The Hostelz.com Review
From the outside, the Mark Twain Hostel is a nondescript, Victorian-style house in a mid- to upscale neighborhood. Although located on a residential street, the area is itself is peppered with small grocery stores, ethnic restaurants, and various other hangouts mostly frequented by college students. It might seem a little foreboding on the outside since it does appear to be more of a private residence than a place filled with bunk beds and budget travelers, but the moment you walk onto the sun porch the "hostelness" vibe takes over.
To say the least, the place has character. The owner, a very nice Asian man, is friendly and sincere in his wish for you to enjoy your stay. But the first impression that you get of the hostel comes from the main office. Upon arrival you're taken into the office where he gets your payment and contact information and it is incredible -- there is stuff everywhere. Piles of papers, books, knick knacks, folders, furniture. The room itself is huge but it's amazing that he can find anything in there. Thankfully, the rest of the hostel is a bit more spartan.
Aside from the many, many travel posters and flyers adorning the walls as you head up the massive staircase to the dorm rooms, the furnishings and decorations are minimal. In the dorm rooms there are both single beds and bunk beds and they are above par for most hostels. The pillows are a bit fluffier than usual and the pastel sheets a nice, welcome change from the stiff bleached-whitened sheets found at many other places. The rooms are spacious, as well as the bathrooms, and there was an ensuite bathroom in our dorm room.
The house is very old, however, and while this has some advantages (tall ceilings, spacious rooms) there are also some drawbacks. For one thing, it is not air-conditioned. There were several floor fans spaced around the dorm rooms and as long as one was pointing at you it wasn't too bad. But in the middle of June it can get hot and some people might find it uncomfortable. The bathrooms are also old and the fixtures could be updated. The entire house could actually use a coat of paint itself, but if you're willing to overlook that factor it can be viewed as charming.
The kitchen is small but there is a nice dining area. Everything is kept clean and orderly, but there is still a bit of a dismal feel to house, like it hasn't been opened up in awhile to let in the sunlight.
There is also a free parking area and a nice sunroom with various travel brochures and things to help you out in your sightseeing.
It is definitely not a party hostel by any stretch of the imagination, but the surrounding neighborhood makes it quiet and restful and it could be a great place to relax in. The other hostellers were friendly and talkative and all in all it can be a pleasant stay if you're willing to overlook the antiquated fittings.
Directions by car (very, very easy to find): Exit 46 off I-84. Right onto Sisson Ave. At 2nd traffic light left onto Farmington Ave. Tremont St. is the 4th street on right (count the streets because Tremont can creep up on you).
To say the least, the place has character. The owner, a very nice Asian man, is friendly and sincere in his wish for you to enjoy your stay. But the first impression that you get of the hostel comes from the main office. Upon arrival you're taken into the office where he gets your payment and contact information and it is incredible -- there is stuff everywhere. Piles of papers, books, knick knacks, folders, furniture. The room itself is huge but it's amazing that he can find anything in there. Thankfully, the rest of the hostel is a bit more spartan.
Aside from the many, many travel posters and flyers adorning the walls as you head up the massive staircase to the dorm rooms, the furnishings and decorations are minimal. In the dorm rooms there are both single beds and bunk beds and they are above par for most hostels. The pillows are a bit fluffier than usual and the pastel sheets a nice, welcome change from the stiff bleached-whitened sheets found at many other places. The rooms are spacious, as well as the bathrooms, and there was an ensuite bathroom in our dorm room.
The house is very old, however, and while this has some advantages (tall ceilings, spacious rooms) there are also some drawbacks. For one thing, it is not air-conditioned. There were several floor fans spaced around the dorm rooms and as long as one was pointing at you it wasn't too bad. But in the middle of June it can get hot and some people might find it uncomfortable. The bathrooms are also old and the fixtures could be updated. The entire house could actually use a coat of paint itself, but if you're willing to overlook that factor it can be viewed as charming.
