Jugendherberge Otto-Moericke-Turm

The dinners and breakfast were highlights, as was the pretty graveyard next door. They serve drinks in the lobby, and breakfast comes with a lunchbox option containing chocolate and a piece of fruit. The receptionists were kind. One kept check-in open until 10pm when our flight was delayed. There were lots of children running around. You can do laundry for about 7€. The building is 100 years old, so the room cleaning could use an upgrade. There was little to no cleaning, so bring supplies. The bathroom doesn’t ventilate well, and after about three uses the smell lingers. It’s overpriced.

The view was great, but the food was below average. There was no soap in the rooms or at reception. If you don’t put sheets on the mattress yourself, they fine you 100€ because they don’t want to wash the mattresses.

The people in charge could have been friendlier, though I mean management, not the cleaners or kitchen staff. Those workers seemed to be doing their best, and I suspect they have a lot to deal with. The hostel is also inconveniently far from town and the boat-trip port. I expected no luxury, but the stay was still a letdown. It feels like costs are being cut everywhere: there wasn't even a full spare toilet roll, the beds seem made for people under 1.6 metres, and even the vending machines didn't work. The internet rarely worked, if at all, and the food was pretty awful. It has potential, but as it is, I wouldn't recommend it.

The views from the tower are amazing, but there are lots of stairs and no elevator, so think about that when booking if you don't want to haul your luggage up and down. The hostel has two accommodation areas, one in the tower and another on the ground floor. The food was okay. There was an angry woman at reception, though.