I really enjoyed staying about 3 weeks at this hostel!!! The location is very good. There are many buses, so you can go around there easily. One sushi is my favorite. Only 2 minutes walking from jailhouse! You can enjoy nice sushi cheaply. The accommodation is always clean and comfortable. You can enjoy interesting inside and spend your cozy time. There are 2 adorable cats Pumpkin and Onion. They’re so sweet. I bought their cute postcards! The worthy of special mention is the wardens(the staffs. They are called that! )They were very sweet and friendly. I’m still learning English, but all of them always were nice to me. I enjoyed movie nights with other prisoners and wardens!! That’s my sweet memory. I’ve already missed them. If I come back to Christchurch, I’ll stay again definitely:)

Pretty much everything. The room was clean and isolated. Common area are cleaned and maintained. The staff is nice. Stayed there for a week end and enjoyed it. A bit far of a walk to the city center. Free parking spot. And two cats.

It’s was cold. They are turning off the heater during the day, it’s 18 degree in the room so If you wanna hang out in your bed, you’ll freeze. We had to ask every single day to change the heater in the evening (they are happily doing it!). The kitchen is very cold as well and the bathroom even worse, not really pleasant to take a shower in the cold (used the upstairs one if you want hot water!!)

Staying in an actual former jailhouse is such a fun and unique experience! There are a few cells, window displays and information panels that show the history of the place, it almost feels like staying at a museum - in the best way possible. You're literally staying in jail so expect your room/cell to be tight. Right now in winter, cells and the main hall are a bit cold, even though there are electric heaters. But every cell comes with extra duvets and a rubber hot water bottle so we could sleep nice and cozy.

The fully automated check-in system is a bit confusing. I wish the explanations were clearer and the automated mail system that gives you critical codes for the check-in faster (we booked just half an hour before arriving and the email with the codes had not reached us when we arrived).

The kitchens are large so it makes it fairly easy to cook with lots of people staying. The beds were comfortable. I liked the history on the walls that you could read & to see the room they’ve kept historically accurate. People seemed to be making good use of the games room

It is a little way out of the centre so it’s good to make use of the public transport but the walk into town is pleasant. It did give the vibe that it maybe wasn’t in the nicest area of the city but nothing bad happened whilst I was there. The bathrooms are a little tricky to get ready in, just due to the space but it’s a converted prison so all part of the experience!

It was very atmospheric and I enjoyed reading the history that you have on the walls in places. My cell was surprisingly comfortable, temperature wise. Not that I used them but you had plenty to keep people entertained on any down time they may have had, tv lounge, pool table, puzzles/books etc I liked the “come and go as you please” nature of the facility and the coded entries made life much easier and gave me 1 less thing to worry about in my holiday (keys). Again, not that I used it, but the inclusion of a kitchen and a fridge to cook and/or store left overs was great. Within walking distance of plenty of good food places and a short drive to the city centre The Halloween decorations added to the atmosphere and enjoyment. The place wasn’t haunted 👍

2 seperate occasions the fire alarm went off, waking the entire jail for apparently no reason as we were told to stand by for further instruction and never received further instruction. The shower controls were a bit weird and VERY touchy. It was too hot so I’d adjust them a fraction, then it was too cold. Just couldn’t find a happy medium. Finally The place wasn’t haunted 😢

Easy to book, friendly staff, I stayed twice (2 diff visits, and extended my second "lock up" an extra night, just switching "cells". Beds were comfy - duvets, no need for sleeping bags here, and spare/extra duvets in room if you got chilly, just bring a towel, though apparently you can hire one if needed. Rooms were clean. I read a review that you cant hear noise from outside your room, you can, but mostly quiet from 10pm to be honest. (booking.com seemed to think I requested a quiet room, I dont remember doing that, just wanting my own room as I can be a terrible sleeper) bathroom was clean, decent shower pressure and hot water. Kitchen facilities were decent, got what you need and although not relevant for my stay, those staying a few days, there are tubs to put your labelled food in on the shelves. Two decent sized tv rooms if that's for you, with book selection , they also put out games for the evening if you so wish. it's about 40min walk into the centre, but it felt much shorter as I walked in via Hagley Park. Oh, and it had off road parking, which is a bonus imo. I'd happily stay here again when I revisit Christchurch. I enjoyed the atmosphere and think it is a good concept of re-using the building.

Nothing springs to mind.

Very cool place where they’ve really made the most of the “jail” experience, nice big communal areas, wifi worked well outside of the bedroom, free parking, lovely helpful staff, let me leave my luggage there when I arrived early before check in

Bathrooms were very cold (I guess this comes with it being an old building, but not great during winter!), the wifi didn’t work whilst sitting on the bed but that was explained due to the thick prison doors, parking was always full and hard to get a space.

I loved the Jail theme of this hostel, the idea of rooms being a prison cell is cool. The room was comfortable and the common area was big. Location of the hostel is top notch and all Christchurch attractions are walkable. Also plenty of restaurants next to the hostel. I also loved the fact that you don't need a physical card or key to unlock your room. I will definitely recommend this hostel.

Wifi could've been better, since the cell/room door is quite thick I guess the Wifi signal couldn't quite penetrate into the room but if you open the door a bit the signal is okay.

Close to the park and a short walk to town centre. In a quiet part of town. Cool hostel in a prison, sleeping in a cell. Staff were helpful, just not always at reception. I loved the 2 resident cats staying there. Big kitchen. Bathrooms were clean. I’d definitely stay here again.

Not much room in the toilet cubicles. Door to my room was loud when people came in or out but the code is a good idea so you can’t misplace keys. Everything else was great.

Great experience, fully equipped kitchen, cells were fun! Lots of cool historical information around the building. Great TV lounge and chill out spaces.

The lack of available parking. Unfortunately we had to park quite far away from the Jailhouse as all the parking spaces were full. Bit of a pain with luggage, food etc. They also need to put a female only toilet on the ground floor.