Sydney Backpackers

Our Awesome Reception Crew

admin — Thu, 06 Jun 2013 21:18:34 +0000

Work doesn’t seem like work when you are surrounded by people having amazing amounts of fun, here at Nomads Westend we’re all about having fun. The reception crew, known (internally) as the “Dream Team” will rock your world! They have fun and they stop at nothing to ensure that our wonderful backpacking guests are having an amazingly fun time as well! The crew is filled with people from various countries who all bring different characteristics to the place:

Manon (Manonie)

She came to Sydney for her studies and to write her thesis. She is a crazy and cheerful Dutchie who has worked for Nomads Westend for more than a year. Initially she was planning to stay a few months, but she just never left.

Helen (Hels Bels)

An amazing & crazy party woman, if you want to party with someone then Helen is the one you want to be with. She is the champ if it comes to drinking!

Ryan (London)

Ryan is a bubbly and lovable person. He is enthusiastic about his work and is always doing his best. He is the person you need to go to if you want to go to an amazing party. So party animals: go and find Ryan!

Jonas

Jonas is a real sweetie. A person you must meet. He is from Germany and when he speaks he has the sexiest German accent! You will fall in love with this amazing accent. Did I mention he was German? Schnitzel!

Phill

This Aussies favourite job is talking to girls. So girls: when you want a good chat you know who you need to find! He has been working with us for 5 years now and is a very nice and charming person but can be a little lazy every now and then!

Alun

You will see this friendly Kiwi giant only at night time. If someone has a problem or question at night, you can always depend on Alun.

Iris

The best Dutch intern here, who can even speak Japanese. Iris is very sweet & nice! She is a great teacher and she has an amazing taste in music. If you want to have a nice chat and a good laugh, Iris is the one you need to find.

Yorrick

The newest member at our awesome reception, he is another Dutchie! The weirdest person here but he is very nice and awfully tall so you’ll recognise him straight away. He knows the best places to climb in Sydney so ask him any questions about it!

Gabi

Gabi is so amazing, he can speak 4 languages fluently; Italian, French, Spanish and Portuguese. When working with him, you will no doubt be amazed with his talent. He is such a sweet guy and very helpful!

Phoei-Yi

Phoei-Yi is our Dutch intern of Chinese descent. She also can speak a lot of languages. With Dutch, Mandrin, Cantonese and English under control, she is very helpful to us. She is a very bubbly person and loves to make people happy at reception!

So that’s the “Dream Team”! Make sure you drop in to join in the fun and say hi, they’ll be expecting you…

Author: Iris

Come on down to Westend Backpackers Hostel, Sydney and meet the awesome staff.

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Westends Fantastic Managers

admin — Thu, 30 May 2013 22:16:20 +0000

Recently, we had to say goodbye to our manager who had been with us for quite a while. This was a sad time, but it also made way for a new management team to brighten up our Sydney hostel.

First, the decision was made to hire an assistant manager. A lovely lady from London named Mel, short for Melanie.

Mel is the most enthusiastic assistant manager you will ever meet. She is so passionate about her job and she will do anything to make guests as comfortable as possible. She loves calling people by pet names such as ‘lovely’ and ‘beautiful’, which makes guests feel really welcome and always puts a smile on their faces.

During crunch times she is on top of things and likes to make sure everyone is doing their job properly and as efficiently as possible. Also when there are problems with guests, Mel is very good at handling these. She stays really polite and is very good at calming people down. This is a very good feature.

Then we have Sam; our new general manager. Sam is a cool surfer dude who also happens to be a great manager. He is the sweetest guy and very easy to talk to. Just like Mel, he is very passionate about his job and he always makes sure everything in the hostel is running smoothly and there are no problems. He is always very busy because he helps out a lot with things that normally could be done by any other person in our team, but Sam likes to be involved as much as possible. That way he has a more hands-on experience which is a very good attitude. Also this way guests get to see the face behind the people who run this beautiful hostel.

Everyone will definitely agree that this management team is truly a very valuable addition to Sydney hostel family. Stay awesome you two!

A Dutchie’s encounter with Sydney

admin — Thu, 23 May 2013 22:10:31 +0000

Encountering Sydney for the first time… I think there is no real secret when I say that Sydney isn’t really like anything we have in The Netherlands. I mean sure, there are a few cities we would call big, but nothing like Sydney.When I first arrived the first thing I noticed was all of the hills… the elevation. The Netherlands are so flat that whenever we see hills, we get excited, it’s not even funny.

I really noticed people in Sydney are really conscious about their health. Every morning when I am making my way to work, which is a 15 minute walk, I come across so many people who are exercising. They are everywhere you look!

