Route 66 International Hostel

Disgusting and smelled of urine
I came in late into town and needed a place for one night while I dropped my daughter off at college. What a mistake. I usually stay in low end places, but the hostel was beyond anything I have ever experienced. I had been camping (and wished I had that night too) so I just wanted a good night's sleep. The bed was so disgusting, no heat in room (February), I used a sleeping bag to cover the blankets because they did not look clean. Room smelled like someone had peed in it, and the floor was coated with really gross who knows what. I wore shoes on the floor at all times. The place has no insulation, so be prepared to hear everything going on upstairs and down. Bathroom had brown gunk over everything from not being cleaned ever. Needless to say, I left very early the next morning without showering. I needed fresh air and heat. Just really glad I didn't get bedbugs.

Inexpensive and clean -- Good Budget Stay
I really liked the hostel. I enjoy meeting other travelers, and also having the kitchen available for cooking. The place was clean and the staff were friendly. I liked the location close to downtown and old town (walking distance). I may actually take a train in next time, and it is only about ten blocks from the train and bus stations. I see that some people leaving reviews wanted the Hyatt for twenty bucks a night, but let's face it, that isn't going to happen. This is a good value, and it is clean. If you don't require room service this is worth the money.

Only a few travelers but long term residents
I had an early flight to catch on the next day and even if I already spent a day in Albuquerque (staying fifteen miles outside town) just wish to spend the last afternoon and dinner in town. I dropped off my bag around noon -- office is closed 1 to 3 p.m. for cleaning purposes. Returning from Old Town Albuquerque (fifteen minutes), I checked in in a private room/shared bath where window could not open and for which I ended up requesting a fan just before office closes at 10 p.m. as it was really hot in the room. I cannot say the bathroom was all marble but at least there was hot showers. How do you guys do, when you go camping? I had a couple of cigarettes on the patio with other travelers and long term residents -- those I met were not so weird and eventually friendly -- sharing stories, drinks, cigarettes, or snacks -- not the kind you fear when you meet them on small town motel parking lots while down-loading you car. They should think of updating a bit the bathrooms as well as private room ventilation.

Scummy dive, great location
Just a five-block walk to downtown, this centrally-located hostel seemed to promise much. Justin in the office was great and so helpful -- he recommended a terrific little diner for lunch, and gave me a great tour of the place. Pluses -- Unbeatable location, cheap dorms, no curfew, Justin. Like a lot of hostels, it could use some plain-old TLC -- the five mismatched curtains/drapes/window sheets in my room were stapled to the wall; the in-room closet that formerly served as a kitchen still dripped nasty brown water into its stained sink; tons of hair all over the blankets; dirty, scummy floors; and a pretty nasty yard all added up to me actually getting a hotel elsewhere. I stayed about four hours here, and canceled my next-day reservations for the dorms as well. The rest of the office staff were stiff and impersonal. Minuses -- Nasty shared bathrooms; gross bedding; clanging radiators; and the narrow, dangerous stairwell.

Very good
I spent a night at the 66 mid Dec. I found the staff friendly. While I arrived late and left early I saw no individuals that were not "hostel travelers." My room was clean. The baths on the second floor, where I stayed, were clean and odor free. While I could not remember where the kitchen light switch was. While making coffee, I had the same impression of the common areas downstairs. I feel sure the new management has gone far towards meeting the expectations of travelers.

Creepy and Stinky
I usually am not picky about accommodations, but this place was particularly bad. When I arrived the older women at the desk was sarcastic and rude throughout the entire check in. People staying at the place were equally strange and creepy. To make the atmosphere even more unpleasant, the place was absolutely filthy. I don't mind a little dirt but there was literally mold growing all over the place and it stunk like garbage. My overall impression was that I would not recommend this place or ever go back.

