Mingtown People's Square Youth Hostel is a good hostel. With traditional Chinese style, it provides all the tourists an excellent environment to see Chinese culture and meet people. Additionally, the staff there are friendly and helpful to all the guests. However, the rooms of the hostel are quite small and a bit dark, which should be improved in the future.
The Location
When talking about location, we need to say that it's not easy to find the hostel, especially when you cannot speak English. The problem is that many people in Shanghai haven't heard of Yongshou -- when I asked the policemen how to reach this road, they just said they didn't know Yongshou Road at all. Additionally, if you come to Shanghai by plane, it's not convenient to get to the hostel (after taking Airport Express to the subway, you have to walk for fifteen minutes). But the location of the hostel is good when you consider the convenience to reach all attractions in Shanghai. It's very closed to Nanjing Road and the Bund.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The main character of the rooms here is small. It's quite compact for four people to live. In addition, the lockers are small for backpackers, we think. The bathroom is clean but small. The rooms are dark. If you want to read some newspaper or your trip plan in the rooms, that will probably be difficult. However, the common place is bright enough to do so.
Common Spaces
The common spaces are excellent -- a wonderful atmosphere for tourists to meet each other. The facilities, such as laundry are helpful to the guests. Furthermore, internet is free for all the guests. You will have a good time if you come to the hostel. However, the kitchen there merely provides boiled water and a microwave oven -- if you prefer the simple foods like pizza or cup noodle, that is enough. There are some restaurants near the hostel and they're not expensive.
Summary
In sum, although the hostel is not perfect, it's good. It's very clean, with a traditional Chinese feeling. And it's very close to all the attractions in Shanghai. However, it's small, dark, and not easy to access.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
July 2009
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