Freestyle

Oh so bad
It was awful. I did not stay. We arrived, they were rude and unhelpful. They took us to another building, not where we booked. Then tried to put us into a room filled with sleeping people. We had booked a double. His story kept changing. First the double would be ready later, then we were to stay in the dorm. No water, no windows. To top it all off after we left because they broke the legal contract -- not us -- they have charged us for a night's accommodation. Don't go. For only a few euros more you can have a great room elsewhere. This place is not friendly or safe as they advertise. They should be shut down for good next time.

Should be closed down
We flew into rome late at night, and had ordered a transfer through the hostel which did not appear. When we finally arrived at the hostel, we asked Tino (a member of staff) what happened to the transfer and he replied "what does it matter, you got here." Take from that what you will. Next he went on to convince us that we had booked a dorm room when we actually booked a four-bed room. When we provided evidence of purchase he got angry, and ended up kicking an italian out of bed to accommodate us. The room was filthy. Three of the four beds were broken. Next day we were moved into another room, which was just as bad. It looked as if it had not been cleaned for weeks. We were not in the advertised hostel, but a flat about three minutes' walk away. The bathroom was disgusting and shared among ten people. Hot water ran out after about four people in the morning. I would suggest if you are thinking of staying here, think again and then take a break and think some more. It is cheap, but I wish I had spent a little more money and stayed somewhere else. On the plus side, It is near the train station, so if you decide to leave, you can make a quick exit.

Nightmare with free internet access!
Freestyle is a good name for this hostel, they don't follow any rules -- except their own. Two bathrooms for over thirty people, no chance to stay over noon at bed for ill people -- the only flexibility that we saw was our own. The breakfast was cornflakes, the diner was mashed pasta and bad wine. Not like at the description. The only good thing I remember was the free internet access. Our residence at Freestyle ended like it had to be -- the police closed the hostel at march 31th, at seven o'clock and we stood at the street. Do it the Freestyle way -- but not much longer as I hope. The main-concept was good, but the assembly is deficient.

A really good place to stay!
I stayed three days in freestyle hostel in Rome and I had the best time ever. I wish I can go back there. staff were really friendly and funny people. in this hostel there were only young backpackers and we all had fun and going out all together. the dining room is really small but like that everybody talks to everybody really easily and nobody stay alone! If you're looking for a quiet place to stay on your own to rest, don t go there. but if you want to have good time meet people from all over the world, have fun and be a freestylers. just book it!

Really good
Yes, it's cramped. The cleanliness of the bathrooms depends on the person in front of you (although the rooms were clean, and the bedsheets changed often. we had to stay there with a sick friend on our last day, and let me assure you they did clean during lockout. Also, this is a hostel. You don't come here expecting private bathrooms and Egyptian cotton towels. However, what it lacks in space and luxury, it more than makes up for in character, ambiance, and friendliness of staff. The memory of Kumar shouting "Pasta!" will still make me laugh today, and the hostel guests were all really friendly -- most our nights were spent traipsing drunkenly through Rome with a random group of people from all over the world. Unforgettable. The sheer fact of the crampedness makes for cosiness too -- everyone talks over dinner. In fact I would compare it to being part of a huge, slightly dysfunctional extended family for a week. As for the food, there was breakfast if you were up in time (I often wasn't) and tea was amazing, basic, but lots of it, and tasty. (salad, pasta, and wine.) I didn't see any bedbugs at all, no one woke me in the middle of the night (although we did have the slightly more spacious room) and there was internet, if you managed to find a time when no one else was on. bring your own padlock (there were thieves about); be careful at night (the area was slightly dodgy although we never had any problems); and be open-minded, friendly, and willing to rub shoulders with other people. Basically, what any sane person expects when they go abroad. This holiday was amazing, and I would definitely stay at the Freestyle again.

I myself have been working in the hostel business in austria, so i know a thing or too about running these sort of things. I have been backpacking through world and lived in hostels many times. But this hostel is by far the worst experience yet. i am covered in little red dots all over my body from bedbugs and fleas. my friend is now at the time suffering from a severe case of nail fungus,because of the lack of hygiene in the bathrooms. as for the bathrooms, there are two small bathrooms with showers divided on thirty people. as for the kitchen i dont even want to begin with, that is really a nasty experience. especially since you can smell the bathroom in there. As for what they promise and i quote, "We offer free dinner every night with pasta and wine. Free continental breakfast (croissants, cereals, cakes, bread and jams, juices, coffee, Tea, milk, and hot chocolate." You are in luck if they have some limps of bread, some milk, and cereal. As for the dinner, i saw that they had some pasta, but i was never brave enough to try it due to the nasty kitchen. I never saw any wine either. Also they promise, air condition, and free internet, there is no air condition -- only windows. As for the free internet, it was closed the time we spent there. But i will also say that you can meet some really nice people there, and the staff is also nice (except maria), though i doubt they have any education in hostel/hotel/service business. I celebrated my birthday the day I left freestyle, and the surprise i got was two cockroaches in my suitcase.

