Freddie next to Mercury Hostel

It’s easy to find from the instructions on the hostel website, and very close to Bratislava main train station. It sits behind a building like UniCredit Bank, though the walk into the city centre is quite long.

For the price, you get a decent hostel with the basics: a kitchen with what you need, showers on each floor, and rooms that are large enough. Reception was friendly, with free tea and coffee, and there’s a small lounge on the ground floor. The location is great, around the corner from the train station, a 25 minute walk from the city centre and near a bus stop for the airport. Our room and the showers weren’t very clean, though, and that needs to improve.

The staff were kind and pleasant, which was the only good part of our stay. The photos and reality are completely different. The place looks unreconstructed, like something from communism 30 years ago; the only new things were the room furnishings. The hallway before the rooms gives you the picture. I’ve lived in dorms, so I’m not expecting luxury, but this was the worst accommodation I’ve ever had, and I don’t understand how the hostel is still open. For Slovaks, you can find much better accommodation for this price. A night should cost 5 euros, not 17! Our mattresses had urine stains showing through the thin washed sheets, and the duvet wasn’t really a duvet, just a thin thing. The radiator had no temperature control, so if you were cold, too bad. The fridge was disgustingly dirty. Showers and sink space were shared by men and women, with only the toilets separated, side by side in the same room, and even that division was ignored. It was impossible to sleep: the walls were thin, doors creaked, and you could hear other people showering or snoring. The bedding had pee stains showing through the sheets, and the comforter was barely more than a thin layer. The shared bathroom setup was ignored, and the fridge was filthy. The staff were the sole positive. We had an incredibly bad experience and highly do not recommend this place.

The location isn’t bad, and the responsible staff were the only plus. For about 40 euro per night, this was the worst value for money we’ve had. The photos here are far removed from the reality in the wrong direction: it resembles old hospitals in the USSR, and even smells like one. The room wasn’t very clean, the kitchen and dishes were dirty, the shared showers and their doors were in terrible condition, and our bedding was stained. I told the staff, but it was replaced with bedding that was just as dirty. Towels weren’t provided by default, though I got an old one after asking. The noise was catastrophic. With the windows open, you can’t sleep because of outside noise; with them shut, the corridor sounds as if there’s no door at all. Doors and floors creak badly. People start getting up around 6-7 a.m., and you’ll wake to their footsteps. You can hear conversations from other rooms whether you want to or not. One other odd thing: the lamp cable is either across your bed when the lamp is on, or too short otherwise. I’ve added photos to show what I mean.