I'm an oldie, but often stay in Backpackers as you usually meet interesting people, and I get on with younger folk. I took a private room, which was on the ground floor and adjacent to the pool. Unfortunately there was a lot of drunken shouting the first night, and an equally noisy drunken birthday party in the arvo of my 2nd stay. The A/C system is bizarre - centrally controlled, it is either off or full on.
My 1st night I froze, despite the helpful Irish bloke at the desk turning it up to 23 deg. The 2nd night I chose to have it turned off after about 10, and the room got hot and stuffy. No-one seems to police the quiet time [I reckon after 11 or so things should be settling down], so I had loud conversation outside my window till very late. The little Dutch girl does not have enough English - she botched 2 messages for me, and told me I had to shift rooms when Fraser found - after I'd repacked and was checking out - that I didn't have to shift at all. Apart from this girl the staff were unfailingly friendly and helpful. I'm not an old grump - I think I was unlucky - but the ambience around the place, in the kitchen and elsewhere, was not conducive to the kind of interaction I've come to expect at Backpackers.
Perhaps the place is just too big.
I certainly would not stay there again.