The Hostelz.com Review
This "housetel" is run by a friendly Australian named Greg. What seems to be a stark, uninviting apartment building is actually a warm and cozy environment where you will be greeted with a hello as though you live there and all your friends were inside. Upon arrival Greg sits down with you -- on the floor -- and gives you tons of helpful info before you even ask for it.
There are 4-6 bed dorms that feel like your old bedroom at home, except this one has art and poetry on the walls. There is a big kitchen and comfortable dining area. Best of all, you can learn how to pronounce Czech while sitting on the toilet (there are tutorials on the back of the door). Note that there is no sink in the WC.
Poets' Corner is full of people who came for a night and stayed for a year. Don't expect privacy, but that's okay in this super-friendly hostel with respectful guests. There is no curfew or lockout, but there is a key deposit.
Update from the owner: Since this review was made Poets' Corner has expanded into a new space. The hostel now has two bathrooms and toilets (both with individual hand basins). We also have more cozy commmon space, lockers in every room, a balcony and we still have a large well-equipped kitchen.
There are 4-6 bed dorms that feel like your old bedroom at home, except this one has art and poetry on the walls. There is a big kitchen and comfortable dining area. Best of all, you can learn how to pronounce Czech while sitting on the toilet (there are tutorials on the back of the door). Note that there is no sink in the WC.
Poets' Corner is full of people who came for a night and stayed for a year. Don't expect privacy, but that's okay in this super-friendly hostel with respectful guests. There is no curfew or lockout, but there is a key deposit.
Update from the owner: Since this review was made Poets' Corner has expanded into a new space. The hostel now has two bathrooms and toilets (both with individual hand basins). We also have more cozy commmon space, lockers in every room, a balcony and we still have a large well-equipped kitchen.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
March 2004
Their Description
Poets Corner Hostel Details
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Poets Corner Hostel Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Loved it! Will be back for sure! Fantastic place to stay. The hosts went above and beyond to make sure we had a good time in Olomouc and even arranged for us to see an ice hockey game! Stayed in double room and dorm room -- both great and spacious. Good kitchen. Relaxed atmosphere. Lots of information in English. Loved it. Will be back for sure! — Woodie and Hannah , Australia (2009-12-30) Favourite hostel ever! This place is not very attractive as you approach it on the street and there a load of stairs to climb, but it's my favourite hostel ever. It's nicely decorated, non-smoking, and the location is perfect -- right in the centre of the city near a supermarket and some good little cafes. The thing I liked most was the attention to detail. The curtains cover the windows the whole way, there's a little shelf next to each bed, the beds don't squeak or rock, and there are fresh herbs growing on the kitchen windowsill. None of that is rocket science but how many places actually get it right? Also, the owners and staff always offer to take people along on their outings. I saw a preseason ice hockey game for next to nothing, went swimming in an old quarry, and got taken to the coolest student bar that I never would have found alone. Brilliant! — Tim , UK (2009-09-10) Nice place, but only when owner isn't there "Full of people who came for a night and stayed for a year"? No, not quite. The owner of this hostel plays favourites. If you are a nationality he likes (his own, for example) then you could stay a year if you wanted to. If you are a nationality he doesn't like, and you are not friends with one of the staff, then you might be subject to some version of the three days and you stink rule. It won't matter how much you try to respect the rules. This also applies if you catch him at his off-moments and he thinks you see through his facade. Phony and two-faced, he will generalise and then criticise someone for generalising. When surrounded by many backpackers, he plays cool. When not, he plays grumpy. If you see him glaring at you and you can't figure out why, not to worry -- he just doesn't like you. Then he will try and find ways to provoke you. For example, there were several identical or near-identical green cups in the kitchen. He saw me using one. A few hours later someone had left an unwashed green cup on the table. He accused me of leaving it. I said I had washed mine and put it back in its place, but he didn't accept that. Another time I was seen eating fusilli pasta. A few hours later, someone had thrown a plate of rigatoni pasta in the sink and left it there. I was blamed for this. I said I had been eating a different type of pasta, which looks nothing like rigatoni. "But you were eating pasta." Of course -- pasta is pasta! I was also blamed for "walking too loudly" and when I turned a light on and off to test it, he complained I would blow the fuse. No fun with Mr. Grumpy around.
