The Bell Tower hostel is aptly named, as it has an amazing view of the old Ming style Bell Tower towering over the chaotic streets below. Geographically this tower and hostel are in the centre of the old town, but this area is extremely modern with shopping malls and McDonald's crowding the wide streets. It is very close to the Muslim Quarter, which is great for shopping. The hostel is very easy to find because of the landmark and it is on the intersection of many bus routes.
The large hostel has many dormitory rooms, privates and doubles. The eight-bed dorms are spacious and secure as each person has their own key to the room. You can also get quite cozy here as they have heating, individual lamps & side tables to make life easy. Though it is a big hostel, there is more than enough room in the social areas, which have been divided into two parts. There is the cozy lounge with soft couches to lounge and gaze at the Bell Tower and there is the restaurant area attached to the bar for drinking and chatting, and it has the same great view.
There is no kitchen for guest use, but they have a restaurant with good reasonably priced food. They will also give you hot water if you ask. The bathrooms are sufficient for the number of people and are very clean. The twenty-four-hour, piping hot water is a bonus. The English speaking staff offer a wealth of information and can organise almost anything for you.
This hostel is great to escape the chaos outside and is sociable if you want it to be, quiet and secluded if you prefer. The resident lazy cat who acts as the reception paperweight adds to that homey feel.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
April 2007
Location/Contact
4.5 Average from 4 Ratings
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