The Hostelz.com Review
Hostel of the Sun is not shy to announce its numerous "Best Hostel in the World" awards, which are literally plastered over every scrap of wall. After a few days snuggled up in this tiny haven, you can understand why.
The Location
The hostel is not particularly close to anything, but everything in Naples is so spread out, it would be difficult to find a hostel that's well placed. The street is also a bit scary to walk down in the evening as its very quiet and deserted, but hey, this is Naples -- without a bit of fear it wouldn't be the crazy city that it is. The hostel is also located on one level of a tall building, which is common for Italian hostels -- it can therefore be puzzling to find at first. Look around for the Hostel sign when you think you're getting near.
Rooms and Bathrooms
You cannot fault the rooms, which are brightly coloured, clean, and well equipped with huge lockers and lights by every bedside. There's even a shelf for those on the top bunk! The bathrooms are very large and wheelchair friendly, though there's only three, so you can end up waiting a little on busy mornings.
Common spaces
The sofas in the living room area are all very close and intimate, which helps to add to the hostel's friendly, cosy vibe. There's a full DVD collection and three computers, but the problem is that they're always busy in the evenings. The kitchen and its facilities are all spotlessly clean. The hostel also has a conscience and recycles almost everything! The dining room is fairly small, but again this helps to promote interactions among travelers -- you‘ll find yourself sitting with about six randoms at breakfast time.
There are also many bonuses that not all hostels take into account, such as free internet and a great free breakfast with lots of choice (cereal, yogurt, fruit salad, toast, and the hugest Nutella jars you will ever lay your hands on!). The hostel even has its own Skype telephone account, so you can phone anywhere in the world for almost nothing per minute! There's rarely a queue for this magical phone, which is really quite perplexing.
Summary
It is pretty clear why Hostel of the Sun has won so many awards -- it's clean, it's friendly (the staff are unbelievably laid back!) and its facilities are plentiful and modern. The list is exhaustive. Hostel of the Sun is very welcoming and great value for money. Just make sure you don't miss out -- book in advance.
The Location
The hostel is not particularly close to anything, but everything in Naples is so spread out, it would be difficult to find a hostel that's well placed. The street is also a bit scary to walk down in the evening as its very quiet and deserted, but hey, this is Naples -- without a bit of fear it wouldn't be the crazy city that it is. The hostel is also located on one level of a tall building, which is common for Italian hostels -- it can therefore be puzzling to find at first. Look around for the Hostel sign when you think you're getting near.
Rooms and Bathrooms
You cannot fault the rooms, which are brightly coloured, clean, and well equipped with huge lockers and lights by every bedside. There's even a shelf for those on the top bunk! The bathrooms are very large and wheelchair friendly, though there's only three, so you can end up waiting a little on busy mornings.
Common spaces
The sofas in the living room area are all very close and intimate, which helps to add to the hostel's friendly, cosy vibe. There's a full DVD collection and three computers, but the problem is that they're always busy in the evenings. The kitchen and its facilities are all spotlessly clean. The hostel also has a conscience and recycles almost everything! The dining room is fairly small, but again this helps to promote interactions among travelers -- you‘ll find yourself sitting with about six randoms at breakfast time.
There are also many bonuses that not all hostels take into account, such as free internet and a great free breakfast with lots of choice (cereal, yogurt, fruit salad, toast, and the hugest Nutella jars you will ever lay your hands on!). The hostel even has its own Skype telephone account, so you can phone anywhere in the world for almost nothing per minute! There's rarely a queue for this magical phone, which is really quite perplexing.
Summary
It is pretty clear why Hostel of the Sun has won so many awards -- it's clean, it's friendly (the staff are unbelievably laid back!) and its facilities are plentiful and modern. The list is exhaustive. Hostel of the Sun is very welcoming and great value for money. Just make sure you don't miss out -- book in advance.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
February 2009
Their Description
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Hostel of the Sun Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Like Home! Hostel of the Sun is an amazing place to stay! The staff are all really friendly and really helpful -- they gave me advice on everything from where to shop to which ferries and buses to take to which bottles of wine were most appropriate for a gift! The hostel itself is colorful and comfortable, and the people who stay there are also really friendly. The free breakfast has peanut butter, which pretty much made my life complete. I loved staying here and would go back in a second. It's really close to Molo Beverello, so it's a good location if you want to take the ferry to Capri or Ischia. It's a far walk from the centro storico and some of the other sights in Naples, but overall I thought the location was decent. There are some great pizzerias in the general area of the hostel. Overall, I would definitely recommend staying here. You'll meet some awesome people! — Raquel , USA (2009-10-01) Great place to stay in Napoli I had a most wonderful time there. The young staff was extremely helpful and friendly, explained how to find everything and how to get to the wonderful places in- and outside of Napoli. They spoke both excellent English and understandable Italian. The dorm room was really friendly and bright, had lockers and reading lights and enough space. There is a huge comfortable common area with a big TV, lots of DVDs, and three computers for internet access (which were too slow