Also, there’s something about the way people greet you when you walk into a shop, or when you are on the phone with someone. It’s always: Hey, how are you? It sounds so much like something of a routine, that in the beginning I never really knew what to say. Just good? Or do I also ask them how they are doing? Then again, the term “No worries” also sounded really strange to me when I first heard it. So apparently people are worried when they say thank you in Australia? But the weird thing is, I sometimes catch myself saying it now too, funny how something can seem so strange at first but when you hear it over and over again, it feels totally normal! Thank you? No Worries!

Another thing that is really something that came to my attention is that everyone is so tanned here! As I lay on the beach the other day, this was after having lived in Sydney for almost 2 months, I had this weird epiphany, why is everyone so much more tanned than I am? I am truly the whitest one here I feel… My friend made an excellent point some time ago; the Dutch sun doesn’t tan you! That’s why we are all so white when we first come to Australia, because you just walk outside and get tanned… Us Dutchies have to go to whole other countries if we find the need to get rid of our eye-blindingly white skin.

One thing I still cannot get over is the fact that there are so many bugs, and annoying bugs at that, that we do not have in The Netherlands. Take flies for example. I think for you Aussies, swatting flies away is nothing more to you than just an unfortunate encounter. “Ah, there’s another one…”

The other day I was sitting at a cafe and a huntsman spider decided to take a stroll along the wall next to me. This was my first encounter with one of these monstrosities and I can honestly say he ruined me. There is no ignorance to be blissful about anymore, that time has gone, never to return again.

I think it is safe to say that The Netherlands are really different from Sydney, but I find it’s not so hard to get used to the way things are done here. For all you Dutchies reading: No worries, you’ll be just fine!

Come on down to Westend Backpackers Hostel, Sydney.

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Football in Sydney

admin — Sun, 12 May 2013 21:12:50 +0000

There’s no better way to get involved with the Australian culture than to get yourself to a sporting arena to watch some football. You will encounter a vast variety of locals from family’s on a day out, groups of friends there to support their team, lifelong supporters, the diehard fans that sing along to their teams song and do not stop chanting through the entire match. It all creates a great atmosphere that will get you cheering along.

In Australia it can get a little confusing because there are four different sports that people tend to call football, there is:

Australian Rules Football – which is generally referred to as “AFL” and is a unique code to Australia. It originated in the state of Victoria so has a huge following down in Melbourne. Over the past few years the sport has experienced massive growth and has expanded throughout Australia with several teams spread across all of the Australian states. The first time you watch this game it will look disorganised and you will not really know what rules they are playing by, however by the end of the game you will have picked up what it’s all about and possibly get hooked. It is quite different to other codes of football and of the football options you have to see in Sydney this code generally attracts the most spectators week in, week out creating a great atmosphere. The ladies usually like AFL because the guys playing always wear really short shorts that look really uncomfortable to most other guys.

Rugby League – has been the most popular form of football in the states of New South Wales and Queensland for quite some time. Over the years Rugby League has grown to include teams in Melbourne and also New Zealand. The most anticipated games out of any football code of the year is the Rugby League “State of Origin” series. The best players are selected from New South Wales and Queensland and they play three games over a six week period. The first for 2013 is in Sydney on the 5th of June at ANZ Statium, so make sure you book your tickets to see what it’s all about. It’s very competitive, the fans will be screaming over each other and the players get very rough. It makes for some great entertainment.

Rugby Union – has a large following all over the world and this is very evident in Australia and Sydney. Most people know how this game works and whenever there is a game on in Sydney it will be sure to sell out so make sure you get your tickets early, especially if it is a game of Australia versus New Zealand. There is a bit of long rivalry there and although in recent years New Zealand have tended to win more, I am sure it is only a matter of time when Australia start to get back on top.

Soccer – I know the Europeans dislike this word and at times pretend to not know what we’re talking about when we refer to the “world game” as soccer. Everyone in the world loves this game and there is certainly no difference here is Sydney. With the addition of a new team in Western Sydney this year, soccer has experience growth and developed a level of passionate supporters that has not been seen in any code in Sydney or Australia.

Whatever your preference, grab a group of friends or fellow travellers and pick a team and go and get involved in the Sydney sporting culture. You will have an amazing day, probably leave with no voice because you have been screaming so loud for the team you have been supporting and be motivated to head down the park with a football of some description to start your own game.

Come and stay with us at Nomads Westend, and find a football match to enjoy!

5 things you should know about Westend

admin — Sun, 21 Apr 2013 22:21:59 +0000

When you come to Sydney the choices between hostels are endless. How the hell do you know what hostel is best for you and how do you know you’re not going to be locked in a dungeon when you arrive?

There are of course the reviews that are on websites like hostelworld and hostelbookers, but everyone has different standards and some are easier to satisfy than others so there is no real basis for comparison.

