The Hostelz.com Review
Regent Hostel provides excellent value and a comfortable experience. It's a little bit away from Paris's main attractions, but right off a Metro station and a short walking distance from the Gare du Nord. It's close to good shops and restaurants and some amazing panoramic views.
The Location
The hostel is within walking distance from the Gare du Nord, but it is not as close as the information provided by the hostel implies. Instead of being one block to the right of the station, it is about a fifteen-minute walk (without too much of an incline), first up the Boulevard de Magenta and then left on the Boulevard de Rochechouart.
A much quicker way (though less obvious and with a slightly steeper incline) is to head northwest along the Rue de Dunkerque. This street is to the left of the Boulevard de Magenta when you make the turn out of the Gare du Nord and also houses a few nice shops and some decent grocery stores.
This area of town, and most areas around the Gare du Nord, are not the safest at night. Desk security appears sound, but walking around at night is best done in groups and only if necessary. Take the Metro and be safe.
The hostel is readily accessible from the Anvers Metro stop, and about a five-minute walk from the Barbes-Rochechouart stop. Be prepared for stairs at both stops, but Anvers appears to have the most stairs. This hostel is a great way to access the Sacré-Coeur and some excellent and inexpensive shopping in Paris. Most other sites and shops are best accessed by Metro, unless it is during the day and you feel like long strolls.
There is a department store between the hostel and the Barbes-Rochechouart Metro stop that has some incredible bargains and excellent opportunities to resupply. There is also a laundry close by (there are no facilities for washing clothes at the hostel). Restaurants in the area boast some inexpensive and delicious set menus, and there are plenty of opportunities for sandwiches and desserts.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The rooms are very clean, well kept, and pleasant to spend time in. Each room is fairly small, but there is ample room for everyone's luggage, plus a desk and chair and perhaps a few fun things (one of our rooms had a kitschy modern cube chair, and another room had gorgeous french windows and a small balcony). There are plenty of plugs to charge your various electronics, and the windows offer a variety of views, from the charming streets to the Sacré-Coeur. The mattresses are very comfortable to sleep on. Sheets and a soft but thin blanket are provided, as well as a plush pillow.
Many of the rooms are ensuite, including many of the dorm-style rooms. These bathrooms are very clean, with good water pressure and we never ran out of hot water (even during the busy morning time).
Common Spaces
Some of the hallways have a sensitive energy-saving light system that can require some fidgeting to get working. There are two stairs and two lifts, depending on which area of the hostel you are staying in. The back lift is very temperamental, but a little patience and frequent button pushing brings you a welcome lift to the top floors.
The bar area has a foosball table, vending machines, and a chalkboard wall where guests can write messages. The most popular messages seem to be greetings and thanks from all over the world. The back business area has free hit-or-miss Wi-Fi access. We were able to connect, but not for very long, and sometimes with a very weak connection.
The complimentary breakfast includes rolls, croissants, coffee, tea, and cereals. The breakfast is pretty sparse but, what's worse, it is infrequently available. Even though breakfast is theoretically available until 10 a.m., it is never restocked, so by 8:30 a.m., you could not eat breakfast -- either because there is no milk or food, or because there are no cups or trays. One morning, we tried to get coffee at 9 a.m. and the housekeepers yelled at us that it was closed. If you're an early riser, this should not be a problem, but each morning of our stay we had to get breakfast by 8 a.m. or go hungry.
The coffee is pretty dreadful, so bring your travel cafetiere and take advantage of the hot water. Despite what it says on the website, it does not offer hot water for beverages twenty-four hours a day (or, actually, at all outside of breakfast hours). The machine was on the table, so we turned it on and the front desk staff immediately came over and turned it off.
There are two, nice-sized luggage rooms where guests can store their luggage for free both before and after checking out of the hostel. Both are watched or locked, but not always, so luggage locks are recommended.
Summary
This hostel seems to have a few problems, mostly regarding assurances that checking in will be hassle-free. Check-in time averages about fifteen minutes per person, and that's without any problems (so the queue at 4 p.m. is very long). Check-in is made more difficult by the fairly loud music playing in the background, making it hard to talk with the desk agent.
While we were in the lobby, each guest had some sort of problem with their accommodation. One guest asked to be placed in less expensive accommodation if some became available -- her request was honored, but they refused to let her pay the reduced rate and charged her the higher rate, even though she was in a less expensive room.
Another guest had made an online reservation, but was told they had no vacancies when he arrived (they sent him to another, more expensive hostel down the street). Guests that had made online reservations, whether through the hostel's own website (where, we noted, you can get the best price) or through another website, seemed to have the most problems.
What makes this easier to bear is the staff, who are very friendly. The problems seem to be systemic and/or procedural -- very slow check-in and very limited ability to be creative in problem-solving.
