The Hostelz.com Review
Aivengo Youth Hostel is a very basic, centrally located, reasonably priced hostel. You get what you pay for and is adequate for a couple of nights' stay.
Location
The Hostel is a less-than-two-minute walk from central station. The street runs parallel with the main shopping street running down to Dam Square, which is less than a ten-minute walk away. It is very central with plenty of restaurants and coffee shops nearby. Across the road from the hostel you can jump on a tram and go anywhere within the city.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The hostel consists of two big dorm rooms with about twelve bunk beds in each. A blanket is provided however the mattresses are quite thin. The rooms are locked and a six-digit code is needed to get in each time. In between the two rooms, opposite the lobby area lies the toilets, sinks, and showers. There are four isolated toilets and showers in which people from both rooms are able to access. The showers are surprisingly impressive!
Within each of the rooms are small lockers in which to lock away valuables. There is a deposit requested for a locker. There isn't a great space to get changed or hooks for clothes apart form the showers. No toiletries such as soap or towels are supplied, which is usual for a hostel.
Common Spaces
There is no kitchen, TV room, outside seating, or the like. There are two computers in the entrance lobby offering free internet access and a waiting area with a sofa. Luggage storage is in the form of a small locked toilet. Given the layout of the hostel, there is very little opportunity to socialise with any other backpackers. The hostel primarily just offers a bed for the night, nothing more.
Summary
Overall, we'd give the hostel a seven out of ten and we would have given it a six if not for the very helpful and friendly female staff member and the showers! The other staff were not particularly friendly and it isn't a place you can spend a lot of time in -- that is, unless you're sleeping. However, our stay there was satisfactory and we would recommend it.
Location
The Hostel is a less-than-two-minute walk from central station. The street runs parallel with the main shopping street running down to Dam Square, which is less than a ten-minute walk away. It is very central with plenty of restaurants and coffee shops nearby. Across the road from the hostel you can jump on a tram and go anywhere within the city.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The hostel consists of two big dorm rooms with about twelve bunk beds in each. A blanket is provided however the mattresses are quite thin. The rooms are locked and a six-digit code is needed to get in each time. In between the two rooms, opposite the lobby area lies the toilets, sinks, and showers. There are four isolated toilets and showers in which people from both rooms are able to access. The showers are surprisingly impressive!
Within each of the rooms are small lockers in which to lock away valuables. There is a deposit requested for a locker. There isn't a great space to get changed or hooks for clothes apart form the showers. No toiletries such as soap or towels are supplied, which is usual for a hostel.
Common Spaces
There is no kitchen, TV room, outside seating, or the like. There are two computers in the entrance lobby offering free internet access and a waiting area with a sofa. Luggage storage is in the form of a small locked toilet. Given the layout of the hostel, there is very little opportunity to socialise with any other backpackers. The hostel primarily just offers a bed for the night, nothing more.
Summary
Overall, we'd give the hostel a seven out of ten and we would have given it a six if not for the very helpful and friendly female staff member and the showers! The other staff were not particularly friendly and it isn't a place you can spend a lot of time in -- that is, unless you're sleeping. However, our stay there was satisfactory and we would recommend it.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
November 2008
Their Description
Aivengo Hostel Details
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Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
RATS and DIRTY I have stayed at many hostels throughout my backpacking experience and this one is by far the WORST I have ever stayed at. We were unfortunately there 3 nights and tried moving hostels but there was no availability day of once we were there, so we were stuck there. We stayed in the 20 person room and the main problem was the disgusting RODENT PROBLEM they have. When I asked the person working the desk if they did indeed have a rodent problem, he replied yes we do and were trying to take care of it. By taking care of it they left the lights on all night and constantly have traps set up. The bathrooms were dirty with hair and grim everywhere. If you have any choice DO NOT stay at this hotel, unless you like to sleep with scurrying right next to you. There are plenty of other good hostels/apartments/hotels that can be purchased that are right around the same price and dont have to deal with all the loud people/dirtiness of the facility. — backpacker , USA (2011-07-25) HORRIFIC Firstly there was was absolutely no hospitality. We've stayed at horrid places before, but the kindness of staff has more than made up for that. We stayed in the twenty bed mixed dorm and it was horrible! There was no ventilation. No lockers near our bed so that our backpacks were safe in the room because all the doors were left opened through out the day as well as the front door so any one could've walked in. The smaller lockers for rent were worse quality than highschool lockers and things were stolen from our peers lockers. We stayed two nights and both nights peers in our room reported their belongings had been stolen. One girls money was stolen from her bag in her bed. My friend who I was traveling with woke up to the night staff member trying to look through his belongings. It was an absolutely horrible experience. Rooms this cheap aren't worth your safety. Please don't stay here. — Disgruntled backpacker , Australia (2011-05-13) Recommended Good place! Just 5 minutes from Central Station. Staff is very friendly, rooms and showers are clean. Cheap!! Free Wi-Fi! — Antonio , Mexico (2011-01-24) We like it We have stayed here last week. The place is clean, location is good. Free internet. — Albaceteboy , Spain (2010-08-03) ABYSMAL I can't express strongly enough how horrendous this place is. Single most miserable place I've ever stayed in, and I'm really not picky. If it weren't for the need for running water I would have gladly moved out and slept under the stars. It was disgusting in both smell and appearance, they blatantly lied about what was included and tried to steal an extra dollar wherever they could, the bed was downright painful to the point that i would have slept on the floor if i wasn't worried about what was living there. FOR YOUR OWN SAFETY AND WELLBEING STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE. — For Your Safety , USA (2010-05-19) BAD, BAD, BAD my friend wanted to stay here and when we got there i could of been sick on the floor. it made me physically sick! the rooms were smelling and i would NEVER recommend this again. i told my friend before we went that we shouldnt stay there so dont give in like i did and go there!! it is not worth 10p!! — ZARA , WALES (2010-01-09) Can be very bad. Rooms are clean and the place is functional and well-located, but the main rooms are very very poorly ventilated. I have stayed in stuffy, hot rooms before, but this hostel was the worst. The second night was worse than the first and I woke up with a panic attack from the room (something that has never happened before at a hostel, and no, I used no drugs when I was in Amsterdam). I even wonder if the ventilation violates city building codes. — David , American (2009-07-01) Good I thought this was a very nice hostel, the staff were really friendly apart from the bold guy, the woman was really nice. The toilets were clean and the showers were hot. The location is the best you can get as there are great attractions just a few minutes away, including the red light district. — Sam, dougal and jiiiiiiiiiiiiilian , Scotland (2007-10-29) Cool place It was a good place to stay in Amsterdam. Clean and friendly hostel. No smoking inside and free internet. I'll try to stay there next time again. — Ted , Denmark (2007-07-08) Yeah, it was good, but there are better! I stayed at Aivengo with my sister for three nights in June 2007. To sum up in a sentence, I recommend Stayokay Stadsdoelen instead. I'll start with the good and end with the bad.
