Hostelz.com Hostels Reviews
EnglishFrançaisEspañolItalianoDeutsch
Find hostels in:

Internet Hostel

Sofia, Sofia Province, Bulgaria

4 of 25
Online Booking
• Secure Instant Booking • Guaranteed Reservation •
Arrival Date:   Nights:  People: 
Address
50A Alabin str., 2nd floor, 6 apt, Sofia
Price
Location/Contact
Details
Their Description

Features

  • Free Breakfast
  • Kitchen
  • Lockers
  • Bar
  • Nightclub
  • Lounge / Common space
  • Food/Restaurant
  • TV
  • Book Collection/Exchange
  • Washing Machine (laundry)
  • Elevator/Lift
  • Travel information provided
  • Bike Rental
  • 24 Hour Free Hot Showers
  • Phones (public or in room)
  • Currency Exchange
 
The Hostelz.com Review
Internet Hostel is situated on Alabin Street, just some meters away from one of the main shopping streets of Sofia -- Vitosha Boulevard. But this is the only and the best thing about it.

It is situated on the fourth floor of the building, not on the second as it written in the information about it and there is no lift. Also, it is not really a hostel -- it is more like a home-stay accommodation. There is no place for the reception at all -- it is the same place where they serve breakfast. The stairs leading to the top of the building are really terrible -- blue, dirty, with different graffiti and notes on the walls.

We booked the hostel almost three weeks before arriving. When we arrived, the first shock was the staircase. There are no signs of the Internet Hostel on the second floor and only upon climbing to the top did we find it. When we tried to open the door, the handle of the door came off in my friend's hand! The door suddenly opened and we were told there were no rooms available! We had a conversation with the both of the hostel managers for about two hours. The manager of the hostel is very rude, unpleasant, and unkind, but the staff is great -- very helpful and nice! They offered another hostel, which was the same (home-stay accommodation on the fourth floor of a five-storied building without a lift). We stayed here.

The room is nice, clean, and newly renovated. They give you clean linen and towels. It is not very noisy there, but it could be, because outside your room there is a space for watching TV, eating, and smoking. The bathroom is in the hall. The hostel has free internet. For breakfast you can get some toast with sausages, cheese and tomatoes and jam, and coffee and tea.

If you want to save money, you can stay here. But remember, it is really not a hostel, but a home-stay accommodation.

-- Exclusive Hostelz.com Review


Your Comments
This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites, we don't censor out the negative comments.
We do not validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.
Comment by Sara, Italy
May 2007
I have been to the internet hostel very recently, actually about ten days ago. It is true, it is more like a private apartment, with a few rooms, some shared, and some private, and a main "living room" where breakfast is served. I was staying in private room (double bed). It was very nicely furnished and clean. Clean sheets, blankets, and towels were provided. The hostel assistant was nice, although her English was very poor, but we could communicate anyway. The breakfast was satisfactory -- tea or coffee, bread, butter and marmalade, cheese and ham. The bathroom is shared, which is not the best option, but it is a hostel, so it is very usual. It was kept clean, although I have to say the shower is very weird. It comes from the roof in the middle of the bathroom, which in the beginning was a bit of a shock, but then actually I had no problem. And the location of course is perfect. A computer with free internet connection was available in the "living room."
Comment by Jamie O'Beirne, The United States
April 2007
This is a very poorly run hostel and I would advise anyone to look for another place. It was one of the few low-points of our great visit to Bulgaria. To start, the photos are a carefully engineered and creative image of the cluttered and depressing interior that actually is this hostel. The owner seemed distant and uninterested. The owner initially attempted to overcharge us for a shuttle from the airport (it costs 10 to 15 leva by taxi and she asked 12 euro (23 leva) -- though taxi drivers will attempt to overcharge as well). We made it into Sofia by public bus only to realize that the instructions from the hostel were (intentionally?) confusing /incorrect. At the hostel, our bathroom was out of order in our room (though they did put us in a nice apartment-like room for two nights). The following mornings, there was practically no breakfast -- a bit of cheese, meat, and bread while the TV blared over our heads in the small, crowded common room. A tired woman in the kitchen painfully made a small amount of black coffee after being asked. The other rooms in the hostel looked cluttered with old furniture. The internet was unavailable for some of the visit. When we returned later in the week, our final reservation didn't exist though they did put us in a large, dirty apartment with bugs in the bathroom on the far side of the central area (we arrived by illegally riding the streetcar, at the insistence of the owner's guide). The smoky apartment had full ashtrays and Burger King trash in the living room and dirty dishes in the sink. How romantic. The hostel is well located though. Do yourself a favor -- enjoy Sofia by going elsewhere.
Comment by Visitor from Germany
May 2006
This place is a disaster! Dirty and stinky, a place where you can easily catch hepatitis. The location is good and but the apartment is a nightmare.
Comment by Tim Howlett
October 2005
It's in a great location! Bedding is always very clean, as well as the bathroom and rest of the hostel. There are maps and info all over the place to help you get around better.
Comment by Ziizy Bizzy
December 2004
I could forgive the mediocre facilities and questionable cleanliness, but a cheating staff is the last thing that I expect in a hostel.
Comment by The Traveler
October 2004
This is one of the best hostels I've been to. It has a great staff, very clean beds and bathrooms, free Internet, and it is in the best location.
Comment by Big Al
September 2004
This place has smelly, shaky beds; filthy bathrooms; and cockroaches. It was a big mistake on my part to allow myself to be taken from the train station by these scammers to their sh*t hole.
Comment by Captain Connell
September 2004
This place was not very good. It has a shared shower and toilet, where the water floods everywhere, every time you use it, no matter what you do. It's also very cramped, and a bit smelly. It's in a good location, though.
Comment by John Cox
August 2004
I had a great stay here. This hostel has fun people and very nice staff. I hope to return some day.
Have you visited this hostel? Post your comments here.

4 of 25
Exclusive Photos Taken by the Hostelz.com Reviewer
Additional Photos

Hostelz.com Poll
Which do you use for opinions when choosing a hostel?
Comments from Hostelz.com Users (the ones with star ratings)
Hostelz.com's own Exclusive Reviews
Both
Not sure / don't understand
Other:

Hostelz.com is the only hostel guide with complete information and reviews on all youth hostels and backpackers worldwide.