HI - Karlovy Vary - Quest Hostel & Apartments is a high-end spa town full of expensive hotels, so naturally Quest Hostel & Apartments, a member of the Hostel International, is the first place many people will go to.
Location
To go to the hostel from the main train and bus terminal, you need to take a ten-minute bus ride, and then a five-minute walk. The hostel is located at the top of a hill, so be prepared for a long and steep walk up a cobbled road if you come from the city center of Karlovy Vary. The reception of the hostel is in the adjacent bar. There is no elevator, so be prepared to take your luggage up to your room. During our visit, the receptionist made it clear to us that this was her second day at work so she could not answer our questions.
Rooms and bathrooms
There are four floors in the hostel, and each floor has two rooms. Our room had ten beds. The rooms are big, bright, and basic. The kitchen is big and so is the bathroom. They are clean but we find that some housekeeping needs to be done. The fridge, which is empty, has its freezer flooded with a smelly brownish liquid. The oven is dirty, the knob of the kettle lid is melted, the toilet seat is broken, and hot water from the shower is lukewarm. Other than that, the room is fine.
Common spaces
Aside from the kitchen in the room, the other common area in the hostel is perhaps the adjacent bar -- you will have to leave your room and walk downstairs. People smoke inside the bar. There's a lovely outdoor sitting area, though. There are no computers but there's Wi-Fi within the premises. A very light breakfast is included, which the receptionist gave us at the bar the day before. You have to walk all the way upstairs again to put it in the fridge.
Summary
During our visit in June, the hostel was still operating in its off-season hours (reception starts at 4 p.m.), so when we checked out in the morning, we could not find any place or locker to deposit our luggage. Nevertheless, in a place full of expensive hotels, we consider this hostel a luxury.
— Exklusive Hostelz.com Übersicht
June 2009
Ort/Kontakt
