location Good price Very peasant environment I was lucky for staying three nights I had a room with a view. May be they gave me a favour. I will be a loyal customer if I travel to Taupo again. I wish them the best in coming Christmas and New year.
Stayed 3 nights in Dec 2022

8/10 Good

David

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Taupo Central

We booked 2 ensuite rooms for 2 couples. The location was excellent. Checkin was great and the staff were pleasant. The rooms were tired but clean. My only negative is that it was very hot in the rooms especially at night and there was only a fan in one of the rooms that we booked. The staff told us that there were not enough fans for everyone.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024

8/10 Good

Mairi

Liked: Staff & service, amenities
No parking your information does NOT SAY BACKPACKERS if I’d known that I would not have booked or stayed

8/10 Good

Evelyn

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Good overall near the lake

We had requested a twin room as we are sisters but had one large double bed. Not terrible but we would have preferred separate beds. The room was lovely and so were the amenities. The lobby could use some upgrading considering it’s the first thing people see when they walk in. Good overall and near the lake
Stayed 1 night in Nov 2023

8/10 Good

Julie

The overall experience was good. I would expect a lift service available when staying on 3rd floor. For someone with weak ankles, it wasn’t ideal walking up and down 3 flights of stairs every time we went out or used the communial kitchen.

6/10 Okay

Patricia

Disliked: Staff & service
No hot water on my second morning Side tables very wobbly
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

4/10 Poor

Jenna

The windows in our room were left open and the ceiling was covered in sandflies because of this. The room smelled quite bad, and there were no forks or spoons available to use in the kitchen.
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2024

6/10 Okay

Sheryl

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
What we were mainly disappointed in was the parking for guests. There is a parking area 1 property further on and you have to be very lucky to get a parking spot. We ended up parking 2 streets over and had a long walk back to our accommodation late at night. Very unsafe for 2 womaen. We were told thst wr were in the middle of town and there would be nightclub noise...never did we think it would be as loud and deafening as it eas. Oribably we should have realised how bad it would be when we saw ear plugs in our tea and coffee vontainer.
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2022

4/10 Poor

Verified traveler

Disliked: Staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort

Convenience the only reason we stayed here

We stayed here last year and booked again well ahead of time and were given a room on the noisy side and up on the top floor and the lift only goes to the first floor, it's got more run down since our last stay, no knob on toilet cistern, no teaspoons, no plug for hand basin and kitchen very rough
Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2025

6/10 Okay

Paul

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
A good back packers, but be aware of 3 flights of stairs if an issue for you. Shame it is opposite the party pub with lousy loud bands.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2025

2/10 Terrible

Myrthe

Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
I don't recommend staying here at all. The noise from other rooms (slamming doors, thin walls) and the noise from outside make for an awful stay. If you do decide to come here, bring earplugs or construction headphones. Even then you'll be vibrated out of your bed. The facilities are sparse and dirty. The kitchen is grimy, disgusting, and missing chairs. Almost all the plastic chairs for the balcony are missing a leg or are completely broken. Sparrows are regularly flying in and out of the kitchen to pick away at breadcrumbs, and leaving birdpoop behind: on the tables, on the counters. We will never return here.
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2025

6/10 Okay

Liliana

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Property was fine, room was clean and was fine. What I didn't like much was the kitchenette as the fridges weren't completely clean.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2024