The Good: Nice room! Well decorated! The bed, though not exactly comfortable, was definitely clean and private. The en-suite bathroom was also clean, and equally spacious and well-lit. There was even a kitchen! I wish I'd had the time to use it! There's free internet in the lobby, though I didn't get the chance to use it because there was always a line. The staff was helpful and understanding. The location is pretty great-- outside of the supertouristed areas, yet still central (and on a very bike-friendly street).
The Bad: Oh my god. FIVE flights of stairs? And I thought four was awful! Even though the room and bathroom were nice, sharing it with ELEVEN other girls was not! Every morning was a race! The room didn't have very good ventilation, so especially after climbing those stairs, it could feel very stuffy.
Overall it was a decent hostel, but considering the PRICE (too high!) and the other options in Amsterdam, I'd say go for someplace else. — Becky , USA (2007-07-03) Good Place, Awesome Staff visited may, 2007. Great location, Awesome staff (the most helpful out of all hostels I visited on my vacation), clean. Can be noisy, due to people coming and going at all hours of the day/night. Toilets are a bit awkward (small), but they're clean. seems that there were more people in my mixed dorm than I remember seeing advertised. The Lights on/off thing is controlled by the people in the room. I simply asked everyone around if they cared if I turned the lights off, and then did so. Bingo, dark. Overall I would stay again at this hostel. I think it's best to visit amsterdam on days other than Friday/Saturday! I arrived Friday night, and luckily had reservations. It is just too loud and crazy on those two days -- which maybe you are into that, so it would be a good thing. I prefer a mixture of partying and chill, but don't like large crowds. — j.d. , United States (2007-06-21) No heat! I stayed at this hostel last week. The blankets weren't clean. They don't use heat. The showers are the super old kind that will literally burn your skin, and if the guy thinks you've been in them too long, he will yell at you. The bathrooms are so small that you have to back into them. I bent over to pull my pants up and smashed my head against the door, while i was sitting down. There is no living space. It's one big room with no heat. They don't turn the lights off at night, but they do during the day. They open the room door at 9 a.m. and let the cold from outside come in. Do not stay here! The staff seemed to be nice, but that does not save this place. They also charged us different prices even though we all had the exact same beds. Avoid this place! — Rachel , USA (2007-06-06) The hostel is in fantastic location, five minutes from central station and easy walking distance to bars, restaurants, shops. We spent seven nights in the female dorm with en-suite bathroom which was fantastic, very clean, and quiet, even if there were four flights of steep stairs to walk up to get there! Our last night we stayed in the mixed dorm downstairs which was a lot noisier and cold. The lights were also all turned on at 8 a.m. which was a bit of a shock. The mixed bathrooms were ok, clean and functional but just off the reception area which didn't provide a huge amount of privacy! Another issue was that although it was advertised as no curfew, if you arrive home after 4 a.m. you cant get in so you have to wake up one of the staff which is not very popular! Overall the staff were fantastic and were incredibly helpful with everything, definitely stay here again. — Vicki , British (2007-04-03) There wasn't anything fancy here, but it was clean, bright, and the staff was very friendly and helpful. It was also in a very good location, a lot quieter than the red light district, but still close to everything. Also, they had a blowdryer! Not a big deal, but when you're a girl with long hair traveling for 2 months with a ponytail, it was a nice little extra! — Kath (2006-08-03) I stayed here for 5 nights. It's ok. The good thing is that it is close to everything....Centraal Station is 5mins, and all the touisty things are walkable or short tram ride. The staff are pretty helpful, and even though there are 2 rooms with 1 beds in each, it doesn't get loud.
The place desn't have a common room, so there is nowhere to hang out and it only has a microwave and fridge. There was also a mouse in our room and the toilets smelled bad of urine. The room I was in gets quite noisy outside. But I met some nice people there.... — taia (2006-06-22)