Henrietta's Sleeping

I’d give this place zero stars if that were possible. The pictures speak for themselves. I’m also in contact with the mayor of Ulm to find out who approved this disastrous place for accommodating guests.

The room was the real spectacle. It had a bed and a balcony with a wire barrier, looking out at what might have been a garbage disposal unit. A shelf over the bed is easy to hit your head on, unless you’re really short. There were no glasses or other amenities, and the shower is glass, so the other person can see you showering. The toilet has no door at all. Getting checked in at the café downstairs was cute, if a bit cramped while standing there. The staircase is steep and there’s no elevator, and the building feels like an uncared-for apartment block, though none of that is terrible unless climbing stairs is a health issue. I’m not giving it one star because of the location, and the café coffee is good, I guess. Still, I wouldn’t recommend staying here. The price isn’t even that low.

The room was clean and neat, and everything worked. I liked the comfortable bed and pillow, the two USB-A ports at each bed, plenty of shelf space, lockable storage box, hooks for towels or clothes, and shoe drawer. The cupboards and curtains matched in colour, and the decor was nice. My window looked out at the cathedral, the tallest in the world. Henriettas is well placed in compact Ulm, just a couple of minutes from hbf, shops, restaurants, the Ulmer Münster cathedral, and aldstadt. The city feels more intimate than many German cities, with things within walking distance. The hostel is on a very pedestrianised street, though street cleaning makes noise in the morning, and rowdy people on some weekends can disturb you at night. A couple of gripes: no one came to empty the bin for the few days we were there, and there was only one bin for four people. I didn’t see waste separation facilities either. There was no extractor fan in the shower, so steam lingered and eventually made the room smell musky. I also found black mold between the shower tiles.

The staff were really friendly, and the location right in the centre of Ulm was perfect. We’d booked a double room, but got a family room with three single beds instead. It was a little annoying, though we were only there one night and didn’t complain. I’m sure they would have let us switch, but I didn’t want to bother. It wasn’t squeaky clean, but nothing major. For the cheap price, it was a very okay one-night stay.