To make your choices a little easier, here is a list of things you should know about Nomads Westend Backpackers hostel before you come there.

Almost all of the staff are European and a lot were backpackers themselves before starting to work for the hostel, so they know exactly what it’s like to carry those huge backpacks that are bigger than the person carrying them!
The reception is open 24 hours and there is security in the building and the men behind reception at night are real tough guys so don’t mess with them…
Some staff members actually stay in the hostel itself, so they can party just as hard as everyone!
The hostel has an entertainment manager whose job it is to organise events every day and go out partying almost every night with all the backpackers. Wouldn’t you love to get paid for that?
Westend Backpackers can sleep up to 300 people. Especially in the weekend it is really full and on level 1 there is always a party going on at night!

Now that you know these 5 things about Nomads Westend Backpackers hostel, it isn’t so difficult of a choice anymore is it? If you are looking for a lot of parties and activities to do, there is always something going on. So get your butt down here!

Come and stay with us at Nomads Westend, and find out yourself!

Japanese restaurants in Sydney

admin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 21:41:36 +0000

Before I came to Sydney, I had a somewhat different idea of what kind of people I would come across when walking on the streets of Haymarket; the neighbourhood where Nomads Westend Backpackers hostel is situated.

To my delight everywhere you look there are Asian restaurants and shops. I spent 6 months in Japan so I was used to seeing a lot of shops like this around, and it felt nice and familiar.

A lot of the restaurants here in Haymarket are Japanese restaurants and they are such a great representation of the Japanese cuisine you will experience in Japan. I am actually from the Netherlands and we have some restaurants that claim to be Japanese restaurants, however in all honesty they are not to the standard you will find in Japan or in the surrounding restaurants of Nomads Westend.

The other thing that really adds to the culture that is really Japanese is the fact that everyone working in the restaurant shouts: “Irasshaimase!” (Welcome) when you come in and “Arigatou gozaimashita!” when you leave again.

Aside from that, the thing I always liked in Japan was the free green tea you could get with your meal. This is also an offering in most of the Japanese restaurants in the Haymarket area of Sydney, I really think it’s a good thing that a lot of the dishes you can order in these kinds of restaurants are things other than sushi. I have the feeling that Japanese cuisine does not get enough credit for its dishes. I’m sure if you ask any random person what Japanese they know that most of them will not get any further than naming a couple kinds of sushi.

I think it’s really cool that Haymarket has so many Japanese restaurants here to choose from. It’s really something else

Come and stay with us at Nomads Westend, and try a few of the local Japanese restaurants yourself!

Free BBQ at Coogee beach

admin — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 05:28:46 +0000

Sun, Sea, Sand and… Sausages!

Well not just sausages, bacon, burgers, salad, cheese and buns to make sure you have an awesome, and filling a day at our BBQ beach day down on Coogee beach every single Tuesday!

Being a newby to any hostel can be a daunting task, big crowds of rowdy backpackers and not having a clue how in integrate into them, that’s why here at Nomads Westend Backpackers we have a jam packed week of different activities to make sure you make friends and have lots of fun however long you stay with us.

Tuesday is probably Westends favorite day of the week, what better way to spend your day than chilling in the sun, topping up your tan and getting a free grub (Backpackers love free stuff!!!)

Coogee beach is the less popular but better looking little sister to Bondi, still cram packed full of beautiful women (and men) with with more character than her bigger sister Bondi.

Coogee Beach is only a short bus journey away from Westend, but its definitely worth the wait, setting off from the hostel, Coles bags full of food in hand, you start to meet and greet your new friends that you have just met. The bus journey is the perfect place to get rid of the standard ”5 backpackers Questions” How long have you been in Australia? Where else have you been? Etc Etc

(We backpackers all know what these questions are, we’ve asked them a thousand times)

Once the pleasantries are out the way, the fun can begin, after getting off the bus, the first priorities need to be set in motion… Who is the Goon Runner? You can’t have a day at the beach without a few drinks! Once that short straw has been pulled we set off to one of the many different BBQs around the Coogee beach area and start to have a fun fuelled day in the sun!

After the BBQ has been demolished, and it usually doesn’t take long we head down the beautiful yellow sand, set up camp, go for a swim and relax for the rest of the day, what better way to spend a Tuesday afternoon!

Come and stay with us at Nomads Westend Backpackers hostel, Sydney!
We know how to have fun!

Become our friend or follow our tweets!

Manly Beach

admin — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 22:12:18 +0000

Situated.on.Sydneys North Shore, Manly beach is the laid back and significantly cooler cousin of Bondi Beach.

The long beach has been a popular destination and you can say that surfing was born here. What’s more it’s only a half hour ferry ride from Circular Quay, just short enough to be a nip over long enough to feel like you’re going on a holiday for a day!

