Nathans Villa Hostel Warsaw

Warsaw

2 of 23

Address	Ul. Piekna 24/26, Building C, Warsaw Masovia (Warsaw), Poland Map
Price	dorms from 45 zloty Privates from 120 zloty Check Current Prices by Date Here

Location/Contact

Location	• To those coming to the hostel from the Central Train Station we recommend a short walk. It should not take you more than 15 minutes and will allow you to see some of the city in the first minutes of your stay. If you decide to use public transportation, take bus no. 131, 501, 505 or 525 (bus stop on the side of the Marriott hotel) to the "Plac Konstytucji" bus stop. Once you are there locate the KFC restaurant and on it's right You should see a facade of a light pink building. Our hostel is in the courtyard of that building. • By Bus: • Tourists who comes to Warsaw by bus are almost sure to be dropped off at the Dworzec Zachodni International Bus Station. To reach us from there take bus E-5 or #127 heading into the city center. Change buses on the "Centrum" bus stop and get into any tram heading south to the "Plac Konstytucji" stop. To find us simply act as mentioned in the previous paragraph. • From the airport: • A bus or tram ticket for a single ride costs 2,40 Z³oty per person (buy a ticket at the magazine stand just before you exit the airport terminal). If you are a holder of an ISIC card or have any identification proving that you are a foreign student you are intitled to a 48% discount for your ticket. A single ride ticket will than cost you 1,25 Z³oty. An additional ticket in the amount of 2,40 Z³oty is required for large backpacks! • Getting from the Airport is also not difficult. Just take bus #188 to the Metro Politechnika bus stop. After exiting the bus go to the "Waryñskiego" bus stop (at the opposite corner of the intersection), take any bus heading into the city center (101, 405, 501, 502, 505, 514, 515, 519, 520, 522, 524 or 525) and get out at the next stop called "Plac Konstytucji". • Taxi info: • A taxi ride from Dworzec Zachodni or the Central Station should not be expensive, not more than 15 Z³oty. However taking a taxi from the airport will probably be around triple that amount. We do suggest you take public transport. It is very convenient and much cheaper.
Website	www.nathansvilla.com (to make a reservation click here)
Telephone	+48 (22) 622-2946
Fax	+48 22 622-2946

Details

Their Description

Features

Free Breakfast
Kitchen
Lockers
Lounge / Common space
TV
Book Collection/Exchange
Washing Machine (laundry)
Clothes Dryer
Travel information provided
24 Hour Free Hot Showers
Phones (public or in room)

The Hostelz.com Review

Centrally located within a walking distance to the Old Town, Lazienki Park and the business district, Nathan's Villa Hostel Warsaw is without a doubt one of the nicest places that a backpacker will ever stay in. Newly opened in April 2004, it sports large, well-lit dorm rooms, posh bathrooms that would be more of a fit in a nice hotel, and a lot of common areas, including a TV room, internet room (which is free to use), kitchen with a large dining area, and a reading room.

Outside of the hostel there is a beautiful courtyard which is most commonly used to chill out or have a smoke. Several dorm rooms and three privates are available, but if you want the private book it well in advance as it's almost impossible to get on a moment's notice.

The hostel has great staff. They're all English-speaking, but you'll also find Spanish, French and Russian spoken quite fluently. It has a party atmosphere. It is common for the guests to be found at the wee hours of the morning shaking it up in the local nightclubs with the locals, or having informal gatherings with beers in the dining room.

Continental breakfast is offered in the price, as is free internet use and laundry (although doing laundry is not recommended if you're only staying for one or two nights: it is line-dryed, which takes forever).

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
July 2004

Ratings & Comments

3.8 Average from 20 Ratings

This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites we don't censor out the negative comments.
We can't validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.

Comment by Jen, Canada

June 2008

Dirty and the Staff are lazy with an attitutde
The bathrooms were always dirty. The worst was no toilet paper! When I told the girl at the reception she gave me an attitude about it. (She said her name was Joanne, but her friends called her something else.) She acted like she didn't want to be there. The place is very loud at night and the staff did nothing to keep it quiet. The breakfast is just toast and jelly. The Internet was only one computer and the lines to get on the computers were long. Not recommended.

