The Hostelz.com Review
Friends Hostel Bucharest is a hostel located in an old building within walking distance from Gara de Nord (the Central Train Station). The price is one of the lowest in the city, the hostel is well furnished, and the staff are very friendly and helpful.
The Location
The location is very good if you arrive from the train station. It is not very close to the center of Bucharest, but very easy to reach from the train station. If you come by train, just get out of the station, get on Dinicu Golesku Boulevard, turn left on Mircea Vulcanesku and look for Friends Hostel. It should not take more than ten minutes.
The hostel is about half an hour walk from the city center, but there is a bus station two minutes from the hostel and there are buses every fifteen minutes. You can buy tickets from the hostel. Also, be quite alert in the area around the train station and do not trust people there who ask you for money. If you want to get a taxi, ask the staff to do it for you.
Rooms and Bathrooms
At Friends Hostel, you can stay in dorms; there are blankets, linens, and nice huge beds. The linens are replaced regularly and the rooms are clean. The eight-bed rooms have four bunk beds, which are very comfortable and make no noise but do not leave much space in the rooms, which are not large. There is no extra furniture in the rooms but this is compensated by the great common space. The rooms are also heated well.
There are lockers in the rooms that you can use against a deposit that is given back on departure. Although it is an old house, the place is clean.
There are two showers and two toilets. They are not separated for different sexes and the showers are not great but still ok. One of the showers had some problems with the draining water, but that was repaired after we talked with the staff. If the hostel is full, there might be a problem if you want to take a shower. The bathrooms are cleaned daily but are not modern.
Common Spaces
The common space is great -- a big kitchen with a huge table, a radio, and TV. You can easily meet and talk with other people at the hostel. The atmosphere at the Friends Hostel is great. The staff is very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the city. It is not the extreme party hostel but is definitely not the quietest place, either. The hostel does not sell alcohol but there is no problem to have a beer in front of the TV while watching a game.
You get a free breakfast, and although it is not something sophisticated, you can eat as much as you want. Other amenities include a laundry room with for-pay washers and dryer; a kitchen with plenty of stove space, a refrigerator (do not forget to tag your food), all kinds of utensils, free tea and spices; and Wi-Fi. You must check out by noon. One good thing is that there is no deposit.
The staff are extremely helpful and approachable and they can answer quite efficiently most of your questions concerning the city. You pay for your bed in Romanian lei so you need to have local currency when you get there.
Summary
Overall, the hostel is nice and the staff are just amazing. We would definitely use the hostel again.
The Location
The location is very good if you arrive from the train station. It is not very close to the center of Bucharest, but very easy to reach from the train station. If you come by train, just get out of the station, get on Dinicu Golesku Boulevard, turn left on Mircea Vulcanesku and look for Friends Hostel. It should not take more than ten minutes.
The hostel is about half an hour walk from the city center, but there is a bus station two minutes from the hostel and there are buses every fifteen minutes. You can buy tickets from the hostel. Also, be quite alert in the area around the train station and do not trust people there who ask you for money. If you want to get a taxi, ask the staff to do it for you.
Rooms and Bathrooms
At Friends Hostel, you can stay in dorms; there are blankets, linens, and nice huge beds. The linens are replaced regularly and the rooms are clean. The eight-bed rooms have four bunk beds, which are very comfortable and make no noise but do not leave much space in the rooms, which are not large. There is no extra furniture in the rooms but this is compensated by the great common space. The rooms are also heated well.
There are lockers in the rooms that you can use against a deposit that is given back on departure. Although it is an old house, the place is clean.
There are two showers and two toilets. They are not separated for different sexes and the showers are not great but still ok. One of the showers had some problems with the draining water, but that was repaired after we talked with the staff. If the hostel is full, there might be a problem if you want to take a shower. The bathrooms are cleaned daily but are not modern.
Common Spaces
The common space is great -- a big kitchen with a huge table, a radio, and TV. You can easily meet and talk with other people at the hostel. The atmosphere at the Friends Hostel is great. The staff is very friendly and extremely knowledgeable about the city. It is not the extreme party hostel but is definitely not the quietest place, either. The hostel does not sell alcohol but there is no problem to have a beer in front of the TV while watching a game.
You get a free breakfast, and although it is not something sophisticated, you can eat as much as you want. Other amenities include a laundry room with for-pay washers and dryer; a kitchen with plenty of stove space, a refrigerator (do not forget to tag your food), all kinds of utensils, free tea and spices; and Wi-Fi. You must check out by noon. One good thing is that there is no deposit.
The staff are extremely helpful and approachable and they can answer quite efficiently most of your questions concerning the city. You pay for your bed in Romanian lei so you need to have local currency when you get there.
Summary
Overall, the hostel is nice and the staff are just amazing. We would definitely use the hostel again.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
January 2011
Their Description
Friends Hostel Bucharest Details
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Friends Hostel Bucharest Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Greatest staff ever!!!! The hostel is great! Nice place but the best thing is the great atmosphere and most amazing and friendly staff ever!!! — George , Bulgaria (2011-01-30) Probably the best hostel i`ve stayed in. this was the nicest hostel i have been. and i have been in to many. the whole hostel is offering a really nice, warm, and friendly atmosphere. I got here very good information which was given by the staff, which was very nice to us. to summarize all, the hostel was very much like home -- friendly, helpful, and comfortable. i would stay here again and recommend it to all the people i know and come to Romania. — Pavel , Austria (2010-03-09) The Friends Hostel is much better than most of the hostels in Romania My stay at Friends Hostel was really interesting and pleasant. I must say I had a great time and really enjoyed my stay at the Hostel because it was cozy, clean, and the location was perfect. But on doubt, what I found most pleasant about the hostel, is the friendliness of all the staff including the amiable owner "Veronica" and the manner in which they render assistance to all their quest. This is really something I think is cool about the Friends Hostel and its one of the reasons I would recommend the place to anyone I know going to Romania. — Millie , Nigerian (2010-03-03)