The kitchen is small but there is a nice dining area. Everything is kept clean and orderly, but there is still a bit of a dismal feel to house, like it hasn't been opened up in awhile to let in the sunlight.
There is also a free parking area and a nice sunroom with various travel brochures and things to help you out in your sightseeing.
It is definitely not a party hostel by any stretch of the imagination, but the surrounding neighborhood makes it quiet and restful and it could be a great place to relax in. The other hostellers were friendly and talkative and all in all it can be a pleasant stay if you're willing to overlook the antiquated fittings.
Directions by car (very, very easy to find): Exit 46 off I-84. Right onto Sisson Ave. At 2nd traffic light left onto Farmington Ave. Tremont St. is the 4th street on right (count the streets because Tremont can creep up on you).
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
August 2005
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Mark Twain Hostel Reviews on Other WebsitesHostelz.com Guest Reviews
For $28 a night could be a bit nicer This hostel is really old and smells pretty bad, particularly in the downstairs area and in the kitchen. The owners are a Taiwanese couple and older. The rooms themselves are ok. The plumbing in the shower is bad -- you can't take a bath but must stand up, as the signs indicate -- but it's doable. The bunk bed mattresses are serviceable enough and it's very quiet -- probably its nicest feature. I did find some nasty gummy stuff on the frames of the bed -- yuck. You can park by the hostel, but I just parked on the street -- in Hartford be sure to park in the correct direction (just look at the other cars) or else you get a ticket. The smell bugged me and there is enormous clutter in the office area, and the kitchen doesn't seem exactly sanitary -- it's actually fairly nasty. If you can stomach all that the room for sleeping is not that bad and it is quiet enough. The male proprietor can be very excitable and he didn't give me back the correct change the first night I checked in -- he was pressing me hard to stay for two nights. I know others have had issues with him. His wife is calmer and very into Buddhism. They have a dog which sometimes you can hear barking but mostly it is quiet. — Anonymous , USA (2011-08-31) Good, pleasant owners the stay was fine for a few days. there is one guest who, i think lives there. RUDE RUDE RUDE young adult girl with english accent. She never says good morning or anything else. unless it is to complain about the tv. The owners are really nice and super helpful with anything you could ask for. The neighborhood is safe and historic. Close to busline, cvs, Tisane Coffee/bar, and decent restaurants. Very affordable. The bathrooms could use a little work. — uas cold winter , usa (2011-05-24) I very much enjoyed my stay I want to thank the hostel managers for helping me to explore the Connecticut area. They were very generous and super kind to me when I was there and made me feel as comfortable as it can be. They've answered my every question with detail and recommended the best places for shopping, sight-seeing and relaxation. The area is charming with beautiful houses and parks nearby walking distance. I would definitely recommend it to my friends and family. — Johnny , Vietnam (2010-12-23) My experience after staying here for about 2 weeks. The hostel itself is a pretty bare bones place. You get what you pay for, which is a bed to sleep in and a roof over your head, but that's pretty much where it ends. There is a kitchen where you are able to put your stuff in a refrigerator and cook up your own meals, but pretty much all the pots and pans available to the people staying there are in really bad shape and very worn out (many of them missing the handles), although I did still manage to use them to cook up pancakes most days. The showers and bathrooms are usable but are not particularly well kept. Although it lists that you can pay to be able to use a computer with internet, in reality you end up paying the owner a ridiculous amount of money for whatever time he deems acceptable (ranging from 10 to 20 minutes before he randomly asks you to turn it off). The computer you will then be able to use is very outdated and slow, uses internet explorer and has a million toolbars and other assorted malware trash installed on it, which does not make for a pleasant browsing experience, but this can all presumably be remedied by having your own laptop and making use of the wi-fi. The owner David, an elderly Taiwanese man, is relatively friendly albeit slightly grumpy and mistrusting of his customers, but now and then you can get a decent conversation going with him if he's in the mood, and he might recount to you how he used to be a traveling businessman flying