Mark Verraes
As experienced travelers, we were looking for a place to unwind after a day of wandering. The hostel was anything but. The drunk, testosterone-fueled, loud, and inconsiderate young men were a constant source of annoyance. Some of the unpaid staff happily joined in, offering the aforementioned troublemakers the opportunity to amplify their music throughout the day and well into the evening. If it had to stop there...okay. Unfortunately, it didn't stop there. The night we decided to leave went like this: Around 10:30 PM, we quietly went to our room (9) to read a bit. Loud techno music resonated across the terrace and was so pervasive in the room that wax earplugs offered no relief. Around 11:15 PM, a staff member had the sense to take away the large speaker. (There were some very nice and attentive people on the team at that time.) So far, so good. At 2:45 a.m., there's loud talking in the hallway, between clearly drunk young men and drunken, giggling women. The shouting continues until 3:30 a.m., when I decide to leave my warm bed to say something. The door to their room is wide open, and the drunken man stands half-naked over a young woman. I won't go into details. I get an aggressive response, but the noise subsides, and I go back to sleep. At 4:45 a.m., however, the young man in question is back at his own door, knocking loudly to get in. I suspect his companion has fallen asleep in a coma. The knocking continues for quite some time. At 8 a.m., after about five hours of seemingly sleeping, I get up and see the young man sleeping off his hangover on a bench on the terrace. Marginal. When we lodged our complaint at reception, we received a rehearsed "Yes, I understand" and a dose of feigned empathy. Because sleep is important, and that's ultimately what a hostel is for, we decided to leave after three terrible nights with a similar scenario. We would have stayed another four nights otherwise. Reading the other negative reviews, I'm seeing similar stories. Our contact with Booking.com revealed that our four nights would not be refunded. Moreover, we had to look for another place to stay. This is not the promised co-living, co-working oasis of tranquility. Quite the opposite. Given that we haven't received a refund, the landlord is clearly at fault, and the few friendly employees who work there for free for 25 hours a week, I can only conclude that the owner is only doing this for profit. Therefore, don't believe the sales pitch and stay away from this place. We will continue to talk to Booking.com to possibly get a refund.