The beach front has plenty of hire shops for surf boards, roller skates and volleyballs, as well as loads of bars and coffee shops to dip in and out of too if the heat gets too much, but my advice would just be jump in that crystal clear water!

Manly beach itself is a lovely, sandy beach with great facilities for surfers and families alike. I took the scenic walk and could not help being distracted by the water front mansions I will never be able to afford.

Manly Beach is just awesome, but without the pretentiousness of its rival Bondi Beach. Hop into your swimsuit, grab a magazine, a beer and a water toy (i.e. surfboard) and you’re good to go. If you’re near the seawater pool, climb through the tunnel and scale the cliffs to get a peek into some awesome tide pools at the northern beaches.

Take a hike into the other direction to sunbath on Shelly beach and kick it with some mates. There is plenty to see along the Manly coastline and beyond that, plenty of places to recharge if you are tired if seeing the city. Grab a beer on the upper terrace of any Manly lined bar, and you might just think you’ve found paradise.

The best part for me about Manly is the ferry ride itself because you get to see all of Sydney’s iconic attractions from the Opera House to the Sydney Harbour Bridge, you really get the feeling of that you are on a holiday, and you generally get a great vibe about Sydney.

My only advice is to get as many photos as you can and don’t forget your camera like me.

Come and stay with us at Nomads Westend Backpackers hostel, Sydney!

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Partying at Side Bar

admin — Sun, 13 Jan 2013 04:12:51 +0000

Sydney is an epic and awesome place to visit, stay, play and PARTY!
There is no doubt that us Westenders love nothing more than to put on our dancing shoes and party the night away.

One of our favourite places to shake and shimmy is the legendary Side Bar on Pitt Street! It has so much to offer from pool competitions, themes nights, DJ’s that are guaranteed to get you grinding and extremely talented live band (which by the way are very easy on the eye!)

During the day time you see a different side to Side Bar with its relaxed atmosphere, delicious pub grub and an awesome outside seating area which is perfect for catching up with friends with an ice cold schooner!

What I love most about the bar (apart from the cheap drinks) is it’s sociable and relaxed atmosphere - you can go up to any person in there and start a conversation without looking like a weirdo which is always a plus. Also Side Bar is located underneath Wake up – so the bar is always packed with enthusiastic backpackers eager to engage and party.

I remember my first Side bar experience - it was my very first night in Sydney and was one of the many Oz Party bus destinations – Literally knew nobody and at that point I only had one bevvie in me so the nerves were still very much in place – Five minutes into being in this awesome bar there was no stopping me – I was rocking out on the dance floor to the rather dashing band and was to this day one of the best parties I have had in Sydney!

Even after nearly 18 months of being in this wicked city I still frequent visit Side Bar when i am looking to meet new people, have a few drinks and have a great time.

It is the ultimate backpacker bar – if you go on your own you are guaranteed to leave with a new group of friends and a hell of a lot of stories to tell! So don’t hesitate and come parting with us at this amazing bar

Come on down to Westend Backpackers Hostel, Sydney.
We know how to have fun!

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Exciting night at World Bar

kate — Sun, 09 Dec 2012 20:56:07 +0000

Wanting a great night out? Are you in for some fun, like to go out, hang around with people, nice drinks, cosy place but most of all good music and a good ambiance?? Then you should go to World Bar in Sydney! A really cool and exciting place. Nice building. Loads of people every night! If you are staying at Nomads Westend Backpackers Sydney then you can have the time of your life!

Every Tuesday the entertainment team is going to World Bar! You can get a taxi for free! but that’s not the only thing. You also can get 2 free drinks! That’s for the girls. But there is an exception! Boys who dressed like girls can have free drinks the complete night! How amazing is that? Furthermore you have discount the whole night for drinks. World Bar is in Kings Cross. Kings Cross is an amazing place to go out! Especially on tuesdays! If you’re in Sydney you should definitely have to go to World Bar! It is worth it.

The funny thing about World Bar is, is that they’re famous for their lovely classic teapots they sell! Funny white and black teapots with different flavours! Vodka skittles, malibu, blue hawaiian, strawberry liquor and loads more. If you go on tuesday you can have a discount on the teapots. Instead of $18 they are $13!!!! They sell something really cool that make their bar unique. World Bar got 2 different spaces. On your left side a really cool place where you can dance with fancy music. On your right side you’ve got a really english look-a-like place where you can chil out on a sofa with some lovely reggae music. Then there is also a really big terrace on the front. It is not a small place, in fact it is really big.

If you are visiting World Bar once, you want to go every week! So you should have to come. It is awesome!

Picture from The World Bar facebook page

Come and stay with us at Nomads Westend Backpackers hostel, Sydney!

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