Comment by Review Update

June 2007

Review Update
Note: This is an update from the Hostelz.com reviewer who wrote the original review (above) for this hostel.
Once a legend on the backpacker trail, Nathan's Villa is no longer a pioneer that it once was. Instead it has become the "Ikea hostel" of Warsaw. Several years ago with no other choices around the hostel's location was a big plus. Today it seems a drawback. With newer hostels located directly in the Old Town (currently two), across from the train station (one) and in the centre (two), Nathan's is a bit of a walk away from all the major attractions.
Rooms remain unchanged, though clean and freshly painted, seem to lack any character. Those room displays at Ikea come to mind. And after all these years the bunk beds could use a change. They've become very squeaky and some of the mattresses are clearly on the way out. The hostel expanded in the last two years by adding another wing with more dormitories and private rooms and a larger reception staffed by knowledgeable, nice receptionists. Big plus of the hostel: it is so big that it usually has available beds.
If you read one of their fliers you'd be immediately drawn in by the tons of "amenities" the hostel provides. Honest appraisal is needed here. The no check-out policy simply means you can stay in the hostel until your transport leaves. You have to leave a room by noon, which is standard everywhere around. Free Internet use: yes, but with two often not working computers this isn't such a great deal. Free breakfast: yes, however the world's moved on from toast, Tesco jam, hydrogenated margarine and bad coffee.
The biggest negative is the blatant rip-offs the hostel offers. Postage stamps, postcards and phone cards with the face value marked up by an exorbitant amount (some of the long time guests will likely point you to a kiosk where you'll buy them half price). And of course there is the prices: Nathan's tops the league when it comes to expensive hostels. Dorms are most expensive in the city, and quite frankly for the price of their private, you can book a double room in a three star hotel in Warsaw with real breakfast and a private bathroom.

Comment by Marcus

June 2006

Watch out! The lockers have metal edges which have very sharp corners. I ripped my hand open and had to get to stitches. another guy's bag was split open. This isn't the worst thing though. The owner didn't take responsibilty and when I tried to get a little money out of him for my stitches he fired up, telling me to stop wasting his time. i also talked to the staff and they get paid 5 Zlot (one and half euro) an hour. So if you support sweatshops and don't want to see the younger generations of poland rise from the recent turmoil, go here.

Comment by Raigne

May 2006

This hostel was nice. Warsaw is wonderful! Everyone that we met said that there was not much there and that it was boring, but we loved it! The museums and the Old city are great. This hostel is not too far from the old city but it is still a twenty-minute walk. But easy. It is only a ten-minute walk from the train station. The rooms were clean and there was noone there. We were in a ten-bedded dorm but were the only ones there one night! There was not enough bathrooms for everyone if the hostel was full but for our enpty hostel it was no problem. The only complaint was that there are no lockers in the room, which we were surprised by as it says there are in the literature. But no problems. The staff was very helpful and arranged many things for us including a trip to the doctor. A wonderful place, definitely stay here.

Comment by Snosie

May 2006

This hostel was a nice change from what can be offered elsewhere. Admitted getting here from the airport is a little hairy, arriving by train is much more simple. The hostel is not in the centre of the action, but is an easy tram or bus ride into the action, and with incredibly cheap travel, I am not complaning. The hostel location is easy enough to find, and is well signed, until you enter the small courtyard, and see an unmarked brown door under a sign for Nathan's villa. I was sure I was trying to enter a cleaning cupboard, but was surprised to find a reception! Staff were friendly enough, and I was taken to the two week old wing. Ask for rooms eight or nine! Newly painted, brand new IKEA bunks, warm blankets. Lockers are still on their way, but there is two already there. The hostel also offered free internet on two to three terminals -- staff sometimes need one. They also are happy to do your washing at no cost, but yes it is line dried. Either way, it beats paying! There is also a small landing with couches to read, and then the next landing has TV, included are english channels. The last landing leads into an airy attic kitchen, complete with everything and more. Free tea and coffe, and brekfast of bread and three thousand spreads is on offer. Try and work out what half of the spread are takes a while! The hostels is nice and friendly and generally clean and tidy. The staff are helpful and give great information. Resturants are also must most frequent around this area, and far cheaper than the Old Town. I would definitely recommend this place. It was quiet but definitely gets into the party mood, with breakfast being offer til one p.m. for the weary. They are also more than happy for you to use everything except your rooms after checkout, so you feel really welcome. Can't really fault the place!

