Arco Youth Hostel

This is the worst hostel ever! it was a last resort stay. the place is a sh*thole, two microwaves in a tiny closet of a room, sick showers/bathroom (careful that you don't catch chlamydia or some kind of foot fungus!). The weirdest, rudest staff. oh also i got bedbug bites, so gross! It was like a very bad nightmare, no one should stay here! It's dirty and disgusting.

Honestly, I haven't been to any other place before so I can't actually make a comparison. Yet I think the hostel is all right. The staff are nice and the dorms are clean. Breakfast was quite good; there were cereals, toast, coffee, and milk. Only juice was missing. The location is great. The hostel is only two minutes walk from Las Ramblas, and not more than five minutes walk from Plaça Reial. The atmosphere is really nice and my friends and I got to meet many other people. The hostel is closed between 1 and 4 p.m. but I think very few people would want to remain locked in their room at that time of the day in Barcelona! I would definitely stay there again!

I was not impressed with this place, but it could have been worse. Some of the staff are very helpful, they can tell you a lot about the city if you are unfamiliar with it. The breakfast is poor, mostly crappy toast and milk. The outside street is really noisy when you are trying to sleep, but inside the hostel is actually really quiet. Having no common room sucks because there is no place to hang out or meet other people. Also, the computer with Internet is downright retarded.

The staff are indeed weird; they do speak English but some find it amusing to pretend not to. Breakfast consists of one croissant and a packet of juice. The dorms feel cavelike, and the only time the showers are clean and have hot water is in the afternoon (right after cleaning and when no one is there). It's located in an extremely noisy area; you can literally follow people's conversations in the street. It has nice decorations, though.

It has beds and it has doors. There are two microwaves and a fridge, but food isn't going to stay there long and will go missing without warning. I don't know why it smells in Barcelona so much, but there is the smell compounded by the heat and too many beds in rooms without airflow, fans, or any sort of effort to cool the place. The best it has going for it is decent showers, location, and nice staff. It sucks pretty much outside that.

The kitchen is only a fridge and microwave. The common room is the kitchen, so it really is not a common room. The hostel is safe and well-located, but the dorms are crammed with beds, and the hostel is really boring. There is a lockout in the afternoon. Also, it is super-noisy in the morning because it's on a busy street, so bring earplugs. I would not recommend this hostel: for the same price or cheaper, you can get way better.

The kitchen is the worst: it is way too small, consists of two microwaves only (just one is working), and it closes at 11 PM (even if it is full of people). Most of the staff is very weird, in deed, friendliness is not the hostel's major principle. The DORMITORIES: you feel like in the army (up to 26 beds in one room!), and there is a lot of tension around at night when the people who want to get up early fight with the people who come home late at night from clubbing. Definitely, this hostel is not for people who are in to experience the city's nightlife and having "real" fun. Alcohol is not allowed in the whole building, neither are "further things" :-). Bad news for people who want to sleep out: there is a curfew between 12 and 3.30 PM. Although the hostel is located in one of Barcelona's most vivid areas, there are many other places quite close that I would recommend instead. Arco Youth Hostel tends to be really popular in Asia, as most of its guests come from that part of the world.

The hostel was quite good but slightly misleading in the "kitchen" department. I had my own sheet and blanket, but otherwise I would have needed to rent some. The staff were on the whole reasonable friendly and went out of there way "on occasion" to assist you. Great location. Hint: heat the croissant and skip the "juice". I would stay ther again though.

NO KITCHEN! They have a room with a microwave, but that does not really qualify as a kitchen, does it? Also, there is no non-smoking section, so, if you are a non-smoker, it's best to stay clear. Nor is there a common area, so it's hard to meet people who are not in the same dorm as you. Staff are nice, if some of them a little weird. Dorms are very clean. If you bring your own sheets you have to rent blankets as well, as they are not included, and rooms to tend to get chilly in winter. They have lockers, which is good. The downside is that there is only one bathroom down the hall for each sex and they tend to be quite dirty. "Breakfast" is a sticky croissant with a box of "orange juice", so don't expect too much in that department. In general I think it's an ok hostel, but they do have many things to work on.