Great place, Great location, and Super value
I spent a few great days at the Rt. 66 hostel this week. I give it a good rating both because of what is there and how hard the owners are working to continue improving. You can see painting and other "projects" throughout the hostel. It is my understanding that the new owners took it over and are working hard to make sure it is a great place now and in the future. You can see where they are working on a lot of improvements. I enjoyed the people at the hostel. I can't say much about all the staff as I didn't have much interaction with all of them. The ones I did talk to were great. Of course the staff are not what makes a hostel environment as much as the other guests. Anyone who is a true hosteler will tell you the interaction with other travelers is what it's all about. Of course as with any place you put travelers together you can get a good mix of people. We had a lady from Florida that kept singing kids songs. She was a little strange, but harmless. The next night she was gone and I got to chat with a guy from Ireland and one British guy. Across from us there was a guy from Texas and a guy from New York talking about religion. During breakfast, I sat at the big table across from a girl from Sweden who was fun to talk to. That is what hostels should be like. Different people sharing an experience and interacting with each other. Sometimes they may be a little strange, and others not so strange, but they all come together to contribute there own personality and keep it interesting. Lastly, I should say something about the value. I have hosteled all over the country and the price is more than fair. For my money I got a room, and even had eggs provided for breakfast. Unlike a lot of hostels, I didn't have to pay extra linen charges or other small fees that can add up. I did have to pay a key deposit, but I got it back when I checked out. Overall, I really enjoyed my stay at the rt 66. It's not a five-star motel, but if that's what you want you shouldn't be looking at hostels anyway. If you want a great cheap place to stretch your travel money, a great location, and new experience, This hostel will fit the bill.

A reasonably good place to stay in Albuquerque
I've visited this place several times and generally met fairly cool people, sometimes international travelers, other times mainly american travelers. The hostel does have a quaint feel and it's nice to stay in a one-hundred-and-one-year old building. One nice thing about the location is that Old Town, the historic three-hundred-year old former center of Albuquerque is only a fifteen-minute walk away. There are numerous bars and clubs in downtown, which is a ten-minute walk in the opposite direction. Nob Hill is where the artsy, funky shops, cafes, restaurants, pubs are located. There is a co-op supermarket there selling lots of natural foods. To get there take the #66 bus East past the university and get off right after Girard, and continue walking East. The hostel has basic breakfast supplies. The noise factor that some people mentioned is pretty much limited to Sunday evening when there seems to be a lot of motorcycles cruising by -- even that stops by around midnight. There isn't much the hostel management can do about that besides maybe move the building. The hostel is right on Route 66 after all. To avoid this, get a room off the street, or stay in the dorm which is in the back of the building. As for the staff, keep in mind that they are not paid. They get a room in exchange for working there (long hours), and a fairly substandard room at that. I remember meeting one woman working there who survived on barely $25 a week. Try to be generous and leave them a tip if you think they did a good job. An extra $1 or two could make a big difference.

Boarding house?
I just stay one night in the women's dormitory, only people who identified themselves as workers were strange middle-aged men. One of them has rotten teeth, the other one has BO -- they make a weird energy and i think one of them ask me out to date. it was hard to avoid them when they always around. i was only person under twenty-five staying -- not like a Youth Hostel. No other international visitors there either -- a lot of odd americans.

I think in many cities there wouldn't be much competition for rooms but Albuquerque is loaded with hotels with affordable rates if you look around. Staff are generally very knowledgeable about Albuquerque. Staff personality ranges from outgoing to barely interested depending on who you're talking to. I took a chance while staying for a couple of nights but I thought I overheard one of the staff who wasn't willing to show rooms? Draw your own conclusions if this is true? The food situation is maybe fair -- I don't think anything resembling a meal is provided and the food that is available is very basic -- powdered milk, cereal, eggs, bread, some spices. You can shop in the area for some things but it looks like a poorer part of town so your shopping, particularly on foot, will be limited. One person's funk is another person's repair waiting to happen. I think for a night, you might like the funky atmosphere. On night two, three, or four, the unfixed window, the clangy pipe, wobbly mattress start to feel less funky and more annoying. Staff will be nice about these problems but I doubt the problems are new to the staff or management either. The dorms are inexpensive though you're getting into lower end hotel rates with some of the rooms and while the neighborhood appears to border some rougher areas it is safe at the hostel. If you have the time and/or inclination or you are really tired and want say, a better night sleep, you might check out some of the budget hotels all along Central Avenue running from West of downtown all the way through the east side of downtown.

