The Hostel

It’s basic, but sometimes you just need a comfortable bed and a hot shower with good pressure, and this place has both. The staff were friendly, let me check out late on a Sunday, and the place was very covid friendly. There’s a great sushi spot downstairs and a good pizza place around the corner. I’d stay again, even without a mountain view from the window!

The beds were uncomfortable, and it was noisy.

The room was clean, which was a plus, but there’s no hairdryer, the entrance is hard to spot, and there’s no reception on Sundays. Check-in was at 5:00 PM, while check-out had to be between 8:00 AM and 12:00 PM, leaving us five hours less time in the room. We’d booked two nights in January back in December. Before our trip, a storm and red alert for heavy snowfall cut off the resort. We asked whether we could get a refund if the storm continued and were told no. The weather and access later improved, so despite that answer, we went.

We understand cancellation policies, but in extreme circumstances like this, you’d expect some empathy and openness. Instead, the accommodation refused to cancel, change our dates, or offer even a partial refund when we contacted them well ahead of time about the historic storm at the end of January. Roads were closed and alerts for snow and wind were at their highest. What left the worst impression was being told that “everything was normal” and that “the other guests were arriving without problems.” Anyone who followed the news that day knows that wasn’t true: authorities had closed the access roads, and the media were showing the chaos. Their lack of honesty and inflexibility during a force majeure situation was really disappointing.