The Hostelz.com Review
There's a reason Carpe Noctem was rated the best hostel on earth -- it's the single travelers dream. This place is more like a home away from home full of friends than any other hostel we've ever seen. If you don't like to party or if you actually expect to see all of Budapest in the three days you've allotted then we suggest staying somewhere else. But if you're up for the time of your life and you have no plans to move on for the foreseeable future than this place is for you.
The Location
To get to Carpe Noctem take the train from the airport to Nyugati station, come to the front of the station, and turn left on Terez Korut. Spray painted on the sidewalk is the word hostel and arrows, if you follow the arrows out of the station and turn the direction they point, you're on your way (the arrows don't lead to Carpe Noctem). Walk down Terez Korut and the second street on your right will be Szobi utca, turn right down this street until you get to number 5 on the right.
The building is unmarked because it's a historic building but you'll know it's the building because it's across the street from Parazs Presszo with the Invia sign and the orange fire sign. Ring bell 13 and climb the hundred steps to the top floor of the building and you're there. No elevator and no noise on the stairs because the neighbors can get grumpy and yell. The hostel is on the Pest side of the river and pretty much everything is located within a walkable distance. The neighborhood doesn't really appear to be too sketchy, just your usual characters. Overall it's a great location.
Rooms and Bathrooms
Carpe Noctem is a pretty small hostel with about thirty beds spread over three rooms. The beds vary between single beds and bunked beds and there aren't any private rooms. The number and type of beds per room may vary, with some of the beds being in an in room loft. The hostel is geared towards single travelers and doesn't accept groups of more than four. There are flexible check in and checkout times and when you arrive your bed is made for you.
The only luggage storage is leaving your bag in the hall for the afternoon, which is perfectly acceptable. Next to each bed is a wooden locker for valuables with a lock provided. To access the building there is a door code to enter the door at street level and another door code to enter the hostel on the top floor, there are no individual locks on the doors to the rooms.
Considering the entire hostel is the size of a family flat, there is one bathroom. In this one bathroom are two sinks, two showers, and two toilets. Even though the bathroom is rather small there is almost never a line to use the facilities. The showers each have private separate areas to change and a curtain between the shower and this area, there isn't really anywhere to hang clothes and towels. The bathroom isn't the most spacious but the staff does their best to keep it clean. If there's a problem and you bring it to the staff's attention they'll resolve it right away. It's also worth noting that laundry is available and if you bag it up and pay a small fee the staff will do it for you.
Common Spaces
This hostel defines the word social. Every night there's a planned hostel night out and some afternoons there are hostel outings, otherwise the staff is not at all shy to suggest an activity or help you find other guests to see the city with. Don't miss Mongolian BBQ on Wednesdays or Morrison's Monday and Thursday nights. People would describe this as a party hostel but most of the partying after 9 p.m. goes on outside of the hostel on account of neighbors complaining about the noise. Don't worry about making your own plans, the hostel staff always has drinking plans.
There's a kitchen in the hostel available to guests for cooking and a refrigerator for food, but cooking isn't always necessary as the hostel staff frequently make dinner for anyone interested for a small fee. Breakfast isn't available unless you're making it yourself. There is also a living room area with a TV (that's never on) and two laptops for guests to use, a sofa, and tons of beanbag seating. This is one of the two places in the hostel where you can always find guest socializing -- the other is the smoking hallway. The smoking hallway has nothing to separate it from the rest of the hostel so this hostel can get smoky, but then again everywhere in Budapest can get smoky. There is also a shesha that can be smoked in the living room.
Summary
When you check into Carpe Noctem you're welcomed with a cup of joe or tea and a map with a quick run-through of everything you should but won't ever end up seeing in Budapest along with a brief history of the city. You should probably know that if you stay at Carpe Noctem you'll see a lot less of the city than planned but instead you'll meet some of the greatest people in your life. Guests in the hostel don't usually wake up much before 10. It's worth noting some of the staff like Suzi (who is omnipresent) and Ian, the owners, who are amazing. Suzi always goes out with the guests at night, as does Kes, an staff member who's been working at the hostel forever and who knows everything. If you need help carrying your bags up the stairs or down, don't hesitate to ask.
Don't make plans to leave because everyone ends up staying at Carpe Noctem longer than expected. If you need a place to stay or to prolong your stay the staff will do everything they can to find you a bed or to send you to the second best place in Budapest. It's sometimes hard to differentiate between staff members and the guest who've been there forever because they like the place so much. We'd also make note that this is a hook-up friendly hostel and you'll sometimes hear noises you don't expect or find two roommates in bed together.
