This is an open forum, and unlike other hostel guide websites, we don't censor out the negative comments. We do not validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.
Comment by Keira
August 2006
We were not that impressed with hostel. First off, it is not really a hostel. Yes, you have shared rooms, but it is two spare bedrooms in someone's house. There is no sign on the door anywhere to suggest where it is located. When we arrived we were shown to two camp beds in a room of four people (there was one bunk bed in the room). The matress was one centimeter thick and right near the door. We did not pay 400 roubles a night to sleep on a crappy bed. We chose this hostel because it claims to have english staff. Not one staff member (consisting of a teenage boy and his girlfriend) spoke english and it was very hard to ask for directions.We were not given any information about St. Petersburg, not even a map! The only English speaker is the owner who was called because it was impossible to communicate with the staff. They did move us to another room with proper bunk beds when we asked. There is not place to hang out in the hostel other than the room you are staying in, the staff were forever on the one lounge watching TV, there is one bathroom for about fifteen people and only four chairs around a small table in the kitchen. The utensils were just strewn on the sink, not in a drawer. The place was clean, in a great location, and the staff pleasant despite language barriers. But it would be a good idea for the owner to tell the truth and not use english speaking staff as a selling point if he can't deliver and not to expect camp beds are a good enough substitute for a proper bed.
Reviewers Wanted: Hostelz.com pays travellers US$10.00 (that's roughly 6€, AU$10, or CAD$10) per hostel to photograph and review hostels. If you're interested, use this form to get more information.
Hostelz.com is the only hostel guide with complete information and reviews on all youth hostels and backpackers worldwide.
We do not validate the legitimacy of comments posted on this site—so take what you read here with a grain of salt.