Hostel Connect

I was glad to get a single room for the night so I could do the marathon. The woman at reception was lovely and helpful, and even put out cereal, bread, and bananas earlier than usual for me. Really cool place. I think I'll come back next year, and maybe another time to explore the City properly. Thanks J******. 👍

My partner and I woke up covered in bed bug bites, more than 50 of them. They were in the telltale rows, and there were blood streaks on the sheets. We hadn't seen any signs of bedbugs before arriving at hostel connect. We told the staff and wished them luck sorting it out. When we came back five hours later to pick up our bags, we saw clean sheets being put on the beds in our room. They charge to store bags after 3pm, by the way. Looking back, the hostel has a history of bed bug infestations, so putting customers in that room seems to mean knowingly exposing people to this awful experience. The bites hurt, and you could carry the bugs with you when you leave.

The common room was open, comfortable, and pretty good for socializing if that's what you want. The six-bed women's dorm, though, felt cramped. The lockers were so narrow my slim 28L pack barely fit, and the room, Cheeky Wink, had a two-meter window with no curtains. Three bunks were stacked on top of each other, leaving very little room on the bottom two. There were no personal outlets or lights, something I've come to value at other hostels. The sheets were thin, white, hospital-looking flat sheets, and you had to put them on yourself. I also didn't like being charged extra. I paid £1.50 to book through Hostel Connect's own website, but that amount wasn't taken off the room bill. It added 11% to my stay, and the checkout process didn't clearly say that would happen. The entrance intercom speaker is set well above eye level and is barely audible, which is an annoying way to begin a stay. Check-in itself was standard. The desk staff member I met was polite, and when he wasn't sure what to do, he asked his supervisor. Showers close from midnight to 6am, inconvenient if you have an early start. The kitchen is open from 8am to 11am.

In over three months of travelling and staying in hostels, I hadn't had bedbugs until this place. I was there for three nights and wish I'd booked somewhere else. Once I noticed several bites, I told the volunteers at reception. They let me use the laundry for free to wash my clothes, but didn't clean the bunk I was sleeping in and seemed unsure how to handle it. Before leaving, I told another volunteer on duty so more people would know there were bedbugs in the dorm. I really hope they took it more seriously after that. I'd still suggest staying elsewhere.