If you're looking for an inexpensive but nice hostel, with a good vibe, a little outside of the hustle and bustle, and with friendly staff and comfortable accommodations, look no further than the Regent Hostel!
The Location
The hostel is within walking distance from the Gare du Nord, but it is not as close as the information provided by the hostel implies. Instead of being one block to the right of the station, it is about a fifteen-minute walk (without too much of an incline), first up the Boulevard de Magenta and then left on the Boulevard de Rochechouart.
A much quicker way (though less obvious and with a slightly steeper incline) is to head northwest along the Rue de Dunkerque. This street is to the left of the Boulevard de Magenta when you make the turn out of the Gare du Nord and also houses a few nice shops and some decent grocery stores.
This area of town, and most areas around the Gare du Nord, are not the safest at night. Desk security appears sound, but walking around at night is best done in groups and only if necessary. Take the Metro and be safe.
The hostel is readily accessible from the Anvers Metro stop, and about a five-minute walk from the Barbes-Rochechouart stop. Be prepared for stairs at both stops, but Anvers appears to have the most stairs. This hostel is a great way to access the Sacré-Coeur and some excellent and inexpensive shopping in Paris. Most other sites and shops are best accessed by Metro, unless it is during the day and you feel like long strolls.
There is a department store between the hostel and the Barbes-Rochechouart Metro stop that has some incredible bargains and excellent opportunities to resupply. There is also a laundry close by (there are no facilities for washing clothes at the hostel). Restaurants in the area boast some inexpensive and delicious set menus, and there are plenty of opportunities for sandwiches and desserts.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The rooms are very clean, well kept, and pleasant to spend time in. Each room is fairly small, but there is ample room for everyone's luggage, plus a desk and chair and perhaps a few fun things (one of our rooms had a kitschy modern cube chair, and another room had gorgeous french windows and a small balcony). There are plenty of plugs to charge your various electronics, and the windows offer a variety of views, from the charming streets to the Sacré-Coeur. The mattresses are very comfortable to sleep on. Sheets and a soft but thin blanket are provided, as well as a plush pillow.
Many of the rooms are ensuite, including many of the dorm-style rooms. These bathrooms are very clean, with good water pressure and we never ran out of hot water (even during the busy morning time).
Common Spaces
Some of the hallways have a sensitive energy-saving light system that can require some fidgeting to get working. There are two stairs and two lifts, depending on which area of the hostel you are staying in. The back lift is very temperamental, but a little patience and frequent button pushing brings you a welcome lift to the top floors.
The bar area has a foosball table, vending machines, and a chalkboard wall where guests can write messages. The most popular messages seem to be greetings and thanks from all over the world. The back business area has free hit-or-miss Wi-Fi access. We were able to connect, but not for very long, and sometimes with a very weak connection.
The complimentary breakfast includes rolls, croissants, coffee, tea, and cereals. The breakfast is pretty sparse but, what's worse, it is infrequently available. Even though breakfast is theoretically available until 10 a.m., it is never restocked, so by 8:30 a.m., you could not eat breakfast -- either because there is no milk or food, or because there are no cups or trays. One morning, we tried to get coffee at 9 a.m. and the housekeepers yelled at us that it was closed. If you're an early riser, this should not be a problem, but each morning of our stay we had to get breakfast by 8 a.m. or go hungry.
The coffee is pretty dreadful, so bring your travel cafetiere and take advantage of the hot water. Despite what it says on the website, it does not offer hot water for beverages twenty-four hours a day (or, actually, at all outside of breakfast hours). The machine was on the table, so we turned it on and the front desk staff immediately came over and turned it off.
There are two, nice-sized luggage rooms where guests can store their luggage for free both before and after checking out of the hostel. Both are watched or locked, but not always, so luggage locks are recommended.
Summary
This hostel seems to have a few problems, mostly regarding assurances that checking in will be hassle-free. Check-in time averages about fifteen minutes per person, and that's without any problems (so the queue at 4 p.m. is very long). Check-in is made more difficult by the fairly loud music playing in the background, making it hard to talk with the desk agent.
While we were in the lobby, each guest had some sort of problem with their accommodation. One guest asked to be placed in less expensive accommodation if some became available -- her request was honored, but they refused to let her pay the reduced rate and charged her the higher rate, even though she was in a less expensive room.
Another guest had made an online reservation, but was told they had no vacancies when he arrived (they sent him to another, more expensive hostel down the street). Guests that had made online reservations, whether through the hostel's own website (where, we noted, you can get the best price) or through another website, seemed to have the most problems.
What makes this easier to bear is the staff, who are very friendly. The problems seem to be systemic and/or procedural -- very slow check-in and very limited ability to be creative in problem-solving.
If you're looking for an inexpensive but nice hostel, with a good vibe, a little outside of the hustle and bustle, and with friendly staff and comfortable accommodations, look no further than the Regent Hostel!
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
June 2010
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