The Location
To get to Carpe Noctem take the train from the airport to Nyugati station, come to the front of the station, and turn left on Terez Korut. Spray painted on the sidewalk is the word hostel and arrows, if you follow the arrows out of the station and turn the direction they point, you're on your way (the arrows don't lead to Carpe Noctem). Walk down Terez Korut and the second street on your right will be Szobi utca, turn right down this street until you get to number 5 on the right.
The building is unmarked because it's a historic building but you'll know it's the building because it's across the street from Parazs Presszo with the Invia sign and the orange fire sign. Ring bell 13 and climb the hundred steps to the top floor of the building and you're there. No elevator and no noise on the stairs because the neighbors can get grumpy and yell. The hostel is on the Pest side of the river and pretty much everything is located within a walkable distance. The neighborhood doesn't really appear to be too sketchy, just your usual characters. Overall it's a great location.
Rooms and Bathrooms
Carpe Noctem is a pretty small hostel with about thirty beds spread over three rooms. The beds vary between single beds and bunked beds and there aren't any private rooms. The number and type of beds per room may vary, with some of the beds being in an in room loft. The hostel is geared towards single travelers and doesn't accept groups of more than four. There are flexible check in and checkout times and when you arrive your bed is made for you.
The only luggage storage is leaving your bag in the hall for the afternoon, which is perfectly acceptable. Next to each bed is a wooden locker for valuables with a lock provided. To access the building there is a door code to enter the door at street level and another door code to enter the hostel on the top floor, there are no individual locks on the doors to the rooms.
Considering the entire hostel is the size of a family flat, there is one bathroom. In this one bathroom are two sinks, two showers, and two toilets. Even though the bathroom is rather small there is almost never a line to use the facilities. The showers each have private separate areas to change and a curtain between the shower and this area, there isn't really anywhere to hang clothes and towels. The bathroom isn't the most spacious but the staff does their best to keep it clean. If there's a problem and you bring it to the staff's attention they'll resolve it right away. It's also worth noting that laundry is available and if you bag it up and pay a small fee the staff will do it for you.
Common Spaces
This hostel defines the word social. Every night there's a planned hostel night out and some afternoons there are hostel outings, otherwise the staff is not at all shy to suggest an activity or help you find other guests to see the city with. Don't miss Mongolian BBQ on Wednesdays or Morrison's Monday and Thursday nights. People would describe this as a party hostel but most of the partying after 9 p.m. goes on outside of the hostel on account of neighbors complaining about the noise. Don't worry about making your own plans, the hostel staff always has drinking plans.
There's a kitchen in the hostel available to guests for cooking and a refrigerator for food, but cooking isn't always necessary as the hostel staff frequently make dinner for anyone interested for a small fee. Breakfast isn't available unless you're making it yourself. There is also a living room area with a TV (that's never on) and two laptops for guests to use, a sofa, and tons of beanbag seating. This is one of the two places in the hostel where you can always find guest socializing -- the other is the smoking hallway. The smoking hallway has nothing to separate it from the rest of the hostel so this hostel can get smoky, but then again everywhere in Budapest can get smoky. There is also a shesha that can be smoked in the living room.
Summary
When you check into Carpe Noctem you're welcomed with a cup of joe or tea and a map with a quick run-through of everything you should but won't ever end up seeing in Budapest along with a brief history of the city. You should probably know that if you stay at Carpe Noctem you'll see a lot less of the city than planned but instead you'll meet some of the greatest people in your life. Guests in the hostel don't usually wake up much before 10. It's worth noting some of the staff like Suzi (who is omnipresent) and Ian, the owners, who are amazing. Suzi always goes out with the guests at night, as does Kes, an staff member who's been working at the hostel forever and who knows everything. If you need help carrying your bags up the stairs or down, don't hesitate to ask.
Don't make plans to leave because everyone ends up staying at Carpe Noctem longer than expected. If you need a place to stay or to prolong your stay the staff will do everything they can to find you a bed or to send you to the second best place in Budapest. It's sometimes hard to differentiate between staff members and the guest who've been there forever because they like the place so much. We'd also make note that this is a hook-up friendly hostel and you'll sometimes hear noises you don't expect or find two roommates in bed together.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
July 2009
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