A&O Berlin Mitte

Cheap but no sleep
Do not go to the A&O near the Ostbahnhof. My girlfriend and I stayed there and were treated to loud music, doors slamming, and the joy of the fire alarm going off at 3 a.m. It was all done by a group who were told several times by myself, other guests, and the staff to quiet down. The fire alarm was set off by an idiot who decided to spray a fire extinguisher in the hall and stairwell. They still let the kid stay there after a whole floor was evacuated and subject to waiting until the dust from the extinguisher settled. While waiting in the wee hours of the morning to return to bed, I asked to use the internet. I was told I would have to pay. When I returned to my room I saw that dust had settled on my belongings and it was also still lingering in the air. At least the staff gave us another room. Throughout it all, I knew that the staff was just trying to do their job but I really think the situation was handled poorly. The police were not called. They consulted the chaperones about it. They said the student would have to return home from the trip the following day. While I realize that it was not the hostel's fault for the incident, I don't know why the chaperones were not told to deal with their students while they were getting drunk and partying in the hostel prior to the fire extinguisher incident. I also don't know why the police were not involved. He made a complete mess of the hostel. This was absolutely my worst experience at a hotel or hostel anywhere. I know that it probably will not happen if you stay there but be prepared for a staff that is too nice to give obnoxious guests the boot.

Absolutely well worth the money! The room and the ensuite toilet/shower were clean, the cableTV was ok (the horrible German programmes were not the hostel's fault), the staff were ever so friendly, the buffet breakfast with omelettes, salads and meatballs very good (missed some tomatoes, cucumber, and lettuce, though). The internet worked perfectly for us. The atmosphere was relaxed, the bar was open as long as there were customers, the World Cup was going on so the going was good. We might come back any time! (And we stayed for five nights to see a few matches.)

I had no problem with the mosquitoes. The room was nice, with six beds, cable TV, almost lockers (bring your own padlock) and en suite bathroom. Albeit a bit expensive, the breakfast was good. The Internet access could be better (just go to an Internet café). Choose the time when you go to the reception carefully. And the receptionist was awesome. :)

The "service" and staff at this hostel are HORRENDOUS. To start with, you always have to queue for ages to get served at reception. Even if there's a queue of 20 people, there's only one slow receptionist to serve. A number of times there were a couple of other people sitting behind the desk whilst we all stood there waiting in the mosquito infested room, but they totally ignored the line and sat there talking, smoking, and eating. One night we played billiards - the girl on reception told us it was 2 euro per hour and when we returned the equipment there was a guy there who insisted it was 5 euro per hour and insisted we pay it even after the girl came back and admitted she told us 2 euro. No one there seems to know or care what they're doing, the facilities are sparse, the service is non-existent and they really need to do something about the mosquitos. DO NOT stay here.