Young & Happy Hostel

Good
Yes, the staircase is a danger and bitch to bring up luggage but overall it was very clean, the attendants were friendly and helpful. The free breakfast wasn't much but it was decent enough. I mean it is a hostel, if you want five stars check yourself into a hotel. The area surrounding was great, cute little shops, historic sites, and a tattoo parlor.

Awful
Basically this was the worst hostel i have ever stayed in in my entire life! We had raw sewage coming out of our sink at 7 a.m. We stayed for one night and then decided to move hotels for our last three nights. Stupidly we paid up for the four nights when we checked in. The next morning we went downstairs and told the receptionist we were leaving and demanded out money back for the two nights we would not be there (not even the third night we wouldnt be there) and they flatly refused! This woman was also so rude to us and told us we would not be getting our money back even though we were not staying there! We had to pay for our sheets and towels, which were stained and dirty and our room stank of bleach when we arrived! You were also not permitted to be in your room between the hours of 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. And when we checked in at 3:55 p.m., we were told to wait as it was not 4 p.m. yet!

Not great
You know a hostel will suck if they have pay Wi-Fi. Pay Wi-Fi is just a very low way to squeeze residents which almost always indicates that other stuff will suck. Here the showers were cold, the kitchen is a joke, and there is no pleasant culture of people hanging out. The location is quite good of course.

in paris, the quality of accommodation is all relative. for this city, this is an amazing deal to be staying in a perfect central location near all the sites. yes, the breakfast is a bit meager, but pretty standard as far as hostel breakfasts go (a croissant, a roll, jam, and coffee). the staff are very friendly, and there is no reason to lose the deposit on your linens, they give you a receipt and very clearly explain that you must keep it to get the deposit back. overall this place is a bit rundown but worth it for the amazing location.

This is the worst hostel I have ever stayed in. The "kitchen" is a joke. There is a two-element hot plate and a bar fridge. The kitchen contains no sharp knives at all, presumably because the unhelpful staff members fear for their safety at the hands of disgruntled guests. If you do manage to cook anything, eat it quickly because the ceiling will flake off and fall into your food. Our room at least had four walls, a floor and a ceiling, but even though I stand only 1.8 meters high I could only just stand up straight. The homeless in Paris enjoy better accommodation (in their tents) than the guests of this youth hostel.

I'm not raving about it but overall my experience was good. Staff were friendly. the place wasn't that worn down. Me and my girlfriend stayed here in april '06 and it was fine. We stayed in a private room on the top floor. i would recommend if you want a private room ask for that one. the showers are down a floor but the room was a good size and there were two big windows that opened and overlooked the street.

This hostel is clearly the worst place I have ever seen. We arrived on a Friday night and the staff was extremely rude and unfriendly to us. We had to pay in cash even though they do have a credit card booth. Additionally, you have to pay 2.50 euro to get worn out and dirty sheets. The deposit of 5 euro is lost if you do not hang on to a tiny slip of paper, the receipt. The rooms are small and dirty, the windows do not close and walls are thin, so you have the pleasure to hear your neighbors next door having fun! After 5 a.m., construction work keeps you from sleeping. There war no running water in the whole place, toilets and showers were filthy. The staff did not do anything to resolve this and did not give us a refund. The breakfast was lousy. So please, save yourself a night in hell and do not go to this hostel -- it is simply not worth your money.

I stayed at young and happy back in March, the staff were all cool and friendly. yes there's a curfew but so what, i found it affordable and in a good location. I would definitely recommend it to lone travelers as you will meet a whole bunch of people. the showers and toilets were clean and despite what the guy says about paying your whole fee upfront, it isn't true, you just have to pay for the night ahead!

I broke my hand while "surfing" the spiral stairway wearing nothing but a towel. This was after a bottle of fine red wine at a Greek restaurant nearby. It even warns you in the Let's Go Europe guidebook about the dangerous stairway, which I had made a note of, but as I was on my way to the bathroom at 2 a.m., the warning had expired in my short term memory. Down the stairs I went, three or four floors with no way to stop. When I finally came to a stop, the eruption of laughter by those fortunate enough to have seen the stair surfing naked guy zooming past them and the sight of my backwards fingers made me very upset. I somehow made it back up the stairs and lay in shock until sunrise. No one helped me. I took myself to the hospital in the morning. That was twelve years ago. Young and Happy, you suck but you're not all that bad, I'd stay there again.

Attention -- bed bugs -- big stinking horrible bed bugs. you can actually see the little buggers crawling around the seems of the mattresses. Consider yourselves officially warned

Excellent location, you can roam about Paris in twenty minutes. On top of that Latin district is supposed to be the academia area. Thus, the bars and cafes are frequented mostly by students. There are lots of eateries along the street. As for the hostel, I'd have to say the staff is just so so. But fellow travellers filled up the gap. I befriended with lots of them. We even hang out together. Do make sure, you don't get into the rooms facing the street. It's noisy during the night. You can use the hairdryer in the restroom for free. But the shower is kind of lame. You need to push the botton on and on. And they only last for one to two minutes, at most. Kind of chilled out in winter. By and large, great area to be in. I have a great time with Y & H.

I stayed at this hostel for five nights. On the fourth day i was the last to leave the hostel locking the door as i left. I was then the first to return slightly after four p.m. to find the door unlocked (there's meant to be a lock out between eleven and four and i had left the door locked when i left). I then checked my bag which was chained to the bed with padlocks at all zips and saw that someone had used bolt cutters to cut through my locks and stolen eighty euro from me. The hostel simply wiped its hands of this even though it was during lock out and obviously a member of staff had left it open or let someone in the room when it should have been locked. They wouldn't even offer me a night on the house or a drink and then changed the rule saying that they would let people into the hostel within this time if they asked? Do not stay here.

It's a hostel, what more do you want? The staff acted very neutral. Not rude like others suggest. They spoke very good English and it didn't seem to bother them to speak English. I arrived an hour before they opened and they let me in early. I don't like the lockout policy. I guess you just have to plan your day around it. It's some very interesting architecture (like they just slapped in a new room or floor or staircase in an existing room - odd but cool). If you're looking for classy, don't go here. If you're looking for a place to crash that has a little character and some cool travelers, this is it.

The Good: Excellent neighborhood, relatively close to Metro, RER, restaurants shops, the Pantheon, Jardin Luxembourg and other cool stuff. Great people stay at this hostel and I was able to meet some really cool people. The Bad: The staff, with a few exceptions, are pretty mean if you don't know how to handle them. The breakfast is small. The bathrooms are GROSS, and I know that all hostels are somewhat nasty but this is ridiculous.

This hostel is in a fantastic location. It's in the Latin Quarter and it's beautiful. I highly recommend it. Breakfast is simple, a croissant, roll and coffee. Most everyone who stays is friendly, and the staff, while not exuberant in warmth, are nice and helpful. The surrounding stores, restaurants, etc. are fantastic. I just loved Paris!