Auristela's Hostel

The landlord was nice, but the living conditions were tragic. There was no hot water, and one bathroom for 20 people. The fridge, microwave, and oven didn't work. Worse, the beds had bed bugs, which caused a lot of trouble later. I brought them home and had to pay a lot for professional disinfection.

For the price, I guess having just one bathroom for 10-15 people isn't too bad, even if it's wild. The property owner won't reply if you ask about early check-in, so don't bother trying to contact them. The receptionist, Kira, though, is awesome. She was extremely friendly and helped as much as she could. I don't know why the place has such bad reviews, because she made my stay at this hostel a nice experience. Thanks so much, Kira!

The hostel was noisy, with sounds from both other guests and the street, and the room had 12 beds. The front entrance was so small that getting in with luggage was difficult, and the stairs leading up were dangerously steep. Inside, cleanliness was terrible. The blanket was small, unattractive, and clearly poor quality, while the pillow was uncomfortable and looked dirty. The beds were also extremely uncomfortable. Every movement made the whole bunk shake and screech loudly, so getting a good night's sleep was impossible, especially sharing a bunk with someone else. Low prices aren't worth giving up basic comfort and safety. Guests also have to pay the city tax in cash, even if they don't have the money available. I highly recommend avoiding this hostel. The facilities and lack of care for guests' comfort and safety made it a very disappointing place to stay.

The management was terrible, and the whole stay was horrible. The photos on the site were fake, and the caretaker wasn't there when needed. A second guest wasn't allowed in without the first guest, who was arriving late. We spent three hours speaking with someone from booking after escalating the issue before guest 2 was finally let in. He had to climb those steep stairs six times. While we were checking out, other guests said they'd spent the night sleeping on the stairs because the caretaker hadn't responded or let them in. It's a mess, and I wonder how it is still operating as a hostel. We'd booked two beds in a four-bed dorm, but it was so cramped you could hardly walk. There was no lock on the room from inside. The kitchen was filthy and smelled bad, and one combined toilet and shower served 16 people. We waited about 90 minutes to use it in the morning. The street entrance was extremely small, to the point that if you're over 90kg you literally can't get inside. Getting through the complicated door code and up the steep stairs felt like an achievement. In Poland, where I live, a shelter for homeless people is better than this so-called auristelas hostel. Utterly horrible experience.