Description: Nathan's Villa Hostel is a chain of hostels ran by an American from Lowell, MA called Nathan. He's married (or at least was the last time I saw him) to an American/Pole who can't really handle her drink! They have hostels in Krakow, Zakopane (still in the making I believe), Wroclaw and Warsaw in Poland and one in Sighisoara in Romania.
Things have evolved rather quickly for young Nathan, I knew him when there was just the Krakow and Sighisoara hostels in existence, later the same year he opened up the hostel in Warsaw. Having heard about it whilst staying at the Krakow hostel, I made an effort to get their early having heard that they will be having a barbeque and offering the first guest a free night!
The hostel I will be reviewing is the Warsaw branch, opening in 2004 it can be found just 3 tram stops away from the Central Station, in fact it's fairly easy to walk to as well. Located on Ul. Piekna, just seconds away from Plac Konstitucji and the KFC on the corner of the square, it is a building just off an enclosed courtyard which also houses a Catholic Girl's School. Whilst Nathan himself has always seemed "a bit of a knob", he's definitely an astute businessman and knows what traveller's want and need from a hostel, he's also generally pretty good with guests, though it's unlikely you'll run in to him in Warsaw as he's generally in the Krakow vicinity. His staff, a line-up of young, good looking girls with good English and sometimes other languages are always useful, helpful and friendly, the cleaning lady is a bit of a laugh as well.
The hostel has a free breakfast (made up of as much toast and jam as you want, as well as tea and coffee), no curfew, no lockout and as they advertise:
*FREE Internet (also WIFI)
*FREE locker in your room
*FREE washing & laundry
*FREE use of clean sheets, pillow & blankets
*FREE use of safe
*FREE use of storage room
*FREE tourism and transportation info
19 rooms are spread over three floors, altogether a total of 95 beds that can accommodate groups as well as single travellers. Private double and twin rooms are available on the second floor as well as dorms with 4, 5 ,6 ,8, 10 and 12 beds
There are common rooms on each floor and whether it's the internet room on the bottom floor, the living room with sofas, games and cable television on the 2nd floor or the tables and sofa upstairs by the radio or the little alcove with a section of books, there's something to keep everyone entertained here.
The showers are always hot and like most of Poland, it's very well centrally heated in Winter.
Prices:
*12 bedded mixed dorm - 45 zloty ( 12 euros* )
*10 bedded mixed dorm - 49 zloty (14 euros* )
*8 bedded mixed dorm - 50 zloty (14 euros* )
*8 bedded mixed dorm ensuite - 55 zloty (15 euros*)
*6 bedded mixed dorm - 55 zloty (15 euros*)
*5 bedded mixed dorm - 60 zloty (17 euros*)
*5 bedded FEMALE dorm - 60 zloty (17 euros* )
*4 bedded dorm - 65 zloty (18 euros* )
There are maps on the website of how to get there and much much more information. Overall I'd say this is the best hostel in Warsaw and you've got pretty much everything at your disposal.
Be sure to say hello to the hostel's turtle (a short balding and seriously entertaining British guy called Ron who more or less lives there)
A downer perhaps is that the hostel occasionally gets used by stag-do's or rugby club outings whose sole intention is to get as drunk as possible whilst visiting the city which generally end in carnage such as people lieing on the floor of the reception and weeing themselves or a whole host of almost unbelievable antics. The hostel does generally turn down large stag do groups because of this unless it's a quite time of the year.
Address: ul. Piekna 24/26
Web Address: http://www.nathansvilla.com/warsaw.html
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