Hostel California

The staff were friendly and helpful, and it was a nice surprise that they put us in a six-person room instead of one for eight. The room was clean enough and pretty nice, though there weren’t enough outlets for everyone. The bathroom was cleaned between our two nights and had toilet paper, but it looked like it needed a serious deep clean. The room was uncomfortably hot. There were two fans, but one couldn’t be turned, so no air reached our two beds. The problem started at check-in: we were charged €3.40 per person per day for bedsheets. We said we didn’t need them because we’d brought our own, but were told sheets were already on the beds. For what we paid, I suppose it’s understandable that this isn’t anywhere near a five-star hotel.

It’s a budget hostel, so I knew it wouldn’t cost much, but the experience reflected that. I felt comfortable in my room because only women were staying there, though two young men I met didn’t feel safe. The staff were incredibly rude, the Wi-Fi didn’t work, and you have to be buzzed in every time you come back. There were only two bathrooms for all the rooms, and just one had a working lock. A girl walked in to brush her teeth while I was showering. The beds were wrapped in plastic, with no top sheet, and neither hand soap nor toilet paper was provided. The kitchen is supposed to open at 8 a.m. I tried to get my water and food from the fridge before an early train, but nobody had unlocked it. With no staff around, I waited half an hour, then gave up and left. I also had to chase them to get change from a €50 note after paying the city tax. They hadn’t given it back.

Stay away, this hostel is full of bedbugs! I told reception and asked for my money back, then left for another hotel. They said the manager would call the next day. Instead, on day two they wrote that I had checked in and stayed, and refused a refund. booking.com didn’t help with a refund either. Call the police so the problem is documented. The receptionist knew the whole place was infested. Girls were crying outside with their luggage. It should be closed.

When we arrived, the place looked dirty and neglected. We had to ask for toilet paper and bath towels because the bathrooms had none. The beds looked old and dirty, and some had holes. That night we found bed bugs all over them and woke up with bites across our bodies. When we told the staff, they simply moved us to another room, which was just as dirty and infested. We were meant to stay two nights, but left immediately and asked for a refund for the second night. They just told us to send an email. Awful customer service.