Harz Hostel

We booked about an hour before reception was due to close, but nobody answered our calls or opened the door. We got there 30 minutes before closing and couldn't check in. Other travelers who were staying at the hostel were the only people around to help. We had to leave without anywhere to stay. Book at least a day ahead if you want them to receive your booking. The owner later claimed we'd trashed a room, even though we'd never entered the building, let alone reached a room. Instead of explaining what went wrong, he blamed us, which says a lot about his attitude. He also tried several times to get Google to remove my review. His reply became more polite, but still said we had gone to a place with a similar name. I can assure you we were at Harz Hostel. We checked with people leaving the hostel, and they confirmed it was the right place but reception was closed. We got our money back from Booking and found another hotel that day. I'm a level 7 travel guide and have no reason to submit a fake review. This one is genuine.

We had no trouble getting into our rooms when we arrived late at night, and they were clean and tidy. We did have to put the bedsheets on ourselves, though. We stayed for a while and ordered breakfast, but it fell short of what we expected. All we got for the whole week was one piece of bread with honey and jam. There were no towels in the rooms either, which was disappointing since I hadn't brought my own. Towels were available at extra cost from reception, and we had to wait there for a while before the receptionist came to give them to us.

We stayed in one room with four people, though there were beds for up to six, and had one bathroom. It was clean, and the staff were friendly. They even checked me in after the official hours. Breakfast wasn't available because of Corona. The WiFi could be better, and the fridge in the kitchen wasn't switched on.

The rooms were clean and warm, and the location is very good. Service was good too. For breakfast, though, I'd eat somewhere else unless you really like plastic.