The Huckleberry Finn Youth Hostel

St. Louis

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Address	1904-1908 South 12th Street, St. Louis Missouri, USA Map
Price	$20 nightly with a $5 key deposit

Location/Contact

Details

Online booking is not offered for this hostel, contact them for availability and reservations (any contact info we have is listed above).

Description

Features

Kitchen
Lockers
Lounge / Common space
TV
Travel information provided
Air Conditioning

Ratings & Comments

2.7 Average from 42 Ratings

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Comment by Jorge, Switzerland

September 2009

Quite good
I stayed there for five nights and the price I paid for it was totally worth it. Although the beds and bathrooms are not the best I've seen in my life, the hostel is located in a beautiful area and has everything that you could need in the neighbourhood -- a supermarket, a farmer's market, several bars with good live music every night, clubs, restaurants. For what i've seen during the days I spent in St. Louis, it's the best place to be around there. I had no car and I used to use the public transports or to walk while I was there (fifteen minutes' walking from there to downtown). However, I never felt unsafe in Soulard (some places in Switzerland are more dangerous than Soulard!). The buses go directly from Civic Center Station to the front door of the hostel which is at the same time quite practical and safe. As long as you don't wear some shiny luxurious watch or a coat made of dollars you shouldn't have any problem. Of course, by night you have to be more careful with the places you go (as in every city in the world). But as the neighbourhood is quite lively in the evening, hardly something can happen to you in the area. To end my review, I would just say that the staff has been very friendly and helpful. I was supposed to stay only for four nights but my flight got canceled and had to stay one more night. I had no money left at all as the air company didn't give me any compensation for canceling the flight to survive out there. But the hostel staff, after i called them, came to pick me up at the airport so i could spend my extra night at the hostel.

Comment by ben, new orleanian

August 2009

Fun, friendly, great little neighborhood
nice set up, fun neighborhood, great people working there, little pub across the street, walking distance to laundry, food, more pubs, the budweiser brewery, and downtown. its a clean bed in a fun neighborhood with good people working there. i stayed at a hotel the first night in st louis and here the second, it was way better then a cheap hotel.

Comment by john from Las Vegas, USA

August 2009

Will not stay again
Road trip on the way to east coast. Got there at night around 9 p.m., rundown place. Lots of unused car parking around hostel, kind of shady neighborhood. I wouldn't recommend especially for lady travel alone. There is a sign post inside hostel saying that how dangerous this neighborhood and not to take bus alone. Advice to go out with pairs. Not a safe place. Rough neighborhood. For my honest opinion, I will not stay again. If I do road trip again like I did, I rather stay in a cheap motel near highway. This place cost me $25 but doesn't worth saving 10 or 20 bucks for your safety.

Comment by Mizz B., USA

July 2009

Bohemian
The price was up to $25 for a night. The womens dorm was quiet, only three of us. I bought some of the best thin crust pizza from Joannies pizzeria around the corner. It is a historical area, around a hundred-year-old buildings with lots of neighborhood bars and eateries within a few blocks. They celebrate their French heritage with a Bastille Day in July which is a historical re-enactment and parade round all the local bars -- slightly rowdy with plenty of drinking with the good natured locals. Well worth going to! I walked there from the St. Louis Greyhound/Amtrak/METRO center but don't after 5:30 p.m. or when dark. Take the bus almost to the door. The entrance is between #1906 and #1908 through the white gate.

Comment by Nat, USA

June 2009

For the more flinty hostelers
We stopped here for an overnight on our road trip to Colorado from Maryland and since this was the only hostel in the city -- we didn't have much to choose from. The guy who worked there was pretty nice, but the place was downright nasty. The place looked really rundown, unused cars with peeling paint and flat tires and lots of junk piled up in the backyard, and the beds were just plain uncomfortable. There were a lot of weird older men staying there that night, so I slept with my valuables under my pillows. The neighborhood is a bit shifty too, but there are a couple great places to eat just down the road (McGurk's being one of them). Simply put, if you're undaunted by the general appearance and can deal with a lumpy bed, this place'll work for you, otherwise -- just stay at a motel and you'll be better off.

