The Hostelz.com Review
Posh Backpackers Hostel is an Eastern-block-style hostel.
The Location
The hostel is three minutes' walking distance from the coach station, right in the middle of the Central Market. You can walk to the Old Town in around five to ten minutes. Right across the hostel is a police station, so you can feel pretty safe. It is easy to find when you have a map. The neighbourhood is very simple -- nothing fancy here -- the bustle of the market can add to the atmosphere or just simply be overwhelming.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The double rooms contain three single beds in a spacious room. There are no lockers in the rooms, just some chairs and a table. The bed linens are clean, the inlets are dirty. Guests get a personal key. The bathroom is reasonably clean but not spotless. There is a separate girls and boys shower area. You need a key for the girls shower, which adds security. There are three showers for the girls. There are some shelves where guest can place their toiletries. There are two toilets off the common room, which are reasonably clean and with enough toilet paper and soap. Having guests cross the common room to get to the toilet every time spoils the chill out factor of this room.
Common Spaces
The one common room is the only place to hang out with travelers but it is not really inviting. It feels like an outdated living room with two large, worn-down couches with a TV with all kinds of international stations as well as one computer with a fast internet connection. The kitchen area within the common room consists of a kettle, some cups, cutlery, and dishes. There is no oven or anything else where you could really cook something besides a microwave. The hall and common room are rather dull and boring.
Right next to the common room, they have a large fridge in the hall and the office is right next to the common room. Here you can store your suitcase after check-out for free. There is always somebody in the office to assist you. In the hall, they have a notice board, a small library shelf, and some brochures. The hostel does not offer any kind of special or fun activities itself.
Summary
Although the staff are pretty helpful, the overall look of the hostel certainly needs a revamp. It has a good location but definitely it's not a fun place to stay.
The Location
The hostel is three minutes' walking distance from the coach station, right in the middle of the Central Market. You can walk to the Old Town in around five to ten minutes. Right across the hostel is a police station, so you can feel pretty safe. It is easy to find when you have a map. The neighbourhood is very simple -- nothing fancy here -- the bustle of the market can add to the atmosphere or just simply be overwhelming.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The double rooms contain three single beds in a spacious room. There are no lockers in the rooms, just some chairs and a table. The bed linens are clean, the inlets are dirty. Guests get a personal key. The bathroom is reasonably clean but not spotless. There is a separate girls and boys shower area. You need a key for the girls shower, which adds security. There are three showers for the girls. There are some shelves where guest can place their toiletries. There are two toilets off the common room, which are reasonably clean and with enough toilet paper and soap. Having guests cross the common room to get to the toilet every time spoils the chill out factor of this room.
Common Spaces
The one common room is the only place to hang out with travelers but it is not really inviting. It feels like an outdated living room with two large, worn-down couches with a TV with all kinds of international stations as well as one computer with a fast internet connection. The kitchen area within the common room consists of a kettle, some cups, cutlery, and dishes. There is no oven or anything else where you could really cook something besides a microwave. The hall and common room are rather dull and boring.
Right next to the common room, they have a large fridge in the hall and the office is right next to the common room. Here you can store your suitcase after check-out for free. There is always somebody in the office to assist you. In the hall, they have a notice board, a small library shelf, and some brochures. The hostel does not offer any kind of special or fun activities itself.
Summary
Although the staff are pretty helpful, the overall look of the hostel certainly needs a revamp. It has a good location but definitely it's not a fun place to stay.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
September 2008
Their Description
Posh Backpackers Hostel Details
|
|
(To add or correct information for this listing, please use the Listing Update Form.)
Map Location/ContactHow is Posh Backpackers Hostel rated on other websites?
No reviews yet.
Posh Backpackers Hostel Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Average but not bad Good location -- in a very centre of Riga, neighbourhood (big Russian market) seems very strange at first sight, but later allows to buy great variety of food and others for cheap prices. But for this price the atmosphere and facilities inside could be better, and girls in reception could concentrate more on their work and guests, not on making make-up. Parking place free of charge, unfortunately is last in first out, which forced me to switch my car few times. Laundry was not available. It's good that it has a common room, but it could be better. — Guest , PL (2008-07-28) Was ok, very central this place is a very central walk through the marketplace and you're at the main train station. i stayed one night as i was off to sigulda -- check that place out as well did some sky diving and mountain biking. this is the real latvia. slept about two hours in the hostel as i was out all night with the locals, i was happy staying there as it's cheap and very central. all i can say to the people there is labdia (thanks in latvian) i will be taking another trip to latvia as the locals are a great laugh. — giles , ireland (2007-10-09) We stayed here in November 2005 for just one night. The staff were extremely helpful and spoke fabulous english...which was helpful as we did not speak a word of Latvian. They gave us directions to where we needed to go and were there 24/7 which again was helpful seeing as we strolled in and fell through the door at some ungodly hour after drinking too much Latvian ale! The rooms were clean and comfortable and as described. The toilets and bathrooms are sort of shared but this did not matter as we were the only two guests there!
Found it difficult to find at first as it really is in the heart of the central market, but if you catch a bus from the airport it cost us the equiv of 30p, get off at the cinema and head towards the market....you will find it!
Bet this place is lively when its full...would highly recommend and would stay there again for sure. If you need anything further please email me stefania_26@hotmail.com
Have a great stay and Happy New Year! — Stefanie and Sabina (2006-01-02) I was there a few months ago. Friendly people, Latvian "style." Good location, close to everything, but quite ugly by night. The hostel is in the main open market, so during the day it's perfect, but by night.... Anyhow there is a police station just in front of it, and I didn't have any problem. Internet is free. There is a small fridge and an automatic machine for coffee and tea. The showers are in the corridor, and the toilet is in the kitchen! The ratio between price and quality is ok. Ciao. — marcofiore (2005-05-29) This place was hard to find for me, a first time visitor who didn't know the language. When I finally got there, it was perfect — very friendly, great service, comfortable, relaxed and totally safe. It's really close to railway station, buses and the old town. =)))) It has mixed ages, and wonderful people. I will come back! — Voodoo (2005-01-10) There is now new management at this home away from home. — Anonymous (2004-11-01) Six of us turned up at 2 a.m. after pre-booking, and we were told our rooms were full. The staff were really unhelpful and would not even let us use the phone to find an alternative. I'm glad we didn't stay here, anyway; it looked grim and not really like the photos on their website. I'd avoid this place if I were you. It's in a pretty dodgy bit of Riga, as well. — Dunc (2004-09-25) When you finally get a room it's a good hostel, but it was hard to get a confirmation. I guess they don't care who takes the room as long as it's filled. Anyway, the rooms were fine. Too bad there's no kitchen, and I didn't see any internet access. At night it feels a bit unsafe to walk back through the deserted Russian Market. At daylight it's great though. — Anonymous (2004-08-26) We went to the hostel with our confirmation printed, and after having received the hostel's receipt of our e-mail three days before warning them we would arrive late at night. But we had to sleep in a park, because the receptionist told us there was no room, when in fact we had paid a small deposit in advance. When I showed her the printed confirmation, she only said that it was "an interesting story but there was no room." Not very helpful... — Montse (2004-08-23) The location is only good when you're tired after a long bus trip. I have to say that this place is VERY clean, and the beds are some of the most comfortable I've slept in. The staff are cool. The farmers' market is a great place to buy fruit! But there's no kitchen, and that sucks. — Anonymous (2004-06-04) Good location. Close to bus station and old town Riga. Clean facilities. Dorms have sturdy wooden bunks and doubles are roomy. The sign is hard to see from street so look carefully! Tourist office at bus station can give you a map. — Jem (2004-03-28)