around the world in wooden propeller planes. His wife is a very friendly woman, but in my conversations with all the people who were staying in this hostel for an extended amount of time I found out we all had something in common, which is that the owner's wife tries to recruit all of us into some kind of Buddhist organisation. She means well and you just have to shrug that off I suppose. All in all it's not a terrible place and you should take the horror stories with a grain of salt, but if in the future I need a hostel in this area and I have a choice to stay somewhere else I would take that instead. — Henk , EU (2010-07-22) The Owner Sexually Harassed Me All female travelers should be aware that the married owner, David, is a predator. During my stay at the Mark Twain Hostel he began asking me to spend Sundays with him, the one day his wife leaves town, asked me to dinner and movies. Then he began asking me to hug him and touch him, also to stop paying my rent so that he could cover it, take care of me. He'd later say how adorable and cute I was progressing into asking me if I'd ever had the "sexual experience." I repeatedly said no and called him on what was obviously inappropriate. He never forcibly touched me or made me touch him, but given time there's no doubt in my mind he would have become actively dangerous. Beware. — Anonymous (2010-05-15) Filthy! Disgusting! — Lifemagician , Australia (2009-09-07) Wonderful This was such a wonderful place to relax in. I slept so well every night when I was there that week. The place is in a very safe neighborhood and the people in Hartford and so friendly and nice. The managers there were very helpful and kind and made my stay there like a second home. There's the a nice Tsiane Cafe for a good cup of coffee or tea, Elizabeth Park with beautiful roses and other flowers to take a walk or go jogging, and CVS and Mo's restaurant all within walking distance. If you take a walk around the hostel, you can see beautiful birds and even rabbits. I've met some interesting and nice international people at the hostel. Some were from Europe, Asia, and South America. I would definitely recommend it to my friends and family. — Wendy , Taiwan (2009-08-29) Quiet i came to the hostel in jan. '09, only one in the hostel so it was quiet and lonely. but on the bright side i had a whole dorm to myself. the staff are friendly and are helpful. not bad place for an overnight sleep. — alan , england (2009-01-07) Will not stay here again -- Second worst hostel I've ever visited I have the ability to sleep anywhere, understand the challenges of hosteling in general (lack of space, snoring, late partying, or early rising roommies), and still did not like this hostel. Sadly, this could be a fantastic place! The house is spacious, the two-person room I stayed in was comfortable in terms of space and had a sink in the room, and, yes, the couple running it are nice. But here are some important points. They are listed on the website as accepting credits cards, but when we showed up that was not the case. Cash only we were told. The entire place is dirty and dingy. The furnishings appear to have been purchased from Goodwill or Salvation Army at least a good ten years ago. Not that I expect things to be brand spanking new, but the place has this grandma-died-two-years-ago-and-we-just-closed-up-the-place feel to it. It boasts one of the worst showers on the planet. We stayed on the first floor up, so maybe there are other bathrooms which are decent, but this one was filthy! There was mold everywhere, soap scum, dirt, and the vinyl flooring is curling up off the floor due to water damage. There are signs all over stating that clothing is not to be washed in the tub as it creates a mess. Personally, I don't think that is what is happening. The walls and shower curtain were so disgusting that I showered with the curtain open. I think everyone else did too. Stupidly, I had forgotten shower shoes, so I showered with my socks on and then just threw them away after having touched that grime. There is a bit of a language barrier (more so with the woman than the man, I think). We tried telling her that a car parked out back had left its lights on, she repeated several times that they had "Lots of parking, lots of parking! Street, too!" We gave up after a few minutes. (By the way, there is space for a couple cars at best, but on-street parking seems fine.) Not everything about this hostel is bad, but on the whole I would not stay there again. Luckily, our stay was for one night -- if it had been longer we would have found other accommodations! I've stayed at hostels that range from "fairly awesome" to "not bad" to "ew." This one was "EW!" — Indigeaux , USA (2008-06-19) Excellent for the purpose intended! I stayed at the Hostel last weekend and was surprised to