Chillout Hostel Zagreb

A nice hostel that covers a lot of the basics well. Towels are provided, and the linen, blankets, and pillows are all good quality. The bathroom setup is pleasant, with bath mats that I'm pretty sure get replaced every day. The bars and club attached are good, too. Kris in the ground floor bar is welcoming and gets things moving, and the staff generally seem professional and kind.

The location is the hostel's strongest point: close to the funicular, upper and lower town, and most monuments and museums. Staff were generally helpful, though they felt a bit cold. Lockers don't come with locks, and there aren't any available to rent. I stayed in two different rooms. In the first, which I only had to use for one night after a misunderstanding, the bedcovers and sheets smelled off and had hairs on them, like they had been left from the previous guest. I wouldn't recommend a bed in a six person room. The bunks felt small and claustrophobic, were very close together with only a wooden curtain between them, and I could feel it whenever another guest moved or turned in their sleep. The showers were small and claustrophobic too, though they looked clean. Music and speaker vibrations from the bar downstairs could be heard from midnight until 2 a.m. I also found a used bottle on the bed in the room I had paid for, which made me doubt it had been cleaned. When I raised the hygiene issue and the failure to meet basic expectations with a receptionist, she gave a weak explanation about people sometimes sleeping in other beds. I didn't expect five star hotel conditions from a hostel, but cleanliness should be expected anywhere.

The guesthouse is in an excellent spot, and we were welcomed warmly. Our room was comfortable and very clean. I wouldn't choose a room facing the main street, though. The noise was loud and annoying even with the earplugs the hostel provided. Cigarette smoke was also very strong in the bar, corridors, and elevators.

The location is solid and the staff are friendly. During the day, the open bar area is a nice place to hang out, and at night it's lively, mostly with locals. But it gets far from chill. If you want to sleep, stay somewhere else: the music is so loud upstairs that you feel the vibrations in your bones, and the rickety beds are connected so closely that someone turning over feels like a 5.0 earthquake to everyone. There's smoke smell everywhere, too. It feels like the hostel is set up to keep you awake and encourage you to buy drinks at the bar.