Comment by Leanne, England, UK

May 2009

Disgusting
This Hostel is awful, If I could give it less than a star I would. The office is down some dark alley, in a neighbourhood that it claims not to be safe after dark. There were babies screaming, the womens dorm smelt of smoke, mould, damp, cats, and BO. The beds are falling apart, the sheets and towels they give you are filthy, doors hanging off, flimsy door out onto the street. Hardly a safe place. I wasn't expecting anything fancy, however nothing prepared me for the dump that is Huckleberry Finn Hostel. I stayed half an hour -- just long enough to decide I didn't want to get raped and murdered in the bed and to find somewhere else to stay. Even the locals think the place is a dump. It is more like a hostel for the homeless and the "down and outs" of society. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

Comment by Katie, USA

October 2008

A wonderful, fun hostel with a fabulous owner!
We stayed here for two nights while in town for a wedding and we really loved it! We would definitely be back. The neighborhood is fantastic. It is beautiful and there is a lot to see and do. Good restaurants, good bars, a wonderful farmers' market, festivals. I felt very safe all the time, even when walking home from the bars very late at night. I think anyone that has stayed at a few hostels will say that the "cleanliness" is up to par. It actually seemed clean to me, just a little rundown, which is the last thing I care about. The beds were comfortable, the sheets were clean, the location and buildings were safe, and it was fun. Tom, the owner, is one of the best I have come across. He is so helpful, friendly, passionate about his business, and interesting. All in all, a great place to stay!

Comment by Mark, UK

March 2008

An Adventure
This is an old-style hostel in every sense. The beds are rickety, the paint is peeling, the whole place smells faintly of cats, and there are holes in the floor you could lose your watch down. All of this goes some way to explaining the bad reviews. If you weren't used to hostels and you hadn't been told what to expect, you might well wonder what on earth you had walked into. The owner, Tom, is one of the loveliest people you'll meet on your travels. He believes in what he's doing -- at $20/night, he couldn't possibly be in it for the money. True, he's got a lot of junk stored in some of the rooms, but it's interesting junk. If you're the kind of person who enjoys rummaging around in yard sales, it's a treasure trove -- books and magazines from the sixties, out of commission vending machines, pictures of Marylin Monroe. In an age of conformity, this is a little spot of bohemia the developers didn't get to yet. A couple of other points. The neighbourhood immediately to the east of the hostel, Soulard, is lively and fun, with at least three or four places offering live music. It's a big city, so obviously you should be careful wandering around late at night, but it didn't strike me as a particularly dangerous place to stay. To get downtown, take the 59 Metrobus, which stops about twenty yards from the hostel (ask the staff to show you a timetable). If you visit during the winter or early spring, find out about the heating situation. The furnace is often turned down to save money, so the dorms can get chilly. I was cold, unpleasantly so, on my first night, but after talking to Tom, I moved to a different dorm where the heat was turned up, and spent a much more pleasant second night there. To sum up then -- this place is an adventure. If that's what you're looking for -- and you're not too bothered about creaky beds, cats and none-too-private bathrooms -- you'll have a great time, save a bunch of money and give the place five stars in your review. If you're rather more attached to your creature comforts, it might be worth digging deep and paying for a hotel, otherwise you risk joining the one star crowd. As for me, three stars. It's probably obvious where my sympathies lie, but I still have the odd reservation. The worn edges are, of course, part of the charm, but I think that Tom himself would agree that there are things that could be done -- better insulation, more information about the city, slightly more substantial beds -- that would improve the place for everyone without losing much in terms of quirkiness. I passed some of that on to him before I left, and since I know he's the kind of guy to take constructive criticism seriously, I wouldn't be surprised if some of those things get acted upon. It seems like the long-termer problem from a couple of years ago has been pretty much dealt with now, which is also a positive sign. I'll be back soon to find out how things are going.

Comment by David, USA

September 2007

St. Louis is a beautiful city, and this is a great portal for a visit.
I stayed here in August 2007 for three nights. Very comfortable, convenient, clean, and friendly ambiance. The neighborhood is lively, interesting, and safe. There are restaurants, bars, and a good market nearby. It's a good location for getting around the city by car or on local transit bus. I will definitely return.

Comment by Jonathan, USA

May 2007

I stayed at this hostel for two days. The room is quite old but has good showers. The toilets are not so private -- the door is that swinging door you see in the wild west. I did meet a few international travelers and had a good time. There are also many bars walking distance away. Downside was that the room smelled strange -- lack of ventilation, if you ask me. There were a few "old timers" hanging around, but not the bad sort. Overall, it is ok.

