DJH Jugendherberge Mannheim International

This is an absolute nightmare. I called around 18:30 today to check whether I could check in early, at 2:00 AM, and was told it was fine because someone would always be at reception. I'm inside the property now because the main entrance doors were open, but there's nobody at the desk. I needed somewhere to stay after working late in Speyer, and this was literally my only available option. Whoever gave me false information about check-in should be fired. Too bad I didn't get her name. Thank you for nothing 🙄

The setting is lovely, with the River Rhine right in front, plus a walkway, green lawn, and big trees nearby. The location was very nice, and breakfast was included and okay, though nothing special. Parking right outside the hostel was available, but in limited numbers. I stayed in July 2017 in a five-bed room. It had one window that barely opened for "security reasons," so in the summer it got uncomfortably hot, with no real way to let fresh air in. Reception staff seemed indifferent, and I didn't feel welcome. I also missed having a guest kitchen. This isn't the kind of holiday accommodation for me, so I won't stay again.

The location right beside the Rhein is nice, and the place is clean. Breakfast buffet is a good deal, there's a decent playground for guests with kids, and the elevators help with luggage. The value works out for three people or fewer. For a family of four, once all the kids over age 7 are charged, a regular 3 or 4 star hotel makes more sense. There are some drawbacks: free WiFi is limited to one hour per device per day, and there's no AC. In warm weather you need the windows open, but people hanging out in the front yard can make it noisy. As a hostel, it supplies no soap or towels, and you have to make your own bed. In our room, the electronic door key was also needed to unlock the closets, and it wouldn't open all of them.

The rooms were pretty good, and the beds did their job even if they weren't that good. Breakfast was good for the price, and after the problems were sorted out, the week went well. The hostel itself was pretty decent. Our reservation had disappeared, so the guy gave us some rooms, but we had to change rooms the next morning. There were nine of us, and when it was time to pay for the week, they wouldn't let us pay separately. They said we had to make one payment of over 1500€.