Description: A good few years ago i went with friends to Berlin and how times can change. The last time I stayed in Berlin was in a five star hotel. That doesn’t mean that this one is a bad option, you just can’t compare it to a five star hotel but we did enjoy our stay.
Location
The hostel is located in East Berlin, near Alexanderplatz, the Old Schönhauserstr. 2. The nearest underground station is Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz and close I mean close. The hostel is situated only 50 meters from the station. When booking I received an itinerary, which was very clear. You can also go by car, but as far as I know, the hostel has no parking and you can only pay parking nearby.
With this hostel you're only a few stops away from the center of Berlin and the journey takes between 10 and 20 minutes to the main tourist spots. In the vicinity of the hostel are plenty of shops and eating and drinking places to entertain you. But nevertheless you have here in the hostel not be affected.
Appearance
The street where the hostel is, is similar to other Berlin streets, not modern but not outdated. The hostel is quite large, it has seven floors plus a basement and ground floor. On the ground floor you will find the reception, a lounge, computers, guest kitchen, a small garden and space for luggage storage. In the basement you can find extra toilets and showers and laundry. On the seventh floor is a bar, Wombar, where you at night can have a drink on the roof terrace and enjoy the view. The hostel has dorms on the 6 floors (bedrooms for several people), which is both at the street and located on the garden side. All floors are accessible via two elevators and stairs. Despite everything looks just fine and you are also asked to report if something is broken or something like that.
Reception / Departure
Upon entry you must first register at the reception. You can’t get into the rooms until 12:00. The key to your room is a keycard, which can’t only use for your room, but also to open your safe and floor. For this key you must pay a deposit, which is something your name on it, like your drive license. If you lose it you must pay an amount for replacement. The reception is manned 24 hours a day and the people where really friendly and helpful.
Rooms
General
The hostel has different types of rooms that are all called dorms. If you're sleeping on a dorm you may find that the remaining beds are occupied by strangers if your travel company is too small to fill the room. Some dorms are only for women and some are mixed. The number of beds per room ranges from 2 to 6. There are also a so-called apartments dorm. These are for 2 people and have extras like a kitchen and more space. All dorms have private bathrooms.
The rooms have bunk beds, lockers, a low table with a few puffs, a large mirror and a coat hanger. The room was much bigger than I expected, because in most hostels, the rooms are quite small. There was enough room to open your suitcase on the floor to set up and then there was more than enough room to walk around. The room also had a number of large windows that could open and there was a fan.
Beds
Basically you rent a bed in a hostel and the beds in this hostel were good. A bit harder than I used to, but not too hard. The linen is included in the price and linen is clean. There was also a quilt for when it was cold and a thick cushion. Each bed also had a board with a reading lamp and an electrical outlet. These are things that in previous hostel, unfortunately sometimes lacking. These things are quite important because it is convenient if you can charge your phone. And with a little light you can just read without disturbing the entire room.
Safes
In the dorm are as many vaults as there were beds and they were big enough to get my suitcase in and still managed to put in all sorts of loose stuff. You can only open your safe with your keycard so you did not have to fear that someone would steal something.
Shower / WC
Each dorm had its own bathroom. I thought this was also quite luxurious, as most hostels you have to share bathrooms with 30 people. The bathrooms were clean and the showers were great. No childish trickle, but a considerable stream of water. When you went into the bathroom, there was an automatic ventilation system. This left the bathroom so it is not moist and prevents mold.
In other words, the bathrooms were great.
Facilities
Breakfast
The breakfast was not included in the price of your bed. But the hostel has a passageway to the restaurant next door (LouisianaKid), where you can have breakfast for 3.50. Buy a ticket at the reception desk of the hostel. This was a breakfast buffet, which was quite extensive. There were no or boiled eggs or anything, but a range of fresh bread, sweet and savory fillings are, cereals, orange juice, coffee / tea and fruit. The breakfast was tasty and ample.
Kitchen
The hostel has a guest kitchen where you can cook yourself. The kitchen was very clean. There was also plenty of crockery, cutlery and cooking utensils available for cooking / eating. One of the absolute quality was the dishwasher. This was the first time I encountered one in a hostel. Because not everyone is thoroughly to wash stuff, but with a dishwasher, everything is clean. In the kitchen were some places where you could eat.
Internet
If you have a laptop, you can use the free wireless network. This is only available in reception. In addition you can use the various computers that are in the lounge. To use them you need to throw money for 20 minutes internet you pay 50 cents.
Staff
The staff was very friendly and helpful. I didn’t had the idea that the hostel staff was typical. (Typical hostel staff are usually backpackers who work for a while to raise money.) Anyway, this was fine staff aware of what was going on in Berlin and how it is to come. The staff all spoke English.
Conclusion
This hostel is definitely the best hostel I've been so far. The location is excellent, the rooms are spacious and the beds fine. The hostel is very clean and free wireless internet in the lounge is super. Although breakfast is not included but they offered a good option. It is clear that they thought about what a guest needs for a good stay.
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