Lilla Brunn - Hostel

The room is on the small side, but it worked fine for me since I was out all day. Shared bathrooms and toilets are available, with enough of them. There’s also a kitchen with everything needed to cook for yourself and a great dining area. Odenplan is just two blocks away, a useful station for getting into the city and travelling to Marsta, where you change for the airport bus. Nearby there’s a 7-Eleven, LIDL, and a few inexpensive places to drink.

Avoid this place. I stayed for 10 days. On day two I was told off for using too much toilet paper, and on day three a staff member and the hostel owner turned off the tap while I was brushing my teeth. From the fourth day on, Mindy had bedbug bites all over, including her neck, throat, collarbone, upper and lower back, legs, and hands.

Bedbugs, avoid at all costs. I found one crawling on me at night and spent hours waiting in the shared area for someone to show up. Earlier, someone in my dorm had been bitten and moved rooms, but staff didn’t check the other beds. They put a new person in that bed later the same day. Another guest told me the room they offered me also had bedbugs, so I left and asked for my money back. Daniela said she’d refund me if I promised not to post a review. After I left, they marked me as a no-show on booking.com to stop me writing about it. I was badly bitten, had to find somewhere else for the rest of my trip, and lost hours washing all my belongings. The staff came across as “fake-apologetic.” One guest told me they checked people into my original room after I’d left. They offered free breakfast and a room move, but I’d already decided to go.

I had a very pleasant stay at Lilla Brunn apart from one incident, and I’d still recommend it. The room and hostel are lovely and well kept, the breakfast area is beautiful, and the room and bathrooms were clean. Other travellers I met, including people who’d been there a month, seemed very happy. The location is great, close to bars and food spots without being so central that getting around or sleeping well is difficult. One night I was locked out from midnight until 2 AM. My key card and the keypad both failed, and the emergency number on the door didn’t work either. Two other guests were stuck outside with me. Staff said it had never happened before, and I believe them. Hopefully it was a first and last time. The next day, though, they handled my complaint poorly. I asked them to cover the hotel cost I’d paid while locked out, and the staff were unprofessional, perhaps because someone was having a bad personal day. I wasn’t happy with their attitude or response. I got a refund for the night and a free breakfast, but I think half the stay or at least the hotel bill would have been fairer. I ended up spending twice what I’d planned on accommodation, which was a burden. The hostel should fix its emergency number.