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Hostel Guy's Paradise

Rome

14 of 91
Address
Via Rattazzi, 22, Rome Lazio, Italy   Map
Price
from 20 to 25 (High), from 16 to 23 (Low) Private: from 60 to 90 Check Current Prices by Date Here
Location/Contact
Details
Hostel Guy's Paradise Online Booking
Arrival Date:   Nights:  People: 
Their Description
 
The Hostelz.com Review
This hostel is near the main train station and metro, Via Termini. Walk along the street Conte Cavour looking for the Via Golliti sign on the right. Turning right, the entrance is before the first traffic light, at the corner of the building. It is only about 25 metres from Conte Cavour (their website says 50). There is no house number and the sign is just a piece of paper so it is fairly easy to miss it. After entering (ring the bell for the staff), Guy's Paradise is on the second floor.

This hostel is fairly small and has been expanded recently to include another 24 beds in an apartment unit on the top floor of the opposite building (there is a classic Italian-style lift). The new expansion is called Tiberius/Tokyo. The beds and rooms referred to here are in Tiberius and the kitchen and common areas are in the actual Guy's Paradise hostel.

The staff consists entirely of young backpackers on temporary contracts. Obviously, this means service standards will vary depending on your luck. During our review stay they were excellent, being friendly and helpful and especially generous with providing food and drink.

Most of the occupants seem to be young backpackers. The atmosphere is noisy and chaotic and there is almost a permanent party in the crowded common area. Everyone seems relaxed and friendly (probably from the free booze).

There are three 8 bed rooms in Tiberius, mostly double-deckers. The rooms are quite messy with unused bits of dusty furniture placed all over the area. There is a single relatively clean toilet/bathroom for 24 beds. It is usually faster to walk over and use the two toilets/bathrooms over at Guy's Paradise instead. There is a second toilet in what appears to be the attic which was not working. Linen (a bit dirty) is provided, but storage of luggage is not allowed and there are no lockers provided.

An interesting side note, during our stay the main door at Tiberius had to be forced open by firemen when the key got stuck from inside and the neighbours downstairs called in the police once because of the noise at night.

On the Guy's Paradise side, the common area serves as the dining/party area. The kitchen is unbelievably small. There is a free flow of alcohol from a fridge in the common area (juice, beer, red/white wine, gin, vodka… depending on the staff). There is satellite TV and free internet access from 3-4 laptops in the common area, but expect to wait for it. Guided city tours and pub crawling tours are available.

Breakfast consists of an abundant selection of lovely pastries, ham and cheese, and the usual cereal/toast/juice. Dinner is provided free, but this seems to be at the discretion of the staff. It is made up of either pasta which was invariably undercooked or lasagna which was excellent. Expect a long wait for small portions due to overwhelming demand or go for the leftover pastries from breakfast.

Overall, this is a conveniently located hostel that's quite fun to stay in except for the poor state of cleanliness and lack of toilets.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
July 2005

How is Hostel Guy's Paradise rated on other websites? (NEW)
Hostelworld
Not listed on Hostelworld.
Hostels.com
Not listed on Hostels.com.
HostelBookers
Not listed on HostelBookers.
Hostelsclub
 Overall: 75% 
 Cleanliness: 74% 
 Staff: 79% 
 Location: 83% 
 Fun: 71% 
 Atmosphere: 76% 

