HI Jeugdherberg De Blauwput Leuven

The free breakfast had a decent selection, and the staff were friendly, helpful, and nice. A great experience.

The receptionist was friendly and nice. I liked the tea, but the rest of breakfast was below average compared with other youth hostels in the same chain. Some eggs would be a welcome addition. The place is large, though my room wasn't very clean, and someone had left underwear on the table.

I stayed a few days in both the 3- and 4-bed dorms, which were spacious and comfortable, and in a double room that was excellent value for two people. There's a nice bar and games room, as well as a quieter lounge, so it's easy to meet people. The location is handy: about a two-minute walk from the train station if you head toward platform 9 and use the back exit. Delhaize is on the left, open until 1930, and the hostel is another 50m up a small hill. The Flixbus terminal is about 300m away. On weekends breakfast, with eggs, is served until 10am; otherwise it runs until 0930.

For an affordable stay in Europe, the hostel covers the basics. But our large conference group was given only two keys per room, even though each room had 4-6 people. It was incredibly hard for strangers sharing a room to coordinate around that. We asked management for more keys, and they said making them was “too expensive.” I wouldn't recommend staying here for that reason.