The Hostelz.com Review
Hostel Santa Monaca is quite large, and thus run like a big hostel. It isn't very personal but it is a good hostel with a nice setup.
The Location
Location-wise, the Santa Monaca Hostel is a little removed from the city and set in a quiet area of town. It is south of the river, whereas almost all of the tourist sites are on the north side. It's only at most thirty minutes' walk though, which is quite nice in Florence. The benefits of being a bit removed from the tourist areas are quaint coffee shops, little groceries, and a lot better prices.
Rooms and Bathrooms
They have a large eating area and a very spacious kitchen for your use. There are also computers with internet available, but they charge for their use. They offer a variety of sizes of dorm rooms -- up to sixteen beds. This might result in louder nights, so be careful. However, they do have smaller rooms available so just book ahead.
Summary
The Santa Monaca Hostel is recommended to anyone who prefers an ordinary, run-of-the-mill hostel. It makes for a convenient base to come back to during your stay in Florence. Be warned though, as it does have a strictly enforced lockout -- otherwise, it is a fine hostel.
The Location
Location-wise, the Santa Monaca Hostel is a little removed from the city and set in a quiet area of town. It is south of the river, whereas almost all of the tourist sites are on the north side. It's only at most thirty minutes' walk though, which is quite nice in Florence. The benefits of being a bit removed from the tourist areas are quaint coffee shops, little groceries, and a lot better prices.
Rooms and Bathrooms
They have a large eating area and a very spacious kitchen for your use. There are also computers with internet available, but they charge for their use. They offer a variety of sizes of dorm rooms -- up to sixteen beds. This might result in louder nights, so be careful. However, they do have smaller rooms available so just book ahead.
Summary
The Santa Monaca Hostel is recommended to anyone who prefers an ordinary, run-of-the-mill hostel. It makes for a convenient base to come back to during your stay in Florence. Be warned though, as it does have a strictly enforced lockout -- otherwise, it is a fine hostel.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
April 2010
Their Description
Hostel Santa Monaca Details
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Hostel Santa Monaca Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Good location, but dirty This hostel is in a good location. I'm a single female traveler, and I felt fairly safe walking to and from the hostel at night. It's near a few good bars, and there's a small supermarket really nearby, which helps if you're on a budget and want to eat in the hostel kitchen. Be aware that the kitchen is small, and you have to queue to use the hotplates (oh and you want to wash everything before you use it!). It has a big communal area with benches and tables, which is good for meeting people, although it doesn't seem to be a party hostel. However, it was so dirty. I usually trot around hostels with bare feet, yet this is the first place that I really felt that it wasn't safe. I ended up buying some cheap slippers at the markets. There were dustballs taking over the dorm, and mould parties in the showers. Also, in the large dorm, there were no ladders to get to the top bunks -- you had to step on a stool, which was invariably moved after you got up to the bunk, leaving you stranded on the very very high beds. Plus, the lockout is a bit of a shock if you've been out the night before or if you're not a morning person. — Lucy , Australian (2009-06-17) Ok Avoid the twenty-two-bed dorm at all costs! We were there in mid-July and it was incredibly hot and sticky there on the top floor, and one fan doesn't really cut it. Bathrooms were clean, and at least there was a kitchen, location was pretty good. — Nicole , Canada (2007-12-22) Like a prison i would never in my life stay here again. i felt like i was in a prison. I had a fifty-pound bag I had to lug up five staircases. The staff at the front desk watched me do this and did not offer to even help. I had to go up cement steps to a room that resembled solitary confinement. the bathrooms are not clean. they turn the lights off in the bathroom at around 11:30 pm so if you wake up to go then you must go in the dark and i mean complete pitch black which is real awkward. they also play terrible music and an italian radio station from 9 a.m. until 10 a.m. to get you awake. some of us do not need an hour to get ready. the music and talking is so irritable it forces you to get up and out because you'll want to throw a hard object at the loud speaker. there were children running rampant in this hostel at all hours. there is no breakfast. they had no English maps. i had to use a german map. i would never stay at this hostel again and I traveled to about ten different hostels -- this is the only one i would not return to. — Alana , USA (2007-06-19) Nice place, clean, staff helpful, lots of hot water. They don't have many pots and hot plates (two), so sometimes you have to wait until someone else finishes cooking, but I'll come back if i can. — Agata (2006-09-16) I thought the hostel was pretty good. The staff were extremely friendly and helpful. The hostel was very clean and within a walking distance to the train station and all the major attractions while it's in a quiet area across the river. Plus, regarding reservations, I made mine the night before. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because the bed was too soft for my taste. If you're looking for a quiet hostel, this is your place. — Manar (2006-08-25) I really liked the hostel a lot! It's very clean, and in a beautiful and quiet part of Florence. It has a kitchen, an cooking utensils are available at the reception. Some dorms are really big, but others only have six to eight beds. The showers are good! They changed some of the rules, they are less strict now, although you can't be in the bedrooms between ten and two. The kitchen and common room is always open. It's not far from the city center! — Christina (2006-04-09) Worst hostel experience of my trip. The hostel was on the opposite bank from the trainstation, which isn't a bother if you like to get out and walk, but still not a nice experience with a huge backpack. The receptionists were nice, but there was no breakfast and only some vending machines to get food from. There is a common room, I suppose, but I never saw anyone in there. The bathroom on our floor always stunk of mold and the showers gave out about three trickles of water with no pressure. And the dorm room, oh. 8 bunk beds, 16 people. It's nice enough to be social, but the lockout isn't enforced so I had a group of about 10 girls busting in every night at 3 AM, turning on all the lights and shouting across the room to each other. Now, this isn't the hostel's fault, but on the last night I was up until 4AM listening to the boys next door laugh uproariously as they blared a radio and stomped about. When I went to the reception to request a room change, there was no one there for the '24 hour reception.' Thankfully the boys quieted up when I asked, but the combination of staying in a huge dorm room with no one to enforce these rules they so strictly outline (if you're allergic to smoke, don't count on the 'no smoking' signs helping you out) just didn't work. I'm not against staying up until the wee hours talking with people but I'm not going to spend 17E a night to let it interrupt my stay. — Girandola (2006-01-20) This hostel is the opposite of Florence: it isn't beautiful, but it is clean.
