Around the Planet

I mentioned earlier in this blog that Sydney is Australia’s most expensive city. It is also the 21st most expensive city in the world, which immediately creates a problem for the numbers of backpackers who flock here each year, in search of culture, the outdoor life, beaches and fun. However help is at hand in terms of a budget place to stay, known as Sleeping with the Enemy.

Now, a hostel with a name like that tends to grab your attention. Sleeping with the Enemy is in fact a collection of communal houses in Sydney, run in a manner similar to a hostel, offering “clean, safe and secure accommodation”. The houses are aimed principally at providing a base for travellers who want to stay in Sydney for some time, the minimum being one month. One house, known as The Zoo is within walking distance of Darling Harbour and has the luxury of its own swimming pool in the back garden. The house known as Number 69 is in the Bohemian village known as the Glebe, which has plenty of reasonably priced cafes, where backpackers and the like tell stories of their recent travels. Despite being so hippy-ish, the Glebe is only ten minutes away from Sydney’s central business district.

The houses have sleek modern furnishings, and clean, well-fitted kitchens – in fact they remind me of the Big Brother house.

With rates starting at only $120 (Australian dollars) per week, all bills inclusive, Sleeping with the Enemy offers a reasonable standard of accommodation at a budget price, which is handy if you want an extended stay in Sydney.

If you want to stay at Sleeping with the Enemy, then your first move is to organise a house tour – presumably at this you can then discuss arrangements, and perhaps they also decide whether you will fit in or not.

There is now a Sleeping with the Enemy in Cairns too, and there is one to open soon in Melbourne, which makes that budget tour of Australia all the more feasible.