find that all the bad reviews I read were totally out of line. The owners were as friendly and helpful as anyone could ask for. Yes, there was a language barrier but that didn't interfere with our plans. I was with a group of students form Johnson State and CCV college of Vermont. We were welcomed in just as though we were family, only making our stay more pleasant. The rooms were clean as were the linens. The bathrooms could have used a bit more TLC but everything doesn't have to be perfect. We had wireless internet access, maps to anywhere we needed to go and yes, the telephone did work because I used it on a daily basis. If you're planning on a summer trip, you might want to be prepared to be rather warm as there is no air conditioning but our stay was comfortable. If you're looking for an affordable, clean, and comfortable place, you've found it at the Mark Twain Hostel! — Neal S. Moser , USA (2008-04-23) Decrepit Flop House Believe what you read here. I thought I would take a chance on this place, but what a mistake! The lighting is dim throughout, every surface is so grimy I was afraid to touch it, and the bathrooms are falling apart. But it's not just the rotting odors (sit in the kitchen before you make a decision) and the filth, it's the fact that this so-called hostel is more of a flop house with long term residents in the dorms. If you fail to heed this warning and think you will take a chance, do yourself a favor, and only pay for one night at a time, because the owner gives no refunds. — Barry Glunt , American (2008-01-14) This hostel was a mixed bag. On the positive side, it is in an excellent location to explore Hartford, safe and convenient. A charming neighborhood with secure parking. The old Victorian house does have its share of charm. I stayed there in March, and had most of the house to myself -- only one other person staying there. My dorm and bathroom were clean and serviceable. On the negative side, the hosts barely speak English at all, making communication difficult. They are, to be diplomatic, somewhat eccentric, and the office is an ungodly mess, with thousands of magazines, newspapers strewn everywhere in disarray. They also charged more than the amount posted on the website, without explanation. There is a musty odor in the downstairs of the house, not overpowering in winter, but strong enough that I avoided the kitchen and common areas. The hosts have made an attempt to make literature about local attractions available, but much of the literature is old and not maintained well. I would stay in this hostel again under certain circumstances -- during the winter, and if I'm interested in spending a day or two days in Hartford or the close-in suburbs. But I believe in the warm weather I would be better served camping in one of the Connecticut State Parks. — Vermont Traveler , USA (2007-03-31) I recently stayed here and found it quite pleasant. I found it fairly clean and the couple who run it were pleasant and helpful. Even though they don't serve breakfast, the woman recommended Mo's, less than a five- minute walk whre you can get an excellent breakfast. There are other places to eat within walking distance. There was a complete bathroom with shower insider the eight-bed dorm and an additional sink in the room. Definitely recommended. — Richard (2006-09-05) I stayed in many hostelz in the last month, but this one has really been disgusting. The beds are old and its not very clean, but not too bad. But the whole ground floor stinks and I mean it really, really stinks hard. I tried not to breathe going trough the groung floor to get to my room in the second floor. I have never been to the kitchen or the TV room, as this smell is so disgusting. I strongly recommend not to visit this hostel, only because of this smell, but its so disgusting. — David (2006-07-31) My premiere solo stay and hostel experience was here at the Mark Twain Hostel over the past week, as I visited friends in the Hartford area. I overall had a memorable stay at this place that has a great deal of charm and unique flair to the place. The office strewn with stacks of newspapers, towels, and sheets is a complete disaster but the managers know their way around which is what's most important! A tip I can offer is if the cardholder is not traveling if you arrange with them on the phone you can bring a photocopy front and back of the credit card, and they can charge the card with that. I was taken up to my private room which for twenty-five dollars a night (more than the dorm at forty-five dollars) is well worth it! It's a rustic private space that's perfect for the solo traveler. You have a double bed with clean sheets and many blankets of different shapes and sizes (I certainly didn't need in the heat of July but would be ideal for winter travel) and many pillows. I stayed