The Hostelz.com Review
Vilnius Old Town Hostel has a good reputation for being a party hostel. It is small (only 28 beds) and is always full, including during the winter -– but reputations come at a price.
Making a reservation can be a nightmare -– they suggest faxing credit card details but sometimes their fax doesn't work and they don't accept email reservations. Even if you can make a reservation they sometimes lose them and Vilnius has few other cheap options nearby.
The location is unbeatable -– in the middle between the railway/bus stations and the old town. It is in a courtyard of the street going to the Gates of Dawn. The rooms may not be much but they do the job.
Bunkbeds are tightly crammed into two rooms. To get to the second you need to go through the first. There are no lockers or even locks on the doors, so the security is poor. There is 24 hour reception but anybody could walk in off the street. Going to bed can be difficult if you're a hosteller who doesn't like putting the light on and waking sleeping room-mates then you'll have some difficulty in this place. The room is in pitch darkness when the lights are off (be to sure to always have a keychain flashlight with you while travelling).
The atmosphere in the common room is very friendly. There's a free internet computer and well equipped kitchen. There always seems to be somebody to talk to if you're up for a chat about your travels.
On the downside however, the bathroom and showers looked as though they probably had not been cleaned since Lithuania became independent. There is mildew and mould all over the showers and the drainage system is not too good. If you want hot water, you're advised to get up fairly early (and use the shower in the basement).
Making a reservation can be a nightmare -– they suggest faxing credit card details but sometimes their fax doesn't work and they don't accept email reservations. Even if you can make a reservation they sometimes lose them and Vilnius has few other cheap options nearby.
The location is unbeatable -– in the middle between the railway/bus stations and the old town. It is in a courtyard of the street going to the Gates of Dawn. The rooms may not be much but they do the job.
Bunkbeds are tightly crammed into two rooms. To get to the second you need to go through the first. There are no lockers or even locks on the doors, so the security is poor. There is 24 hour reception but anybody could walk in off the street. Going to bed can be difficult if you're a hosteller who doesn't like putting the light on and waking sleeping room-mates then you'll have some difficulty in this place. The room is in pitch darkness when the lights are off (be to sure to always have a keychain flashlight with you while travelling).
The atmosphere in the common room is very friendly. There's a free internet computer and well equipped kitchen. There always seems to be somebody to talk to if you're up for a chat about your travels.
On the downside however, the bathroom and showers looked as though they probably had not been cleaned since Lithuania became independent. There is mildew and mould all over the showers and the drainage system is not too good. If you want hot water, you're advised to get up fairly early (and use the shower in the basement).
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
January 2005
Their Description
HI - Vilnius - Old Town Hostel Details
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HI - Vilnius - Old Town Hostel Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Do not choose this hostel! it might be, that you arrive in Vilnius in the middle of the night, you go there, and nobody opens the door for you -- even you already paid in advance! As it happened to me. Better choose another hostel! — Anonymous , Germany (2011-10-24) I can only judge this place by the apartment we were offered when the dorms were all booked out. The apartment was simply amazing! It was absolutely clean; we had a fully equipped kitchen, color TV, a laundry machine and an iron for our own use. The location was great — right within the old town's main street over which we had a nice view from our huge window. The hostel's location is not bad either. There they've got free Internet and a nice atmosphere. The staff are friendly and Chris especially is very helpful and nice! — Pat (2005-08-15) This hostel gets two stars, only because of the nice common room, the good location, the low prices and the free Internet. The rooms are so small, and packed with so many people, that sometimes it is impossible to sleep. You have to pay for sheets. The staff are something between unfriendly and hostile. The bathrooms are the worst thing — I had better ones in the army. This is one place I will never go back to. — Jonathan, Jerusalem (2005-08-09) The location of the hostel is excellent, being halfway between the train station and Vilnius' old town. The kitchen is ok and also the showers and toilets. The dormitory room, though, is far too small to accommodate the amount of people they use to have in there. Something to remark is their "policy" of making people take off their shoes when inside the hostel. There is absolutely nothing wrong with it, but in summer when you have beside the entrance to the hostel the shoes of 20 or 25 people the smell can become annoying. All the same I would recommend the place. — Juan Ludwig (2005-07-10) This hostel is a great place if you want to meet people easily. There's a kitchen and free Internet and the rooms are clean and the prices reasonable. It's a hostel where you could easily spend one week even if you intended to stay only one day!!! I cannot think of any disadvantages about this hostel, it's the best hostel I've been to in Europe! — Froukje (2005-04-13) Nice place. I've been to lots of hostels. The main thing that sets this one apart is the easy going and friendly atmosphere. My only negative comment is it's a little bit cramped. — Anonymous (2005-03-23) Arriving in the cold and feeling tired after a night on the bus from Tallinn, I found the staff at the hostel to be friendly and inviting. The facilities were good and for the two days I spent there, I enjoyed the close, friendly atmosphere of the place. I would go back or recommend it to anyone. — Carlos (2005-03-07) Could have been three or four stars on account of the free internet and generous kitchen and lounge. The bathroom and bedroom pull it all down. The bathroom didn't have a door frame and just opened up when you walked down the stairs. Each shower had a curtain, but it was not nearly enough privacy. The main problem with the bedroom was that the beds were significantly too short. It was impossible to stretch out even from head to toe, and thus sleep was very poor. Not good under any circumstances. — Thomas (2005-01-17) This is my favorite hostel in the world because it offers the most important thing — atmosphere! Nowhere else have I experienced such a sense of community. During my stay every person staying there got to know everybody else, and we had such fun — all thanks to Livijus, the fantastic owner who really understands travelling and the importance of feeling welcome in another town or country. I hope it's still the same — I was there in August 2000. — Oja (2004-10-29) This hostel is to be avoided for groups. We made a reservation for 12 persons, by email, then by fax, including visa card number and got back an email to confirm our reservation for the given date. I did confirm once again our arrival by phone during the day. On arrival our group was told that it was fully booked. We could not stay and had to move to another (slightly more expensive) hostel which they reserved instead. We had to pay for the additional cost. We were told in the other hostel that it was yet the second time this month a group was relocated from the Old Town Youth hostel to their hostel due to overbooking in the Old Town Youth hostel. Obviously, they don't care to cancel without any announcement or notice your reservation if they can replace your booking by other bookings which fit better in their planning. A regrettable practice. — Anonymous (2004-08-07) This hostel is just another average sort of place. It's a short walk into the heart of the Old Town, and close to the bus station, so that's cool. The kitchen is decent, and the free Internet was a welcome distraction. You'd be better off trying to hook up an apartment in the Old Town, or off Gedemino PR. If you're traveling as a pair you can save yourself some money and sleep a lot better! As for nightlife--Gravity is good on Friday night, Lithuania Wild Club on Tuesday, and Broadway any time of the week. Stay away from the damn reds at the Olympic Casino--crooks. Casino Tornado is also full of criminals, so don't go there. That's it--have fun. — Anonymous (2004-06-04)