Beijing Together Hostel

After staying at Together Hostel in Beijing, I changed my mind about booking hostels at other stops in China. I’ve stayed in hostels in several other countries, but this one was a very different experience. The trouble began after long overnight flights, when I was tired and carrying a lot of bags while trying to find the place. It’s on the second and third floors of another hotel building, with no clear sign outside. I asked security for help, but communicating with someone who didn’t speak Mandarin was difficult. Because of the misunderstanding, I spent an hour wandering nearby, and nobody could point me to the hostel. Once we finally arrived, the receptionist took our passports to check the details and asked us to wait in the lounge. Check-in took more than 20 minutes, which was painful after the journey and all that searching. He then gave us a room card and told us to collect one bedsheet, pillowcase, and blanket cover each. We had to find our own beds, and when we did, they were dirty. Someone had left that day, so we had to change all the bedding ourselves. Apparently, that’s the hostel’s rule. The bathrooms and toilets weren’t clean, there was no hot water, and we had to shower in ice-cold water after arriving at night. One evening, water from the bathroom had overflowed and was pooled by the toilet. There was no soap or other toiletries. There also weren’t any power outlets near the beds, so we had to share them using extension strips. The reception staff spoke very little English. The only person I found who could communicate fairly well in English was the girl at the cafe. It was a terrible experience for my friend and me.