The staff are friendly and helpful, and the location is wonderful - right in town where the Victorian Precinct is. Good value for money.

I've been living in rural NZ where it is very quiet at night so I'm used to silence apart from occasional rain, wind and the odd animal noise. I found being in town a bit of an adjustment. The bells chiming through the night, the freight trains at night, the sounds of other guests coming and going, sometimes talking loudly in the hallway. It is a good value place to stay and you might be fine if you are used to a bit of noise, but I found I had quite disrupted sleep here.

A very budget-friendly stay right in the heart of Oamaru, in a quirky old heritage building. Comfortable bed, two well-stocked kitchens, and a nice lounge with fireplace. It's also very close to the historic precinct, cafes, shops etc. Free parking down the alleyway and behind the building, or paid parking on the street.

Note that it's self check-in and we found it a little tricky. We had to go through a side door and find our way to reception, which was locked but our room key was left out. Just be patient and keep looking for reception when you check in! Cleanliness: it's a backpackers so it wasn't pristinely clean but it was very cheap so that didn't really bother us!

I loved that it was a very old building we stayed in built around 1887. The WIFI worked well. Lovely big kitchen and well stocked. They have two kitchens one on the lower level and one on the upper level. We made the mistake of putting our food on the lower-level kitchen, but we moved it to the upper level as that is were we stayed. Close to the city center. Good value for money.

The private rooms are a bit dated. They could do with new carpet, curtains and bedding. You have to do public street parking here. During the day out front of the building is paid parking or there is a free public car parking area the street behind that lines up with the back of the building. It is probably a 3-minute walk to get back to the front of the building.

I had a really good time. It felt like staying with friends with all the great people working there and visiting. I accidentally walked into someone else’s room and walked out with a pair of binoculars and advice where to sit to see the penguins best in the evening show. There’s a fireplace in the common area what makes it really cozy. I got upgraded for free to a private room as there was enough space one night and as I was a bit scared of sleeping in the upper bunk bed as it didn’t had any barriers.

Beautiful old building with plenty of its history dotted about the walls. Excellent location, so close to everything that brings a traveller to Oamaru. A good spot if you want peace & tranquility, good walks and plenty of wildlife (as in penguins roaming the streets at night). Well cleaned and refreshed daily and your dorm bed was dressed on arrival rather than just having the blankets provided. Solid duvet and extra blanket for a cooler night. Two kitchens and a large lounge. Pleasant unisex bathrooms.

The clearance between the lower and top bunk didn’t allow for sitting up in bed if using the lower bed. Top beds had no security railings. They were solid/comfortable, however. Just the more clumsy visitor will need a hard hat!

The staff. Marshall was great. It was comfy and relaxing. The place may look dated, but it's a historic building. All facilities are clean and functional. Bike parking in the cellar. Car parking out back. It's in the best part of town with other historic buildings. It's next door to a cafe and round the corner from Steampunk HQ. Penguins not too far. Other lovely bars and cafes round about. I'll be heading back there.

Marshall is a charming and personable manager. The ambience is friendly and welcoming. The kitchen is well equipped and cleaned morning and evening. The bathrooms are kept very clean and there is always hot water in the showers. The location is absolutely central, so convenient for all attractions yet very quiet. We greatly appreciate the fact that The Empire Hotel is still providing quality accommodation as it did when it was first opened. It continues to be part of Oamaru’s history.

Nothing negative to say.

Big games room, if you go with friends. The location is great (if you need parking, at the back, you have free parking). Comfortable beds.

Take into consideration that there are no power line in the room for charging your phone. I had to charge it in the kitchen when I had my dinner.

Great friendly staff. Woodfire in lounge. Great kitchen. Showers hot and clean. Ample parking out back. Pub, cafes, ATMs, supermarkets in easy walk distance. Quiet part of town. Steampunk HQ and Victoria District a 1-minute walk away. Penguin colony, Farmers Market an easy walk. Used this trip to introduce my 19-year-old autistic son to the concept of hostels - I could not have picked a better place to do it - he loved the place.

Can't fault the place at all - only thing I didn't like was leaving. A pity that it's more than 2000 kms from home!

Affordable backpackers, in a quirky old building. Perfect for us as we were performing at the Harbour Street Jazz and Blues Festival - an easy walking distance from the Empire Hotel Backpackers! And the staff were absolutely lovely.