When I first got to this hostel, they showed us boxers (used) that they were putting up on the wall to commemorate the party-night they had had before. The owner of the boxers then told me that he was walking around naked. The management just laughed. When we got into the room, not only were there not enough lockers for beds, but three had been smashed in and not fixed. While bending down to pick something up, I scraped my jeans and my leg (from which I still have an inch-long scar) on a rusty screw that was sticking out of one of the broken lockers. I asked for a towel one night. I paid and they said they would get it to me soon. By the next morning, they had none. By that evening, they told me to wait until the next day. They told my friend that she could come back for free, but that I wasn't invited. There were cockroaches in the kitchen (which are just a few steps from the sleeping areas) and the overall cleanliness is a joke. There is a quiet policy at 11 or so, which I understand for older guests, but as they show themselves as a party hostel, I'm very confused why people looking for a good time would come here. One star really is too much to give, as another poster already indicated. I hated this place even though I loved the city.

i will never recommend that place. not for that price. it is dirty. the toilet to use for others people is place in one of the rooms, so you will hear other people using it while you are trying to sleep in that room. it is noisy! all the sound from toilet and kitchen is going up and down. think before going there.

I stayed here just two days ago. although it is small, it is homey, the staff are great, kumar was so much fun and always up for a party. if you are looking for a fancy hotel like hostel then dont stay here cause you wont fit in. if you want somewhere with a great atmosphere and everyone knows eachother, where noone is left out, then come here. and they make you dinner, which although isnt worthy of a michelin star, it is pretty damn good for what you are paying. We all ate dinner in the small lounge area which was great as it brought everyone together. we all talked and then everyone headed out together. i stayed in another hostel in rome and it was quite fancy and big, i much preferred this one.

This is the worst place to be. You can smell the bathroom from the entrance of the hostel. The reception, kitchen, and lounge are basically the same small area, you can take three steps to each direction and there's a wall. People are mean, the place stink, the sheets seem like they haven't been washed for years, if not century. We made a reservation there but we couldn't stay because of the nastiness. We argued with the owner until he let us go with no charge, though it took three of us to argue for an hour.

I've stayed in Rome many times and I have to say, this was the worst accommodation I've been in, hands down. The info they post is dead wrong. The lounge area, kitchen, dining room, and reception are all the same room (tiny and crammed with furniture). The night clerk speaks little English and less Italian. They only provide a quilt that has obviously not been washed anytime in the last year and refuse to provide extra linen. There are no showers after ten p.m. And good luck if you're in Room Three, because one of the two showers is only accessible through there, so you'll have people tramping through your room as though it were a public area. Which pretty much all the rooms are, as the doors don't lock and are actually left propped open most of the time! Oh, and did I mention that they don't give receipts in order to avoid paying taxes? (I got this straight from the night clerk. He also couldn't point to the hostel's location on a map when I asked for directions). The night clerk also seems to have no problem wandering in and out of the rooms at night without knocking. Frankly, it's a miracle that my stuff wasn't stolen and my friends and I weren't outright molested. Take my advice, pony up an extra five euro and stay somewhere safe and half-decent! It isn't worth rock-bottom prices to be this unsafe and miserable.

I don't think there's a worst hostel in the world to stay at. The stay was not helpful, the place was in an awful neighborhood, it was dirty, some of my clothes got stolen, the bathroom was the dirtiest bathroom I've ever seen, and the kitchen was horrible. I have nothing good to say about the hostel, except that it had internet access. I would rather not sleep somewhere or sleep in the train station than stay here. One star is too high of a rating for this hostel.

This was my third time to Rome, and the Freestyle made it another wonderful experience. Kumar and the staff were awesome people. I would go back again just because of them. I have stayed in hotels in Rome in the past, but the Freestyle was so much more fun. You meet such awesome people from all over and this is largely due to the fact that the hostel is fairly small. Breakfast was only a pastry, dinner was only a simple pasta dish, but when you are a backpacker, free food is always great. Coffee and tea were always available, and jugs a wine were brought out at night. The free internet was just another plus, and the maps were there. Just ask for one. I have stayed in several hostels all around Europe, and I have never been offered this much stuff for such a low price. If the staff can't go out with you that night, they will recommend somewhere to go which could possibly have a hook-up with it from free cover or free drinks. Of course these outside benefits can't always be offered, but is was nice when they did happen. Yes the place is cramped, yes there are only two bathrooms for about 30 people, but the place is far from expensive with a great atmosphere to meet other cool people. I tell people to stay here all the time when they mention visiting Rome. Just remember, it is not a hotel. You're choosing a hostel. And as far as safety, don't be or look stupid. Rome is know all over Europe for it's pocket pickers. It was only myself and a girlfriend, and I never felt unsafe because I stayed aware. I typically feel the most unsafe on the metro in Rome and not neighborhood alleys. So in my opinion-The Freestyle hostel is worth your stay. These people are awesome to you as long as you are cool and not rude to them.

Let me give you some background about myself. I have worked as a paramedic for over three years, and I have seen some pretty horrendous places. This hostel ranks among one of the worst. Calling this place a hellhole would be a compliment. For the first two days, there was no running water in the only bathroom. The electricity would go out every five minutes or so. They cram about 35 people into a hostel that is smaller than 900 sq. ft. The place is poorly maintained and insalubrious. The ONLY bathroom had several patches of mold growing everywhere. I really do not know the last time they cleaned the place. The kitchen is dirty and dingy. The neighborhood is unsafe and seedy. Despite having already paid for three nights, I walked out after the second night. The morning I left, there was a gas leak. I ran. I eventually ended up reporting this place to the police. The upside: I met some really nice people. Two of the staff members were nice (excluding Kumar). I also met two people with whom I ended up spending the rest of the week traveling. I really think we originally bonded over our mutual hatred of the hostel. I am really not a picky guest, but I don't think a clean environment with running water is too much to ask for. My advice: avoid this place. Even sleeping at Termini station would be a better choice.

I will never go back. And the people who run this joint are not friendly at all.