Beijing Leo Hostel

Beijing Leo Hostel is a great place for hanging out with other travelers. It's a really big hostel with its own bar and restaurant.

The Location

Located on a quite crowded hutong area, it's a perfect place for party people. It's just a five-minute walk to the Tian'anmen Square and the center of Beijing. There is a Metro and Bus station close by. You can't miss the Hostel -- just walk down the Da Zha Lan Xie Jie until you see the big Leo Hostel sign.

Rooms and Bathrooms

There are many types of dorms and private rooms. We took the cheapest option available, a ten-person dorm. It was clean and tidy but a bit smoky because of people smoking in the hallway. The dorm rooms have in-room lockers that are free of charge. In the lockers there are electric sockets where you can recharge your cell phones and iPods over night without being afraid of them getting stolen. The bathrooms have western-style toilets, which are both clean and tidy. The showers works like a charm but there isn't really any place to change though. There are hooks in the shower booth where you can hang your clothes while showering.

Common Spaces

The hostel is quite big and there are lots of places where you can hang out. On the ground floor there is a big bar and restaurant area where you can watch movies and play games. There are hundreds of DVD movies to choose from and lots of different games you can borrow for a small deposit. There is also a video game corner hocked up with a Playstation 2 and a big variety of games. Upstairs there is a free pool table and computer with internet. For more computers there is a room next to the bar. There is so much to do at this hostel that you almost don't want to go out.

The Staff

The friendly staff in the reception can book your train/bus/flight tickets for a small service fee or even hook you up with different tours. Leo Hostel is well known for its friendly staff and we can confirm that. But it feels like that stops if something goes wrong or if you are not happy with something. They don't really like to compensate you.

Summary

Leo Hostel is a perfect place for people who like to party and meet people. The bar area is just great for hanging out and making new friends. It's not really the place for people who want it quiet at night -- the area is quite noisy with lots of people partying at close-by bars. The staff is friendly and the service is good as long as nothing goes wrong. If it does it's never their fault, so don't even think about refund.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
May 2009