The Hostelz.com Review
Sudpfanne Hostel is located right in the middle of downtown Heidelberg. You can reach the castle and other attractions quite easily and there are plenty of restaurants and shopping right down the street. There is also a very nice restaurant and bar right next door that is run in conjunction with the hostel. You will need to check in at the restaurant, as there is no proper check-in desk. Further, there is no hostel staff. Everything is run from the restaurant next door. It appears the restaurant owner had the empty space next door to the restaurant, threw some beds in the rooms and presto -- a hostel appeared.
Getting to the hostel is fairly easy, but you need to be sure of a couple odd things. First, catch the bus from the correct bus stop. Outside the train station, there are two bus stops and both of them are used by the 33 bus. Walking out of the train station, you will see a tourist information center near a large intersection. You can always ask at the information center to make sure you're going in the right direction. If the center is closed, like it was when we arrived in the evening, this will not help. So then, walking toward the tourist center away from the train station, the correct bus stop will be on your left. The correct one is also the larger one.
When you enter the bus, simply tell the driver that you would like to go to "Neckarmüntzplatz." We found the drivers speak English quite well, as do many Germans, so this is not a problem. When you exit the bus at Neckarmüntzplatz, you will see another tourist information center on your right. On the side of the information center is a small street. Turn right and go up the small street to the top of the hill where the street dead ends. At the end of the street, turn left and the hostel and restaurant are only a few steps away.
This is a very basic hostel with not much more than a few rooms with beds and two showers and toilets. There are two sleeping rooms on the first and second floor as well as a toilet and shower on each floor. The rooms have either four or six beds with an extra room between the two upstairs rooms with a few mattresses. Perhaps that room is used for sleeping when all the proper sleeping rooms are full. The hostel is clean enough, though the toilet and shower on the first floor appeared to be used by some long-term inhabitants or perhaps the restaurant staff. There was no door on the room that we stayed in, but we believe this is the only room like this -- unless one stayed on the floor upstairs between the two rooms with beds.
There is a tourist information center just around the corner from the hostel. This is quite fortunate since there is no information within the entire hostel. You can use the computer with Internet in the restaurant or ask the restaurant staff. They were ready to answer all of our questions, but not overly friendly and we never saw a smile. They were, however, ready to help us enjoy some great German beer and food.
Both nights we stayed at the hostel we were awoken in the middle of the night (about 3 a.m.) by a few men speaking and laughing loudly. Because our room had no door, we used one of the extra mattresses from the floor in the vacant room to cover the opening. When we awoke due to the noise, we noticed the men pulling the mattress away from the door and peering in at us. They then continued speaking loudly, in German, and then laughing hysterically. We later emailed the hostel and asked why this might have happened. They informed us that they sometimes check the rooms to make sure there are no unpaid guests sleeping in the hostel. We asked the hostel to inform the employees about the disturbance and we hope they will improve this aspect of their establishment.
Reply from the hostel: The guy who was checking if everyone had payed is not allowed to check anymore, actually we almost never checked, but right before you arrived we where fooled by a group who checked in 2 Person and then sleeped with 5, cause in the big room there was a lot of space. The missing door is fixed, so we have no rooms without doors. In general we don't give evert to behave different than we feel, that means if we stressed you will noticed, if you ask to much we will show it - but many guest spend a nice time with us, for example at the bar tour and if we are friendly it is not played like in many places where the staff has always to wear a wrong smile and in that period we where really stressed - so sorry for that. After all a big complaint is that we don't have enough showers, we are fixing that right now and have fixed it partly, as we have a new building with very nice twins and doubles, in this building there are more showers and all brand new and nice.
Getting to the hostel is fairly easy, but you need to be sure of a couple odd things. First, catch the bus from the correct bus stop. Outside the train station, there are two bus stops and both of them are used by the 33 bus. Walking out of the train station, you will see a tourist information center near a large intersection. You can always ask at the information center to make sure you're going in the right direction. If the center is closed, like it was when we arrived in the evening, this will not help. So then, walking toward the tourist center away from the train station, the correct bus stop will be on your left. The correct one is also the larger one.
When you enter the bus, simply tell the driver that you would like to go to "Neckarmüntzplatz." We found the drivers speak English quite well, as do many Germans, so this is not a problem. When you exit the bus at Neckarmüntzplatz, you will see another tourist information center on your right. On the side of the information center is a small street. Turn right and go up the small street to the top of the hill where the street dead ends. At the end of the street, turn left and the hostel and restaurant are only a few steps away.