Comment by katherine, usa

May 2007

I've stayed in a few hostels, mostly many years ago (late sixties, early seventies) and this one compares well especially for those who, like myself, are lamenting the demise of authenticity as the world is increasingly disney-fied. the neighborhood has largely maintained its aging character despite the constant threat of greedy developers. the owner/managers are people of principle and integrity.

Comment by English and Irish

February 2007

If you are going to hostel it somewhere like St. Louis then it may as well be here! I recently did a road trip from Chicago to San Fran with a mate and we stayed here for one night. We just rocked up and got two beds in a room with a mixed bunch. It really is a strange place and that is its charm. I love the creaky shabby style of the joint. Some of the other roommates are also a bit weird but that just adds to it. The room we had felt like the front of a shop, with a strange locker area and showers that have weird and quite cool plasticky metal from the '50s or something. It is so deteriorated yet functional -- it really is worth staying in. The people that run the joint are very friendly. If you want a taste of what America really is all about then have a look as this constitutes some part of it! The beds are dreadful and that is also part of what it is about so stop complaining everyone who is complaining! This place has character and makes you wonder how other people live their lives out. Coming into a creaky room full of crack pots in the dark and trying not to giggle is always funny at night too.

Comment by thomahal

January 2007

I have only stayed in a few hostels in my life and I am forty-plus years old, so I might not exactly be in the target market of a place like the Huck Finn, but I did stay there briefly recently and thought I could add a thing or two. First of all, you need to look for a small white gate between the building with the sign saying Huck Finn Hostel and the building to the south of it. Apparently you go through that little gate, down the gap between these two buildings to get to the office which is not visible from the street and is in the side of the south building down the narrow gap. My train was late getting in and the extremely nice young woman was helpful, if just a little difficult to understand over the phone accent-wise, in guiding me to the Hostel and getting me checked in around 11:30 p.m. I was nervous about this as I had called a week or so earlier to confirm my reservation and whoever answered the phone, did not identify himself in any way, sounded deeply offended that I had done such a thing, said he couldn't find the reservation book, and generally put across a tone that he would just as soon I jump in a lake as stay at the Hostel (may have caught him at a bad time). Once there, I agreed with some of the other posters that this place is none too clean. I am not too picky about such stuff, so I was not bothered by it. The bunk bed I slept in, however, was a cross between a bed and a hammock -- not a very comfortable combination. There was plenty of hot water but then there was almost nobody else there. I did not meet any "long-termers." I am a little surprised to hear the area lauded as much as some others have. I was only there briefly and could not get into the "life" of the place at all, but it looked like an pretty run-down area of town from the casual glance I could give it. I definitely did not feel safe walking through it at 3a.m. to catch an early departing train, but there are few American cities it would not be a lot wiser to spend the money on a taxi at that time of night (taxi was about $8 from the Amtrak station). Having said that, I had zero problems on that walk or at any other time during my stay. I definitely would stay here again. I definitely would not have high expectations for the facilities. I might sleep on a mat on the floor.

Comment by Faldor

November 2006

I stayed here in October 2006, I came down from Chicago with some guys i'd met there, unlike them i didn't have a reservation but that wasn't a problem, we stayed for four nights. whilst its not five star hotel it is nice and homey and most of the other guests were friendly and sociable. the staff were fantastic people, even kind enough to lend me some socks when i revealed i'd ran out. a week or so after i left the FBI said St. Louis was the most dangerous city in the U.S. but the immediate area around the hostel is a nice little area full of very friendly bars and cafes.

Comment by English Traveller

October 2006

First of all, this place wasn't clean, so if you're used to travelodge and classy hotels don't bother, unless you want to try something new, but if you like hostels and are backpacking, this place is an experience. The staff were some of the nicest people I've ever met, they invited me to a dinner in a nearby house where I was great and fed for free, two people had just moved in. The staff told me where everything was, what to do how to get there, to to save money. The hostel was right next to a bus stop and bars, and restaurants -- a great coffee shop which often holds events. The people in this area were great and I got talking to so many of them. The area the hostel has a bad reputation but keep common sense with you and you'll be more than fine. Stay here, it's the only place I've given five stars out of so far ten reviews. I also love playing the out of tune piano in the common room, it sounds so badly good. Enjoy this place and take in the atmosphere. Oh and the beds were comfy. And you might see a mouse in the kitchen which I called Mrs. Louis, say hi for me.

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