Bus Hostel Reykjavik

I’m usually flexible when I travel, but this stay was a bad fit. It came with a tour package, and I thought I was getting the other hostel, so I couldn’t choose. I found the whole experience inconvenient and didn’t feel I had all the information, even after checking the website and reviews. The location also wasn’t convenient for a tourist without a car. It was about a 30-minute walk to the main shopping area with food, and finding somewhere to eat within 15 minutes was difficult, especially in the rain and cold. On the plus side, excursions picked up directly there, and the staff were nice. I arrived later in the evening and found I’d been assigned to a shared room with seven men. I was traveling alone as a woman, and that wasn’t what I’d booked. I couldn’t find anything on the site saying rooms defaulted to mixed dorms. I was shocked that anyone would think putting one woman in a room with so many men was safe. After I was moved, two more men checked in, so there would have been nine. Reception is open only Monday to Friday, 9-4, even though check-in starts at 3, leaving new arrivals just an hour to speak to anyone. I arrived on a weekend and was out of luck. The posted phone number wasn’t useful without phone service, so at 9pm my tour company was the only help I could reach. They got me moved that night to what I was told was a women-only dorm. I got a new code for the room, while the old one opened the building. The next night I learned it was mixed too when a man checked in. The new code had stopped working, and no one had told me to use the old one. It was all confusing, and having no one at the location I could speak to directly made it harder. The shared kitchen was fine and mostly clean. I appreciated the workers keeping the spaces as clean as possible, and the other guests did their part too. The room was mostly clean as well, but there were bugs, or at least one. I kept waking with skin irritation and only realized on the morning I left, while showering, that it was a bug bite each time. I found a small red bug. I slept on the bottom “bunk,” which was just a mattress on the floor, so I’m pretty sure it got me. I hope they raise the bed so whatever it was has a harder time reaching the next person. My biggest issue is how little the website explains about the hostel. I’ve stayed in hostels before, and missing information made this difficult. As a female traveler, I need clear details to plan for my safety. I’d reconsider booking here and make sure you have all the information. I tried, but clearly should have looked deeper.