unfortunately). Breakfast was very good and plenty too. You get to use the kitchen as well, which was very helpful. The bath rooms were also nice and clean. This is a great place to meet people and relax after seeing the sights! — Max , Germany (2009-02-28) Nice atmosphere and friendly staff This hostel is close to the ferry terminal and around half an hour by foot to the Central Train Station. The staff is friendly and ready to help at all times. They usually organise night outs with the guests to help people get to know each other. It is not too big and well equipped with a very big plasma screen, a very complete DVD collection, and a kitchen and reception both open twenty-four hours. Breakfast is included and very good (just sweet things though) and the prize for a bed in a eight-people dormitory is the average in Naples (what actually means rather expensive, but affordable). I had a great time there and I spent longer than I thought (what I very rarely do) in a city that is really worth visiting (despite the permanent noise and dirtiness all around). — Juan L. , Spanish (2007-11-01) I will come back! Very friendly staff and excellent location! — Stanimir Kosev (2007-03-14) This is one of the best Hostels I've ever stayed at. The staff is super friendly and the location is A+++++. I will definitely come back. — anonymous (2006-10-22) I travelled around italy for two months and this is one of the best hostels i came accross for a number of reasons. The staff were so friendly and helpfull, they made you feel so welcome. The facilites are great, nice hot clean showers and the rooms are basic but clean! They are in a central location (a bit far from the train station approx thirty minutes walk), surrounded by heaps of cheap eats. The free breakfast is fantastic and pleantifull. The only down point is that it can be a bit noisy if you're planning for a quiet night, if travelling alone will make for a perfect place to meet new people. — Sarah (2006-07-25) My sister and I stayed at this hostel for four nights in July 2006. It was the best hostel we have ever stayed at. The staff are so warm and friendly and the place is really clean. We felt at home at this hostel and now compare all other hostels to this one. — Camille (2006-07-12) It is a very good place to stay unless you have a car with you. Parking is a nightmare -- for a night you pay eighteen euros for parking or take the risk have stolen your car. The rooms are clean, and the staff is nice, they speak very good English. — asciimo (2006-05-09) Best hostel I've been to in my -- so far -- three-months trip around Europe. It's really a home away from home. The staff are very friendly and helpful, the place is very clean and the big TV with a lot of DVDs and pillows around the common room are very welcome in a rainy day or after you've walked all day long. You can get to know everyone there, it was just great! And it's in a good location and has nice cheap restaurants a block away! — Mariana (2006-04-22) This hostel has a very good atmosphere, so you can enjoy Naples even on rainy days. Very friendly and helpful staff. It always smells good. — Silke (2006-03-21) This hostel is one of the only good things in Naples. It's relatively close to the major sights. It's ideal when you want to go on day trips, as it's close to the harbor and train station. It's clean, and the staff are friendly. The bathroom is huge and the shower pressure is brilliant. — Tanja (2005-08-28) Although the port city of naples has a strong reputation as a 'dodgy'and dangerous part of italy, it is not as bad as people make out. However single women travellers should be careful walking alone, especially at night. Naplesis a good point for access to Pmpeii and Mt Vesuvius. Hostel of the Sun is in a reasonable part of the city and offers clean dorm style accomodation with a simple breakfast (toast and cerial) included for 20 euro per night. It is within walking distance to all major areas, including the port, bus and train stations. The location is however very niosy and ear plugs would be strongly recommended if not a must for staying (if you actually want to sleep). There is a very small common room and beds are added to dorms almost daily so if you booked a 4 bed dorm expect it to go up to atleast 6 beds before you leave. You may or may not have access to a locker, it dependson availability. Although staff are friendly and helpful, they do try to rip you off atany opportunity and frequently argued that people had not payed any deposit for their stay and insisted on full price.... beware! — Holly , Australia (2004-10-27) We had an excellent double room that was huge, with a wrap-around balcony. The only downside is that the laundry has no dryer, only a small drying rack, but other than that it's a great place. The staff is very nice, and there is a great DVD collection. While the hostel is great, Naples is not and I wouldn't really recommend the city on its own. But the hostel is in an excellent location for departures to Pompeii, or any of the islands in the Bay of Naples and the Amalfi Coast, because buses and boats leave from right down the street. — Anonymous (2004-06-18) This was a great hostel. I had heard horror stories about Naples and its seedy nightlife and was worried about getting from the train station to the hostel in one piece. They gave me brilliant directions to the hostel (although finding the right bus stop was a challenge) and welcomed me and my travel mate with open arms. It's very close to the castle, the opera, and a short but nice walk to the museums. Clean rooms, you can leave your bags in lockers, laundry facilities are a bit pricey but it's a new machine. The bathrooms had great water pressure and were clean, although manouvering in the stall was a bit tricky. The lounge was great for meeting new friends and the communal breakfast made it feel like home. If you can get a bed here, do so it's great and the staff were so friendly and accommodating! — Kelley (2004-02-02) Wow I really loved this hostel. I had the best time here and Napels is a great city. This hostel is the place to be if you come to Napels really. It's clean, especially the showers, and the staff are very friendly. — Gabriella from Holland (2003-12-20)