This is a very basic hostel with not much more than a few rooms with beds and two showers and toilets. There are two sleeping rooms on the first and second floor as well as a toilet and shower on each floor. The rooms have either four or six beds with an extra room between the two upstairs rooms with a few mattresses. Perhaps that room is used for sleeping when all the proper sleeping rooms are full. The hostel is clean enough, though the toilet and shower on the first floor appeared to be used by some long-term inhabitants or perhaps the restaurant staff. There was no door on the room that we stayed in, but we believe this is the only room like this -- unless one stayed on the floor upstairs between the two rooms with beds.
There is a tourist information center just around the corner from the hostel. This is quite fortunate since there is no information within the entire hostel. You can use the computer with Internet in the restaurant or ask the restaurant staff. They were ready to answer all of our questions, but not overly friendly and we never saw a smile. They were, however, ready to help us enjoy some great German beer and food.
Both nights we stayed at the hostel we were awoken in the middle of the night (about 3 a.m.) by a few men speaking and laughing loudly. Because our room had no door, we used one of the extra mattresses from the floor in the vacant room to cover the opening. When we awoke due to the noise, we noticed the men pulling the mattress away from the door and peering in at us. They then continued speaking loudly, in German, and then laughing hysterically. We later emailed the hostel and asked why this might have happened. They informed us that they sometimes check the rooms to make sure there are no unpaid guests sleeping in the hostel. We asked the hostel to inform the employees about the disturbance and we hope they will improve this aspect of their establishment.
Reply from the hostel: The guy who was checking if everyone had payed is not allowed to check anymore, actually we almost never checked, but right before you arrived we where fooled by a group who checked in 2 Person and then sleeped with 5, cause in the big room there was a lot of space. The missing door is fixed, so we have no rooms without doors. In general we don't give evert to behave different than we feel, that means if we stressed you will noticed, if you ask to much we will show it - but many guest spend a nice time with us, for example at the bar tour and if we are friendly it is not played like in many places where the staff has always to wear a wrong smile and in that period we where really stressed - so sorry for that. After all a big complaint is that we don't have enough showers, we are fixing that right now and have fixed it partly, as we have a new building with very nice twins and doubles, in this building there are more showers and all brand new and nice.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
January 2007
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Not as bad as it seems my stay was definitely better than any of the previous reviews. staff were very friendly, if not somewhat goofy. the rooms were a decent size and bathrooms were clean. it's right in the middle of the old town, so no complaint there, but a little hike from the train station. despite it having no hostel amenities like laundry and kitchen facilities or even town information, it's still an alright stay. i think they should make the room outside the showers a lounge of some sort. if you can afford a b&b or hotel stay there, if not, stay here. — Kathy , Canada (2008-06-12) I think I have no words to tell how amazing was my staying in Sudpfanne Hostel.
It is very well located, the rooms and bathrooms are very clean, the restaurant has the best meals/beer you can get in the centre, and most important -- the staff is always very friendly and helpful. Many thanks to Gino, to Sacha, to everyone who made this trip to Heidelberg unforgettable! — Cristiana Ceschi (2007-03-05) This hostel is a disaster. The sheets cost a lot extra, the staff is really difficult to get in contact with -- most of the time there was no one there, and right in connection to it is a bar kitchen with lots of noise, and the cigarette smoke is everywhere in the hostel. But it has a great location. — Sofie and Johan (2006-12-13) The first thing to go wrong was that they had no bedsheets for us (which they mentioned after taking our €5). Next, they gave our beds away whilst we were in the town, and so we were split into different rooms -- but the best bit came next. The bed (actually a mattress on the floor!) they re-assigned me to was already allotted to someone else, who woke me up at 2 a.m. to tell me so. It was left to me and him to find another mattress so I could sleep on the floor. Aside from those problems, the sheets were dirty, the staff unhelpful, and the rooms unheated (it's early december!). This hostel is a disaster, and I would strongly recommend you find somewhere better to stay. — Chris (2006-12-10) it is the worst hostel I have ever been, I want to say it is not a hostel and not a place for you to live. The staff has bad face and so cold attitude, that I really doubt whether they are people of Europe, for nearly all the people I have met are friendly. There are only a broad and some soft thing on the bed, without even pillows, and the pictures are not what they are! They said they rent sheets, but with 5 Euroes! They are such a bad liar that we feel so angry and look for other hostels immediately. — Lune (2006-11-04) Excellent location, really friendly staff, one bathroom (toilet and shower). If they add another toilet or two, they'd have the perfect hostel. As it was, it still was pretty good -- everyone staying there was considerate enough to not take too much time in the WC. — Laura (2006-08-17)