Ratings & Comments

3.7 Average from 13 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 Chelsea
June 2006
1 After traveling through seven countries I finially found a place called hell. My best friend and I (two young women) regretfully stayed at Guy's Paradise only to find the shower and sink filled with pubic hair and dirty toilet paper on the floor. To top it off -- the water is cold and the bathroom door is glass -- so everyone can watch you gear down and stand in there naked. The staff is equally as replussive as one night a worker came into our room and started stealing our new friend's stuff! He said the traveler still owed money for his stay and was going to hold his pocessions hostage until he paid! Ladies, do not stay here, this is the place our parents lose sleep over knowing we are backpacking in Europe.
Comment by Abby
August 2005
4 This hostel was small, but really fun. The free dinner, breakfast, and booze were awesome. The guy next to me stole my pillow in his sleep, but that's not the hostel's fault. Don't stay here if you want to go to sleep early because the lack of common space makes the dorm rooms the place to be till well past 3 a.m.
Comment by USN- My Motherfucker
August 2005
5 AW MAN ok, to start it off let me say that this place is awesome. The food is great and they can really cook. Kudos, guys! The staff is great, very nice and generous. Everywhere is a social area, even the bathroom. They have a great pub-crawl and you get free beer, for crying out loud. What more could you ask for from a hostel. I would most definitely go back in a heartbeat.
Comment by Anonymous
May 2005
2 The local hostel staff are very rude, and wouldn't bother helping you out if you have problems. But the foreign staff are really nice, and helpful. It's a really, really cramped place. The organization is really terrible, and the toilets are filthy (by the time everyone uses it, it stinks to the maximum!!) Oh, and they rip you off upside down. You can get cheaper and nicer hostels around that area. I wouldn't recommend this hostel unless you have nowhere else to stay.
Comment by Maria
April 2005
5 I really enjoyed staying at Guy's Paradise. Yes, it's very small and it's kind of annoying when you want to eat or just hang out. But you get free dinner, free beer/wine/drinks, free breakfast and free use of Internet; how cool is that? The staff are very nice, they take the guests out clubbing and you can hang out with them during the day. The rooms are small and we had a private bathroom, which didn't work, but fortunately we could use the other bathroom. I will definitely go back. Even though it's small, the staff rocks!
Comment by J . Paul
January 2005
4 I enjoyed myself while I was there. Yes it is small but what do you expect, it is a hostel. It is simply a place to stay for a visit, so I expected the small quarters and camp-like beds. The people there are incredibly nice and if I'm ever in Rome again I will definitely stay there. I had a bad day with the Metro and the people there really made me feel so much better. Thank you for making my stay so nice.
Comment by Damon
November 2004
2 It's true that this hostel is tiny. The communal area is nothing more than a narrow corridor, where everything is cramped. Not that it's not cozy, mind, but it could be a bit more comfortable. The owner seems to hire some desperate (or broke) travelers, who do not speak much English or have much concept of a service, like for example the Japanese guy who was working there in October. They also seem to extort cash from you in the form of renting sheets, lockers, and so on. Other than that, beds are okay, and the location is not bad — it's very close to Central Station. To be fair, the staff do cookouts occasionally, where everybody is welcome free of charge. But it's just a cramped place where you really don't want to spend any extra time but you want to get out instead.
Comment by Alex P.
November 2004
5 It's definitely the coolest hostel I've ever been to. We even had a free dinner each night. The staff are very friendly. This place is not really recommended for families.
Comment by Trev Hicking
October 2004
5 Guy's Paradise was excellent. It has a great price and the friendliest staff I've met. There is a kitchen, and it is extremely clean. They cook dinner for everyone on some nights and provide excellent hospitality. The no curfew or lockout just adds to the list of goods. I would recommend this place to anyone looking for a good time in Rome.
Comment by Anonymous
October 2004
4 I really enjoyed my stay here. If I could change anything it would just be the size of the kitchen!! The staff are super nice and the bedrooms are not bad at all. I recommend this place to any backpacker!!!
Comment by Phil
October 2004
5 To Lorenzo, Vanessa and crew: Totally stoked to have stayed with you. Thanks for taking me to the markets to get the seafood. We had the best cook up! We had fish three ways, chilly mussels, spaghetti and clams, spaghetti pesto, garlic bread, salad pane and lots of booze. Your generosity and hospitality is rare to find in a hostel. Maybe we'll open a restaurant in Rome some day. Guy's Paradise rocks! Aussie,aussie,aussie, oi oi oi! No worries mate and cheers. Chef Phil and Bec.
Comment by Anonymous
October 2004
1 I was here for a couple of nights. It's small, small, small. Everyone is on top of each other. There are no social areas, the kitchen is terrible, and as for the bathroom, I had to go to the train station and pay to use the toilets. Don't stay here. The staff at first are really nice, but once you have paid they won't be very helpful. In fact, they're rude. Don't stay at the Guy's Paradise.
Comment by Ben Taylor
September 2004
5 Hi everyone! I had a really great stay when I was in Rome and will definitely stay here again when I return!!!
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The Hostelz.com
Total Combined Rating
for Hostel Guy's Paradise
78%
This score is a weighted average calculated from reviews on Hostelz.com combined with ratings on the other major hostel websites (see rating details below).
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