Zielone Mazowsze - Hostel Green Mazovia

Small, quiet Zielone Mazowsze is conveniently located less than a block away from the central train station. It is in an old, historic building one street away from the main street, Al Jerozolimske, with modern plumbing and an old-world look.

The Location

This hostel is within an easy five-minute walk from the central train station, just behind the Marriott hotel. It is in a quiet neighborhood, yet centrally located. There are several nice, inexpensive restaurants nearby where you can find delicious Polish cuisine. There is also a small, popular theatre and the one-hundred-plus-year-old nickelodeon museum just down the street. This is an ideal location for someone looking for convenient access to transportation and the city centre.

Rooms and Bathrooms

There are three fairly large dorm rooms, all mixed. The beds are decently comfortable and the rooms are whimsically decorated with environmental posters. The surroundings are quite old, as is expected from an historic building. One of the rooms has a nice balcony on which to hang clothes or have a smoke. Each room has a few old wardrobes available for use as storage lockers, but there are not enough for each bed.

The bathrooms are very clean, with new fixtures. The only drawback is that there are just two bathrooms, each with a shower, toilet, and two sinks and there are no shelves or hooks for your things. Also, the showers are not enclosed, so you must lock the entire bathroom when showering. Despite this, there is not a queue for the toilets or showers and there is plenty of hot water.

Common Spaces

The main common space is quite large, with several tables and sofas, as well as two computers with free internet access (quite often busy) and free Wi-Fi. When we arrived, there was a meeting of the environmental group that runs the hostel, so there was no place to sit in the common area. The kitchen is cramped and untidy, but there is a working cooktop and two refrigerators as well as plenty of dishes and pots available for common use. Overall, the hostel looks old and a bit musty, but interesting, with friendly guests.

Summary

This hostel is in the best location of any we tried in Warsaw, being so close to the central train station and main sights. However, be prepared for old furniture, old sheets, no special amenities, and rather rundown, yet relatively clean surroundings. The staff are friendly and helpful, but the hostel is closed during most of the day, so this is not a hostel for someone looking for a place to hang out or a party atmosphere. On the whole, it is a very quiet, conveniently located hostel and a good place to stay for a single night while traveling through Warsaw because of its convenience to the centre and transportation.

— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
September 2009