The Hostelz.com Review
I love this hostel! It is in the heart of one of Berlin's most vibrant neighborhoods. It oozes (former) East Berlin creative and artistic edge, carrying hints of a "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" theme. It is gritty, it is classy, it is alternative, it is clean, it is so freaking cool.
The rooms are very spacious and contemporary, with more than enough locker storage, comfortable beds, and I have to mention the gorgeous hardwood floors. The bathrooms are also spacious; they are segregated, plentiful, and very well maintained. It was a pleasant surprise to find handsoap and papertowels near all of the wash basins.
The reception desk is on the main floor and extends into a bar, resulting in a long, open common area. Throw into the mix couches, chairs, a coffee table, three computers with internet access (quoted price was 50 cents per 10 minutes, but I was never charged over 50 cents total), a pool table, a projector that will display the national football game or a DVD, and a very friendly staff that will serve you drinks well into the night (and morning), and you have one constant party. Despite the constant party and laid back, modern alternative atmosphere, the rooms are fairly quiet in the evenings (for you light sleepers).
It is an easy 10 minute walk from Friedrichstrausse (S Bahn) station, and is within walking distance of Brandenburger Tor, the Reichstag, Tiergarten Park, former Checkpoint Charlie, and sections of the wall. It is practically next door to the fascinating Tacheles building (with the squatting artists), which is a must see.
The only drawback is a 3 Euro deposit on the key and a 3 Euro deposit on the linens, but you get the money back when you leave. This place rocks and comes highly recommended.
The rooms are very spacious and contemporary, with more than enough locker storage, comfortable beds, and I have to mention the gorgeous hardwood floors. The bathrooms are also spacious; they are segregated, plentiful, and very well maintained. It was a pleasant surprise to find handsoap and papertowels near all of the wash basins.
The reception desk is on the main floor and extends into a bar, resulting in a long, open common area. Throw into the mix couches, chairs, a coffee table, three computers with internet access (quoted price was 50 cents per 10 minutes, but I was never charged over 50 cents total), a pool table, a projector that will display the national football game or a DVD, and a very friendly staff that will serve you drinks well into the night (and morning), and you have one constant party. Despite the constant party and laid back, modern alternative atmosphere, the rooms are fairly quiet in the evenings (for you light sleepers).
It is an easy 10 minute walk from Friedrichstrausse (S Bahn) station, and is within walking distance of Brandenburger Tor, the Reichstag, Tiergarten Park, former Checkpoint Charlie, and sections of the wall. It is practically next door to the fascinating Tacheles building (with the squatting artists), which is a must see.
The only drawback is a 3 Euro deposit on the key and a 3 Euro deposit on the linens, but you get the money back when you leave. This place rocks and comes highly recommended.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
November 2004
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Heart of Gold Hostel Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Look somewhere else After reading all the amazing reviews about this place, I was sadly disappointed. We got there and were upgraded from the 26 mega room to a 8 person bedroom which was great. The room was big, bed was decent, and pillow was kind of large and flimsy. The bathrooms were horrible, I did not even bother to shower the 3 nights I was there. Dust piles were left in the hallway and paper towels were all over the bathroom, not to mention how the entire bathroom seemed to be wet. Out of the bathrooms on the floor, 2 were closed and only one did not smell horrible. Also the people in the room next to us decided to throw their own rave inside their room, which wouldnt have been terrible had I not been jetlagged and we were in a room with a man who snored louder then a train (these all just seem to be bad timing luck). Overall out of the 5 hostels I stayed at across Europe this was by far the worst. I would look elsewhere, the front desk staff was very friendly and helping and recommend a great German place for lunch. — Alex , USA (2010-06-08) Don't pass this one up! The theme alone is a good enough reason to stay here. It's not overdone, it's classic and subtle and so completely wonderful. This hostel is very conveniently located, only a five-minute walk to the main train station (or if you're lazy, a block away from the nearest metro station). The rooms are spotless, or at least the ones we stayed in (we stayed a couple different times). The staff is, well, for the most part friendly. And the breakfast is probably as good as it gets for a hostel: bread, nutella (a european staple), cereal, yogurt, tea, and even pineapple flavored cream cheese! the rooms are large with high ceilings, and extremely giant windows, making it feel very open. I really don't have anything bad to say about this place. Of course everyone's experience is different from next person's, so always take that into consideration. But other than that, I'd say you're crazy if you try anywhere else. Oh! I almost forgot -- if you have a hankering for fries, chips, or whatever you may call them -- on the other side of the parking lot right next to the hostel, and across the street is a fantastic fry place. They even fry them in vegetable oil, not beef fat, so that's a plus for you vegetarians or vegans out there like me. — Lizzy Henry , USA (2008-12-27) Great place! I loved it. The price, location, theme, food, staff, cleanliness, you can't beat them. And for walking tour types, a chap from Brewer's Berlin tours come by to pick people up. Great tour too, by the way. — start_split (2007-01-15) This hostel is great! The bar is a lot of fun, they have a movie night too if you're into it with a big screen TV. The staff are very friendly and helpful, and the rooms and bathrooms are very clean with nice big lockers in the rooms. It's in a great location with a pretty happening nightlife close by. I met people at the hostel that weren't even staying there they just came by to party, so if that's what you're looking for it's awesome! For the price too, you can't beat it! — Jen Z (2006-09-15) Stayling in Berlin for a while, I thought Id give this place a few days to see how it panned out. Twenty-three days later I reluctantly said goodbye to one of the best hostels Ive stayed in. Everything about the place was top drawer -- the rooms, the bathrooms, the staff, and the atmosphere. The hostel was right on a main S Bahn line, and located around the corner from a major nightlife district. I'd stay here again, if they think I'm going to leave this time. — Shakey (2006-08-23) Very good hostel in Berlin. Stay for two nights. Very new, clean, comfortable, compared with a hotel. Dormitory for six persons(only male) with two single, two double beds military type. Very good security, security card for the room. Really nice room, quiet and comfortable. Good big Locker, needed a pad. Bathroom really clean and comfortable. However I think that the bathrooms were rather few for the number of people they served. Common room very nice and comfortable. Friendly atmosphere, you can play billiard and some other games plus a very nice bar. Facilities perfect -- anything you need for washing and cooking. Stuff extremely helpful by any way. Location --Central of Berlin, some blocks away from Unden de Linden avenue. Nice, clean, and quiet neighborhood. Sites, shops, and nightlife places are in walking distance. I enjoy my stay here. — Andrew (2006-07-22) a very nice hostel, nice and cosy rooms and everything is really clean.