in room sixteen as was told there are nine private rooms in the house. Room sixteen I would highly recommend, on the third floor of the house has a pretty view out the large window looking at the stunning Victorian mansions in the surrounding neighbourhood, and opens easily for fresh air. There's a large table and a couple pub style chairs that worked well for spreading out maps and my travel materials. There's a large three drawer dresser with plenty of storage space, a large two tier side table beside the bed, and plenty of space despite the sloping celings overhead. As seems to be often the case in Connecticut far different from where I live in the region surrounding Canada's biggest city of Toronto there is no central air conditioning. This seems to be very prevelent in many parts of the U.S. practicularly on the East Coast despite America wanting the world to know they are ultramodern, Canada and Europe most times are far more modern especially when it comes to air conditioning. Especially in Canada all our houses, lodgings, and public places are almost always fully air conditioned, it's often taken for granted here. Having grown up always with air conditioning I find the heat to be difficult. However the rooms do have powerful fans, and if you place the fan right in front of the bed on medium or high depending on the humidity you will get a solid breeze and keep cool. To keep food and drinks there is a large stacked fridge and freezer in the hallway that can be used anytime, these are on the second floor too. Just across the hall on the third floor is the bathroom which is shared among the four rooms here. The bathroom is relatively clean and does have a good stock of toilet paper and soap. They will supply you with as many towels as you want. The bathroom especially the bathtub could do with some work as the bathtub area is grimy, it looks worse than it is. New grouting around the tub, shower curtain and a new tile floor would make the bathroom much more inviting. It does the job though and certainly is relatively clean. The Taiwanese couple that manage the hostel are extremely friendly and bubbly. Each morning when I came down grand staircase into the beautiful oak foyer the couple would always greet me and were interested in where I was visiting. They are eager and knowledgeable with local attractions and further afield if you are visiting New Haven, home of Yale University, which I did or New York City. The friendly wife even transferred my laundry and showed me how to form a bag with a towel to carry my laundry up to third floor. The coin operated washers and dryers are in the basement and cost two dollars per load, a dollar for each the washer and dryer. The foyer is plastered in interesting travel brochures of Connecticut and New England, and on the dresser in the private room is a collection of informative and funky travel magazines if you are interested in study abroad and the travel industry as I very much am.
The location of the hostel is fantastic, one block away you will find: a Fed Ex with Internet for forty cents a minute, which you can extend any time with the free card they give you and photocopying, a CVS drug store for food and drink, film, stamps, and stationery. In this area along Farmington Avenue you will also find a Mexican, Japanese, Ethiopian, coffee bar, pizza place, and Burger King as well as a small conveinience store and gas station. I ate at the Mexican and Japanese restaurants and having traveled to both Japan and Mexico in the past found the food to be very authentic and reasonably priced with good service. Take any E bus north to downtown Hartford or south to downtown West Hartford, where you can also make bus connections to surrounding towns. For phones, there is a phone in the foyer of the hostel which I tried to use the first morning. The managers are very friendly on showing you how to use the phone but it often cuts out and is a real challenge to use. In the area of the restaurants at the gas station previously mentioned you will find a pair of payphones where you can call collect from or call from (local calls, twenty-five cents, U.S.A. and Canada fifty cents a minute and international seventy-five cents for every three minutes). I used collect call. Making your calls from here is the best as the phone in the hostel is very hard to use. In case of emergency your family and friends can call the hostel's main line in and the managers will put you on the phone. The public phone in the foyer however you should avoid. I met friendly locals and people from Brazil and Austria here, however it is a relatively quiet place you will meet and chat sporadically. In conclusion my first hostelling experience was one I will remember, I would come back anytime despite the phone and bathroom problems. — Canuck Globetrotter (2006-07-25)