Comment by Jonathan, Jerusalem

August 2005

Ups: Cheap price; free Internet; free breakfast; free laundry (no drying though); friendly staff; big rooms. Downs: Lack of bathrooms, which are not very clean; not *that* close to the old town; severe lack of electrical sockets; I didn't like the atmosphere, and to tell the truth, Warsaw is quite boring.

Comment by Joel Dawson, Melanie Smith

August 2005

We arrived to find our booking not processed properly. Instead of the three nights we booked in an eight-bed room, we were told we weren't booked in for that night, only the next two nights and it would be in a 13-bed room with fold-out beds!! We were not happy.

Comment by Juan Ludwig

July 2005

In my opinion this hostel was really good. Its location is close to some of the most interesting places in Warsaw and the connections through public transport to the rest of the city were very good as well. They really care about cleanliness in the hostel and the staff are really kind and helpful whenever you ask them for directions or anything. The kitchen and leisure areas are quite spacious. It is true though that there are only two computers to get onto Internet, and one shower and toilet per floor, but that's average of hostels of such characteristics.

Comment by Sarah

April 2005

I spent four nights here, and it was the least enjoyable hostel experience I've ever had. First, we checked in and when we returned to the hostel four hours later, someone had moved into my bunk bed, which the staff didn't see as a problem. They also overbooked the hostel while we were there; we had fourteen people crammed into a twelve-bed dorm. The bathrooms, while nice, are inadequate for the number of people staying there; there is only one on each floor. Finally, they need to reconsider their 24-hour check-in policy. It's not fun to have people trying to find their way around your dorm at 6 in the morning.

Comment by Anonymous

March 2005

We had a mixed experience here — the first night was great. We stayed in a nice room with locking storage, great bathrooms, and a good location. The second night was not so nice. The hostel was WAY overbooked and we had eight people crammed into a six-person room (four people had to share bunks). The bathrooms were a pit, and when they ran out of toilet paper the staff said "Sorry, not our problem." And a drunk, rowdy crowd spent ALL night screaming at the TV outside our room.

Comment by Núria, Spain

January 2005

This hostel is huge, well located, clean and has a nice atmosphere! Maybe it is not the cheapest hostel, but it is really worth the money. The bathrooms are enormous and are really clean and new. The staff even clean your clothes and give them back to you cleaned and folded. The rooms are comfortable, clean and big. I highly recommend this hostel.

Comment by Ta

October 2004

This hostel was in a great location in Warsaw. It was not only the cheapest, but also the nicest hostel of our 23-city tour of Europe. The staff were wonderful and helpful, there is free Internet access, and it is clean. The staff will also do laundry and there's a great little kitchen area. If you are going to stay in Warsaw, trust me, stay here. You won't regret it.

Comment by Alan, England

September 2004

This is a really cute little hostel with a great staff, kitchen and dorms. The free Internet and laundry are great touches, and location is pretty good. Highly recommended.

Comment by Laura

September 2004

This place is fantastic! The beds are comfy, and the bathrooms are to die for! It's a really social hostel, really friendly, with amazing staff!

Comment by Huntkid

August 2004

I would actually give this hostel 4.5 stars if I could. It's updated, and clean, and the bathrooms are nice, clean and HUGE! The staff were more than helpful, but when the hostel was full one night, they let people sleep on the floors in the halls and commons room--we couldn't watch TV. I stayed here three nights in June, 2004, and I would stay here again if I return to Warsaw.

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