Downtown Hostel

We paid $40 a night and it felt like a huge rip-off. If it had cost a quarter of that, I wouldn’t have expected much. The only reason I’m giving it an extra star is the staff member we dealt with, who was very kind and gave us great advice. I saw him mopping twice, but the place still felt messy. We booked a double and were put in a five-bed dorm, even though no one else was staying there. It was cold the first night, then got better, and the water was so hot you had to watch out for scalding yourself. The sheets and pillows looked so old and grubby that I didn’t want to sleep on them. I just hoped the duvet cover had been washed within the past month and tried to keep warm. The cramped hallways had a couch for seating, but I couldn’t find any lighting there. The kitchen was messy, and noise carried badly from the common areas into the rooms. You could hear every word and floorboard creak. After 11, someone left the radio playing in the common room, and with the walls so thin it sounded like it was in our room. I eventually went and switched it off. Walking in, I couldn’t understand the high ratings. It felt like something out of The Twilight Zone. I wouldn’t rate the place above one star.

The owner and main operator was genuinely friendly, spoke great English and gave us some wonderful walking tour suggestions. Judging only by him, I’d give the place a five. The hostel itself is another matter, and I can’t really recommend it. It felt like a ruin hostel. Behind the nicer-looking front, the building seemed to be coming apart. The old rusty elevator couldn’t be used, and the windows in the abandoned apartment below were broken. Inside, it seemed like they’d put in a couple of sturdy doors and then used the space however they could. The furniture looked gathered from wherever, and the walls were paper thin. When someone walked down the hall in the room behind ours, our floor seemed to move, and the creaking woke us up. Our room had no heat and was freezing on the first night. The pillows and sheets had stains from age that no washing could remove. If all you need is a bed, toilet and hot shower, it’ll do. Given the choice, though, I’d stay somewhere else next time. I’m not sure whether the high ratings mean the other hostels in Bucharest are just as bad, or everyone else is a bit nuts.

The beds are so comfortable, and the place is really clean. The staff are welcoming and always around. Downtown Hostel feels like a home away from home.

The entrance seemed a bit dark at first, and finding the address by car wasn’t easy. The guy showed us a good place to leave the car, though, and we ended up with a nice place to stay. Sometimes there was free reggae music, too. Thanks, Ole, from Thomas in Germany.