KbH-Karakol based Hostel

The location was peaceful and impeccable, in a quaint neighbourhood near the main supermarket, Ashlyan Fu alley, the park, and all the bus stations. The hostel also had a cozy outdoor lounge where backpackers from all sorts of places could chat and play cards. I met the kind woman who ran it and decided to move here. That turned out to be the best decision. I had such a wonderful stay, already miss the place, and would love to return.

Everything about the hostel felt perfect until my boyfriend's passport and some money were stolen from our bags during the night. I know we share some of the responsibility: we were sleeping in a dorm with eight people and lockers, but came back late and went straight to bed without locking our things because we didn't want to disturb anyone. We hadn't thought someone would get up in the night to steal from bags right beside us. There was a camera in the room, but it stopped recording at 9pm, and the theft happened later. The owner wasn't much help. He struggled with the camera app and didn't ask anyone in the room to check their bags.

The hostel emailed us saying we had to cancel our reservation because they were “closing”, but they didn't close. Our friends were able to book a room for the very night we were told to cancel ours. I emailed to ask how long the closure would last and never got a reply.

The backyard was such a peaceful spot to unwind, and there’s loads of room to sit in the big kitchen. The whole place is new and really clean, with plenty of toilets and showers. The staff were lovely and always ready to help. For the price, it’s hard to beat. One of the best hostels I’ve stayed in, and I’d happily come back :)