Mandragora Hostel

Wonderful and quirky
This is possibly the nicest hostel I will ever stay in for the amount I paid. The mush-room is beautifully decorated, the beds were comfy. They are very reasonably priced, and have DVDs, a kitchen you can use, a wide selection of books, free net, and did our laundry for us. The staff were not always on duty when they were supposed to be, which was frustrating (including having to deal with a fellow traveler's lost luggage at 1 a.m. since the receptionist wasn't there to buzz the delivery man in), but when they were there they were extremely helpful and friendly. It's on a quiet side street but within easy access to all the major sites, whether by foot, tram, or metro. I highly recommend Mandragora, and if I'm ever back in Budapest, I'll be staying there again. Two complaints though -- one, it's kind of hard to find initially unless you're only looking for #12 because there's only a small plate on the side of the door, since they share the building with actual residents. The other is that the two beds that we slept in had no real privacy -- they were shielded only by a screen on one side, but all the other beds had curtains that afforded some more privacy. If they added curtains (which would mean displacing the hammock), it would be perfect.

Great hostel, small, clean, and cozy. The people working there are always very nice and helpful and the location is excellent for walking Budapest or taking public transportation. I loved the set-up of the beds, very chill and peaceful! If I come back to Budapest I will definitely stay here again!

i stayed in this hostel two nights. It's a wonderful small hostel with a very friendly atmosphere. Also the location is great! If you are in Budapest, just book this hostel -- You'll have a great time.

I stayed here three nights in May 2006. In many ways, this is the best hostel I've been to. Certainly the best atmosphere, and the friendliest people, both staff and other travelers. Highly recommended if you are travelling alone, as most of the people here were solo and were very friendly. It's small and very cosy, probably too cosy for some as people are packed in rather densely. I really liked how much information they had about Budapest, like maps to hand out, making it easy to decide what to do. The location is good, a twenty-five-minute or so walk from the train station, and right in the heart of things when it comes to seeing the city. While I was there, pretty much everyone staying there would gather up in the evenings and head out for dinner, which was really cool. The place has a great style about it and being there really puts you in the mood for Budapest. Check out the pictures on their web site -- what you see is what you get. It's flaws are managable. for the fifteen or so people staying there, there are just two bathrooms, only one having a shower. It definitely means lining up and being patient, you certainly can't count on the shower being available when you want. The internet? Yeah, doesn't work very well at all. They have a horrible connection, but there are internet cafe's around. Stay here if you are a solo traveler. You have the rest of your life to have your own bathroom and use the Internet. when you're in Budapest, you need to stay at one of the coolest places to hang out in the city. Meet cool people and have a good time. Stay at Mandragora.

This hostel is the most aesthetically pleasing place I've ever stayed. The effort that's been put into the decoration to make it feel cosy and distinctive is just baffling! The place is so laid back that you can't helkp but adopt the 'take it as it comes' attitude. The staff are really friendly, but a little scatty -- when we stayed the guy forgot to ask us to pay! We had to literally pin him down to give him money. It's in a cool district, and pretty easy to find. Great place in general!

The place of the hostel is hard to find out because only a very small hostels nameplate is attached above the entrance. "Overbooked, you have to stay another room near here" -- the first message I had heard at the reception of the hostel. I felt suddenly angry, but fortunately alternative hostel was not so bad because the person there were very kind. I will not choose Mandragora anymore.

this is one of the best hostels i have stayed at. it was clean, the staff were awesome, it was close to a lot of things and public transportation. small friendly atmosphere, great for meeting people. and the decorations are awesome. i definitely recommend it.

Tucked away, the hostel gives a first impression that it's a friend's apartment. And that's basically what it is. The administrative side of things can be a little disorganized, but don't worry — this place is great. There are cool bars around, and everyone is super nice. It's like staying at your trendy friend's new flat. It's small, only two rooms, but really cool. You won't be disappointed.

I had a great busy time here with cool people around, but I could sleep. The atmosphere was like being at a good friend's house. If you are a couple, you will like the cute separated lofts in the rooms.

This hostel was amazing. The rooms are beautiful, there is a hammock! It has a really homely feel to it. The breakfast menu was brilliant - so many choices. The kitchen was big and the rooms were beautifully decorated. The owners were very sweet and had thought of everything. Little interesting articles on the walls, places to go, and things to do. There was a pretty little courtyard balcony outside (but you can't really chat outside past 10 or 11). The guy let us leave our bags after we had checked out. The only bad point is the creaky wooden floorboards which wake people up in the night, but it looks very classy. It is a very chilled out hostel, a little hidden palace.

Wonderful place, relaxing, intensive and friendly. It has funky decorations, a water pipe in the kitchen, and a mirror tree on the wall. Crazy!!!