Xiaoda Smart Inn

There’s a lovely hostel feel, friendly guests, and plenty of places to chill. The common areas cover the ground floor, with three floors in total, and there’s even a keyboard and piano. The owner’s Hostelworld suggestion to head north, with 10% off if you pay in person, was a great idea. The kitchen was decent, though the first mug I picked up by the kettle was dirty. I left it face-up on the green table opposite, and it was still there two days later. My bunk was 2.07.8, and the curtains, power outlet, and reading light were welcome. The ladder rungs start pretty high, though, so jumping down made me ask to move to bed 11 the next day. The sheet on bed 8 had a pleated design, and the soft, thin sheets felt as luxurious as the girl from the night before. The mattress on bunk 11 was much thinner and painful to lie on. The room had refreshing air conditioning, despite an earlier comment saying it was a fan. It stopped at midnight, though, and I couldn’t get it going again until 4am. A power bank from the bunk above fell between the bed and wall during the night and hit me on the head. The loo paper ran out by 7pm both nights. The cleaner put two rolls in at 11am, and three on the final morning. The mat by the sink hurt to stand on. I flipped it the next day when I realized it was the wrong way round, though strangely it had more grip that way. The H4 airport bus was listed by the hostel. I waited 30 minutes, but it never came and wasn’t listed anywhere; it seems not to exist. There are a few easy updates the hostel could make. I’d rate it 9/10 if the airport trip hadn’t been so stressful. I ended up taking two buses and got there moments before check-in closed, shaking and sweaty. Not what you want. When I arrived, the owner was a man around my age who grew up in Harborne, Birmingham, before going to Bristol University. I think I heard him tell a worker to be careful while mopping because he’d have to replaster. I’d asked online and in person about the fact that there was no more pizza. He confirmed it, and I noticed he’d just updated the listing to remove the mention. A TV was listed for the room, but there wasn’t one. I didn’t mind. I asked the only roommate staying longer than me if we could maybe get rid of some old things in the room. That happens in hostels.