Reply from the hostel: Jon, you need to get over this. You were asked to leave the hostel for good reason and you know it. The hostel is not for people to live in while they teach English, it's for travellers. But no matter how long any guest stays or their purpose for being there, if we receive as many complaints from other guests as we did about you, then we have to do something about it. — jon , usa (2009-06-10)
Comfortable, fun, and relaxing Poet's is great! The staff is nice and welcoming. Along with the resources they provide, they really want to make sure that you enjoy -- and come to love -- Olomouc like they do. I've stayed there for long and short periods and know that the staff take a personal interest in their boarders. The welcoming and friendly atmosphere makes it easy to make friends with others who are staying there. Olomouc is a great place to take a breather, relax, and Poet's Corner is the place to call home while there. — Heidi , USA (2009-03-27) One of the best hostels I ever stayed! What can I say more? stay here for the first time in september 2004. Booked for a night, extended it with a second night the moment we checked in. Went several times to here when I was living in Prague in 2007. This is "small" Prague but without the tourists! If you go out (and you will with the other hostel guests), end your evening in the "plane" bar just around the corner of the hostel. Just ask at the hostel -- It is a bar in an old Tu104. — Kris Brackx , Belgium (2009-01-08) Great hostel in a nice town! I stayed two nights at the Poet's Corner. It's a really nice and cozy, warm, and calm place. It's no party place, but there is a good vibe and homey feeling. They provide lots of information about town and region. Far away from the new two hundred-beds hotel style hostels. I would like to go back again, I loved the town! — Jonathan , Canada (2008-06-06) Great place to chill out I've been to this hostel four or five times. Olomouc is one of my favorite Czech towns and this hostel has a bit to do with that! It's not for everyone -- if you want to relax, meet some interesting people, have time to take it easy, maybe read a book, take a few hikes, or go with a group to a hockey game, then this is a good little place to visit. I wouldn't recommend it for you if you're a party animal, though, it's too nice for that, but such hostels are not my style anyway. The proprietors, Greg and Francie, are cordial and welcoming aussies. Last time I was there, Greg brought out his digeridoo and rocked out on it, and gave whoever was interested a chance to play. — scott , usa (2008-02-26) I love this hostel and Olomouc. I've stayed in Poet's corner three times, twice in 2004 and once in 2006. I like the homey atmosphere and the general vibe. The town has lots of great and cheap pubs and restaurants where you can party, then the hostel provides the perfect, quiet R&R environment. Franci and Greg are great help too. — Adrian , Canada (2007-05-13) This hostel was small and cozy, with a wonderful, homey hostel atmosphere. The staff was very accommodating, and I had great conversation into the night in the comfortable library/sitting room (no TV is good). Clean, safe, convenient, inexpensive, friendly, all that you could want. — Ray , USA (2007-04-20) January 2007. This is Olomouc's best kept secret (aside from the town itself). The hostel staff are very friendly, and give you a quick orientation about the town, where to go, what to see, where to eat -- it's great. There are also several books put together by the poets on activities in and around Olomouc. The hostel is also kept very clean, and is in a great location -- only five minutes from the Olomouc town squares. — Anonymous (2007-02-09) We arrived at Poets Corner in November and originally had planned to stay only two nights. At the end we ended up staying a whole week. We like the hostel for its very friendly staff and all the information they provided us on Olomouc and region. The place is clean, well equipped, and in the middle of downtown. It is easy make to make you feel home (no party place). Only small drawback -- the owner sometimes comes across a bit grumpy. — Connie and Michael (2006-11-23) Out of all the forty-some hostels I've stayed in (in Europe, the U.S., and Mexico) this has to be the best. Okay, so you have to climb a lot of stairs, but it's worth it (plus it burns off some of the calories of excellent food or dessert the staff will surely recommend). The hostel is small, cozy, and full of information about the area, but the best thing is that you feel like you're just visiting a friend's home. The owners and staff make you feel welcome, and join in the fun in the common rooms or out in town. I've been to this hostel four or five times, and every time I've met people to hang out with. I've played games, juggled, gone bowling, watched movies, explored the city, gone to concerts, gone out for dinner, shared desert, and just talked. The first two times I thought it was a fluke, this friendliness -- just a combination of the guests at the moment. But now I realize that it's also because of the participation of the owners and staff. Beautiful city, great hostel. But be warned: if you go you might never leave. — Melinda (2006-07-16) This isn't a party place. We had friends there who weren't the right crowd for this place. The town isn't filled with much to do, but it was great to get away from hyper-tourism. The couple who run it are very sweet and give you any and all information you would possibly need. The kitchen was great — we made a delicious dinner entirely from the communal food shelf. The room was nice and quite large. — Sandra and Ray (2005-10-08) This wonderful city and excellent hostel are what you make of them. Olomouc is a real Czech city, not false or over-touristy. The hostel is the most comfortable place I've ever stayed in. It was nice to be somewhere where the guests interact with each other over more than just which DVD they're going to watch next. The staff are really good people who know and love their city and are more than happy to share that with you. Definitely one of the best places I've been to and best hostels I've stayed in. Go!! — Anonymous (2005-08-18) Go here. It is by far the best hostel I've stayed in. The town is great as well, and there are no tourists. Who cares about four flights of stairs when you have Poets Corner waiting at the top? — Anonymous (2005-06-30)