In Tower Hostel

The dorm was mixed gender, very crowded, and extremely basic, with no storage or personal lights. The website photos were misleading. The mattresses were so worn that they sagged into a valley, and I could almost feel the bed frame underneath. We had to get our own linen from a closet and make the beds. It was rough, the blanket smelled, and there were bits of wood debris on the mattress. My whole body itched, and I couldn't sleep. The whole place felt unclean. Getting there was a struggle from the start. The hostel never contacted me with directions, and it's in a huge courtyard complex with many buildings. I had to ask a local for help. There was only a small note in Belarusian at the dorm entrance. Locals explained that I needed to go to a separate office to get the access code. I made it there without internet on my phone, but after I paid, the receptionist refused several times to show me where the dorm was, saying, "We do NOT take you there." I got upset and explained that I was a foreigner. She replied, "All other foreigners could find it." I asked if she could just step a few meters from her desk and point me toward the right door. She did, reluctantly. When I suggested putting the note on the door in English, she said, "It was not me." Fortunately, a very kind local man walked me to the dorm. I paid 30 euros (33 US dollars) for a bunk bed, at least twice what other dormitories charge. Worse, people staying there told me they had paid much less than I did. I've traveled to more than 150 countries, stayed in war zones, and been in some of the shittiest hostels in the world, but I'd never encountered this kind of attitude before. Don't go here. EVER. There's a dormitory just across the street for half the price, extremely clean and safe, with a decent kitchen.