Boomerang Hostel

Noisy nights, dusty and musty, dark and bitterly cold
The downstairs could be quaint, but it is always dusty with a hundred-year-old musty smell. The kitchen is in a constant mess. If you stay more than a night, you feel that you are stuck in the Groundhog's Day movie, complete with only one Norah Jones CD (which I like) that is played, well yes, every day -- people that have been here before say Norah Jones has played here for a long, long time. No warm water most of the time when it counts. The owner hogs the TV and watches whatever he feels like everyday. Thin blankets. Had to sleep with clothes on to avoid freezing in late October. He has Wi-Fi but does not enable it. Instead he either hogs the computer or everybody has to wait for their turn, when all he has to do is share the signal with a password. I offered to help him out with that, but could not give me an answer that made sense. The radiators are never on. I guess Guy (the owner) is saving on heating bills to extend his rock-bottom price -- you get what you pay for. Don't come here unless you are dazed so as to not notice or need to save money and suffer quietly (my case). Nobody did sleep the last night, because a group of underage kids partied in their room, kicking, jumping, and beating on the walls. We complained to Guy, and he did not do anything about it. I guess he did not want the police to drop by and find a group of underage kids in his hostel in that condition. My last days paid breakfast was denied to me by Megume (Guy's girlfriend) with the sound of a jackhammer slamming on the breakfast room wall. Ra-ta-ta-ta-ta. I left without a shower (no hot water) and picked my bags and went to find another hostel without a reservation. The train station would have been better. A sad, sad place.

I really loved this hostel, the price is really really cheap. Location is good, ten minutes with the tram to the "Groenplaats" and to Antwerpen Berchem train station. If you walk twenty minutes you are at Antwerp Central. The atmosphere was really good, and the room downstairs is beautiful. The dorms were ok with good beds and when i was there the rooms were clean. Toilets and showers the same. People who run it were normal friendly people. I really recommend this hostel!

I stayed at Boomerang for a week. If you are looking for a cheap place to stay go for it. The hostel is ok. Breakfast is included in the price. There is a big lounge area with games, TV, stereo and books downstairs and theoretically there's a big backyard. BUT, and unfortunately there are a few "buts," the dorm rooms are quite big (5 bunk beds or so) and not lockable, meaning everybody can go into everybody's room! The bathrooms and toilets are very close to being disgusting, and I've stayed at a lot of hostels before. And the backyard — well, it was more like a garbage dump. All in all, it is a pity that the owner doesn't make more of an effort, as I am sure that this could be a nice hostel. But since it is not even located in a nice part of town, I will go to another one next time.

I have happy memories of Boomerang in the early nineties. It was rough and ready, with a bohemian twist and a creative air. The lounge was full of ad-hoc pictures done by passing backpackers. It was the sort of place you could slump down in, chat into the night and feel earthy and like a transient tramp. I read "Flight to Arras" by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in a bunk-bed there.

Although it may seem a little frightening, it is far from it! I will say that my first impression was not that great, but it could have been the fatigue from the 9-hour train ride prior to arriving. Anyhow, the people that run it are great and absolutely two of the friendliest people I'd met throughout my trip. If there is nothing to do (which is not often in this town full of bars and clubs) you can always hang with the two Aussies who run the place. They not only know how to have a good time, but also are very personable and willing to help at any time. The location is good as well, just a 15-minute walk from all the hot spots.