HI - Gent Hostel De Draecke is large and has a rather cold institutional feeling to the place. It caters to large groups and is open all year. It is not inexpensive but the price does include breakfast and bed linen (towels must be rented). Left luggage is free, but they charge if you want to use a locker for storage. The hostel accepts credit cards. The reception is open 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., which are the bar hours, too. Guests staying here have twenty-four-hour access to the building; there is no lock out. There is heating and air conditioning. The building was renovated in 1993 and in 2010 they are going to redo the bathrooms. It does show a bit of it's age in general but, it is clean.
The Location
This hostel is twenty minutes from the train station on the tram right in the center of town. It is an excellent location and the only hostel in Ghent. There is a laundromat a five-minute walk away and a small market for basic needs nearby.
Rooms and Bathrooms
There are a variety of size of dorm rooms. The hostel has one-hundred-six beds divided into twenty-seven rooms. All rooms are en-suite and they have rooms for two through six people.The rooms and bathrooms are clean. All rooms have a window but only two rooms have a great view.
Common Spaces
There is no kitchen use for guests, but there is a cafeteria where breakfast is served and the hostel will arrange meals in advance if there is a group. Each floor has a lounge that is rather dismal since it used to be the smoking room -- they could use a renovation. However, the common room downstairs with bar, TV, and games is nice. There is plenty of seating for socializing and because of the size, there are always plenty of international travelers around. The beer in the bar is cheap and very good. There is no smoking indoors. There is Wi-Fi and internet for a fee. In the reception area there is loads of information on what's going on around town and in Belgium. The staff is very helpful in helping to arrange sightseeing and transportation.
Summary
The best things about this hostel are that it's clean and centrally located. Ghent is a lovely town about a half hour by train from Brussels, Bruges, and Antwerp. The negatives about this hostel are that it is big, institutional, rather plain, and showing its age. The staff is very nice and helpful.
Review by S. Topf— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
June 2008
Location/Contact
4.2 Average from 13 Ratings
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