thank you for a wonderful stay right in the historic heart of berlin -- easy walk to all the interesting places. — Cathy (2006-06-05) Stayed there back in may 2004. Dorm room of four was a little cramped. Moved to a single/double room which was very nice and clean. Love the open shower concept. Did not find the staff too friendly or informative. Crowd then was predominantly German. — HL (2006-05-23) Stayed here for a few nights -- cool theme, very unique. The place could be cleaned a little more and there was one very rude employee, but mostly a very cool place. The common room was very relaxing and they have wireless internet -- big plus for me. — american guy (2006-04-11) It's a great place -- five stars. But those pretty ladies hanging out two streets over aren't just passing the time, and they're not talking to you just because they're bored. — bill (2006-04-07) A cool hostel in the heart of culture and transportation network. The location is excellent with its proximity to U-bahn, S-bahn and M-bus. If you are into culture, Museum Island is within five minutes walking distance, galleries, art centers and theatres (including the famous Berliner Ensemble) are in the neighbourhood. Foodwise, there are a lot of inexpensive imbisses, pubs and restaurants. My first lunch was a schwarma sandwich around there. The hostel itself also provides buffet breakfast for a price. If you're there for more than three days, I suggest you to take the breakfast on some days and try out some other places as well. As the same breakfast for a row will wear your appetite out. As to the hostel itself, it's got a cool common area, friendly and helpful staff, no curfew. The staff really try to accomodate your request. I stayed in a four-bed room and it was very clean. If you manage to get into the rooms which look into the inner garden it's even nicer. My only complaints would be the flaky pillows and that in some shower booths there are no curtains. — Toby (2006-03-26) Probably the best hostel i've stayed in. Friendly, efficient and knowledgable staff made our stay very pleasant and were a fantastic source of information about things to see & do in Berlin. The 24 hour bar is also a great place to meet up with other travellers.
1 very minor criticism - the room we stayed in needed some hooks & rails to hang jackets and allow towels to dry. — Martin (2006-01-12) This was by far the best and most comfortable place I stayed in Berlin, and very centrally located. It was nicer than some places that cost twice as much. The rooms were very clean and comfortable, the decor was funky and fun, and we were pleased to have a shower in our room. The person I was traveling with wasn't feeling well when we arrived, but the staff made our room ready early so she could rest. They were very friendly and helpful. Once she was feeling better, my companion and I went out to explore. We found that we were very centrally located and we enjoyed our stay immensely. When I return to Berlin I can't think of anyplace I'd rather stay. — c0reysc0tt (2006-01-10) I really enjoyed staying at this hostel, even though I was in a dorm with six beds. The reception at the front desk was super helpful, especially after a horrible day missing trains! This hostel was one of the big reasons the Berlin is on my top three cities list. The location is amazing! While here, make sure you take a tour, because it makes the history of the city come alive. There are so many interesting things to see and do here, and this hostel is very well located for everything! Everything was spotless, except under the beds, which was very dusty. The whole place was really beautiful. The floors were nice hardwood; the windows were huge, which was great to let light in. The laundry was expensive, and the dryer took forever to work. But the convenience was really nice. There are lots of places to gather and meet new people, from the nice courtyard, to the funky bar for breakfast/nighttime. This was a great city, and a great hostel. I would absolutely recommend anyone to stay here — when I go back, I know this is where I will be! — Heather (2005-11-22) Incredibly friendly.
Incredibly clean.
Incredibly social.
Incredibly well located.
Incredibly helpful.
Basically, I met some great dudes to hang around with. I could walk to museums and attractions and sights whenever I managed to wake up after being kept out all night by my new friends. I could hang around talking to people in the bar when I had nothing else to do, and the people who worked there knew a lot about record stores. They helped me practice German, even though they didn't have to, and one guy even put on a Northern Soul competition after I skipped going to a party to hang around with some woman. Let that be a lesson, kids: Don't skip awesome events to chase women. — Steve (2005-10-03)