The good:
—Clean.
—Cheap.
—Even though everyone pays the same low price, you may be put in a smaller dorm (mine had 4 people).
—Clean bathrooms.
—Location is very good.
The bad:
—Lots of rules (which can be annoying; know the rules in advance to avoid inconvenience).
—Not very pretty.
—Don't count on cooking here. (You are in Florence, why would you even consider cooking for yourself! Money is not an acceptable answer.)
Overall:
This is a great place for a serious sightseer. It is handy to the sights (although pretty much any place in Florence would be). There is a curfew (you won't be disturbed by people coming in late) and an early lock out time (they will wake everyone up at 9:30). The rules are not too disruptive if you are actually sightseeing (as opposed to partying). The first impression is not great because the ambiance is fairly dingy, but my experience is that it is quite clean. — CB (2005-10-04) There is a 9:30 a.m. lockout, but it forces you to get out and see this fantastic city. Otherwise I'd probably lie in till 11 a.m. You can't get your pack out during lockout; you just have to plan ahead a bit, or leave it at the train station (where you can store packs for the last day you are here). There is no bar, but there is a mini-market right next door with cheap beer in the fridge and just about everything else you will need. The kitchen (very rare in hostels in Italy) only has about two small pots. I found the common room a social place, especially with people wanting to borrow my big pot I carry around with me. But that's cool. The staff don't smile all the time, but they are always helpful answering the same stupid questions they must get asked ten times a day. You don't need to take a bus to see the city. The river is a five-minute walk away and the Effusi gallery is fifteen minutes. I'd stay there again. — Stephen NZ (2005-01-22) This hostel is good and clean, quite big and it has enough toilets and showers. The location is also good, not so far from the station and easy to find. The bad thing was this hostel closed before 1 p.m. We arrived at 12:55 p.m. and we had to wait one hour before we could check in!! — Oktavia (2005-01-14) This place is pretty clean and the bathrooms are okay. The "kitchen" consists of a sink and a couple of hotplates. There is no fridge, and very few dishes or utensils. I found the place to be a bit hot, and it smelled smoky (no smoking in the dorms though). The ceiling fans, while helpful, were in front of the lights, creating a strobe effect in the dorms. The common area is definitely not inviting, since it only has a bunch of benches and a couple of vending machines. There was also a bunch of irritating school kids running around when I was there. The location is pretty good and it was one of the cheaper hostels I stayed at.
I would also suggest that anyone staying here avoid the restaurant they "recommend." — Jeremy (2005-01-13) I loved this hostel. The place was incredibly clean. The service was wonderful. The showers were warm. We had our own bathroom in our four-bunk room. The location is wonderful. It's just a great place to stay. I'd recommend it to anyone, even family! And what a beautiful city at Christmas!!! — Amy (2005-01-10) This hostel was not in the most central area but the walk to the Ponte Vecchio and other attractions wasn't bad. The rooms were big with comfortable beds and the showers and toilets were clean and worked. This hostel was fine, apart from the fact that there was no atmosphere and the owners were unfriendly or bored. There was a huge kitchen, but be prepared to bring your own utensils! — Harriet (2004-10-24) The place was clean, and that's about the only perk. The staff are moody, the lock-out and curfew are a pain, and it still feels like a convent!!! READ THIS: I was not allowed to get my backpack out during lock-out. I had to argue with the staff to let me get my stuff to leave, and they nagged me the whole way to the luggage room and back. I missed my train because of them. — Anonymous (2004-08-09) The hostel had nice beds, a decent-sized bathroom, and it was clean. The location is quite good, about a ten-minute walk from Ponte Vecchio. The curfew is great; it meant we got a good nights' sleep before travelling on again. The breakfast was from a local cafe and not included in the price, but it was good and inexpensive. The social area had a good atmosphere and was full of people in the evening. We would stay there again. — Mike & Becca (2004-08-03)