Wink @ Upper Cross Street

The staff were friendly and did what they could, so that's where the two stars come from. It's cheap, and the location is good, but I would have slept more quietly and comfortably under a bridge. Every sound carries. The upstairs pipe runs through the room, so whenever someone uses water, you wake up. When anyone moves, the whole structure shakes and wakes you too. It wasn't very clean, and the socket in the "room" worked maybe 20 percent of the time at best. The ladder is a deathtrap for anyone slightly older. I can't recommend this hostel. It was awful, and I'll never set foot in it again.

The beds are good, and so is the location, but the overall feel of the hostel is impersonal, with no real contact with other guests. Staff were okay, though there was no personal touch. Shoes piled up outside the door, and the smell was awful. For the high price, there's a lot to improve. Calling it a boutique hostel is a joke. The bathroom and toilet are combined, with the shower above the toilet, so standing barefoot there doesn't feel comfortable. Breakfast is extremely basic, made with the cheapest, unhealthy supermarket ingredients. The terrace is beside the huge air conditioning outlets from the big building, making it much hotter there than on the street.

Our private family room on the third floor was spacious and well maintained, with its own toilet and bath. There were lots of backpackers, but it never felt crowded. Breakfast was okay, just toast and cereal, and the common area had unlimited tea, coffee and water. The MRT station is very close. I'd recommend it for a short stay.

The room was clean and spacious, and the location was perfect. We had two beds stacked one above the other, but there wasn't a table or anything else to put our things on. Keep in mind the hostel starts on the second floor and there's no elevator. Our street-facing window made the room pretty loud, with someone always ringing the bell. Earplugs are a good idea.