The price is high for the dorm room considering they charge several dollars more than the Santa Fe hostel. This is surprising since the cost of living is higher in Santa Fe. The cost of the dorm is about the on par with many California hostels (where the cost of living is considerably higher). This hostel has several private rooms available, some with bath and shower in the room, and others with bath and shower outside the room (which rent for a little less). There are two single rooms available but one of them is miniscule and claustrophobic and should rent at a discount, if at all. The other private rooms that I saw were reasonable enough in size. One disappointing aspect that another hosteler mentioned is that the dining room is sort of cold and impersonal and seems set up to keep people apart rather than encourage them to sit together and meet each other. I'm not sure whether hostel owners understand that one of the primary reasons to go to a hostel is to meet people. If people wanted to be by themselves and not meet anyone they could easily stay at any one of the other impersonal motels which are found all up and down Central Ave. Another bad aspect is that on certain evenings the television is blaring in the office, and this can easily be heard in the common room. This doesn't create an atmosphere conducive to sitting around and talking. Fortunately the TV watching appears to be limited to one apparently TV-addicted staff person. Most of the staff were pretty helpful and friendly, but I did see one female staff member being somewhat rude to a guest once. There didn't seem to be any reason for this ad the guest wasn't doing anything that would warrant that. I was told that the hostel doesn't admit locals or anyone who appears to be on drugs or alcohol, or anyone who is not a bona-fide traveler, so I'm not sure how that one guy slipped through that someone else mentioned. I didn't see any strange guests while I was there. Most people I met seemed like regular hostel types. This hostel does have some good aspects -- it's a big, old house with a homey feel. It's relatively close to Old Town, Downtown, and the bus and train station. Breakfast is included -- consists of cereal, pancakes (do it yourself), eggs (sometimes), bread, and jam plus free coffee and tea. Unfortunately no fresh milk is provided, only powdered milk, which tastes downright awful and is virtually useless on cereal, even when mixed with water. I'm not sure why anybody would buy since it costs about the same as regular milk. The hostel seems like one of those places where "your mileage may vary." I didn't have any really bad experiences here but didn't have a really great experience either. If you're not expecting too much, this hostel could be a decent enough place to stay when you're traveling through Albuquerque.

Disgusting. (And I'm not usually fussy about hostels.) One of the employees was in a very out-of-it state (and I don't just mean intoxicated) and we had to lock the door to keep him out of the room. Then he vomited in the kitchen sink and didn't clean it up until the morning. The manager however, and other staff were very apologetic, and the guy's been given the boot -- so maybe things will improve. It's still dirty and has a weird atmosphere to it though. Some good points are free food, mandatory chores (one each morning) make it feel kinda homey, free use of travel guide books. But I don't recommend this place.

This hostel attracts a diverse group of guests -- in the five nights that I was there I met solo travelers and families with babies, Americans, and folks from around the globe. The atmosphere fosters friendly interactions and the folks who I met were splendid. The staff could be inconsistent. One woman had a mile-long list of recommendations when I asked her what to do, the guy at the desk the next morning couldn't confirm the location of the closest bus stop. That said, they were all friendly and warm. However, the eating area is a little impersonal. I had a better time snacking with a crowd at the big table on the porch than I did trying to eat breakfast at a small, dingy cafe table near the kitchen. If they could just master the free breakfast being available every morning (there was eggs, bread, cereal but no milk for about half the time I was there), they would have gotten five stars.

This hostel was basic, kitchen, bathrooms, comfy beds, fairly clean. A good common area. But thats it, you really need to have a reason to be in albuquerque longer than a day, but this is worth staying in if your passing through, but it's rubbish hostel if you don't meet someone interesting. I recommend this place but it didn't grab me as anything special. The staff did the bare minimum to help.

What a great experience! I love this Hostel. It is old, but it has personality. The colors, the old furniture, and the hodgepodge of decorations all work together to make this a very unique place. The staff is wonderful. They are friendly and knowledgeable about the area. I also like the location. You are about seven blocks from Garcia's Kitchen. It is a wonderful place for reasonably priced Mexican food. If you need coffee, there is a great coffee shop about a block behind the Hostel. You are within walking distance of Downtown or Old Town. I love some of the people you run into at a Hostel. They were very nice and helpful. There was one guy staying there that was begging for money or drugs from others. The manager responded by not allowing him back. It is nice to see a staff that is very concerned with the privacy, comfort, and security of the people staying in the Hostel. The only down thing I found was that some of the doors do close hard. I worked hard to keep my door from slamming -- however it is hard when the door sticks. I know the Hostel is under new ownership, and they are working hard to correct some of the little maintenance issues (like sticking doors). The new owner and manager seemed to be taking the feedback and reviews seriously. I was also disappointed that the new owner discontinued dinner. The first couple nights I was there they had dinner for anyone who wanted to join. I liked the chance to talk to others over a shared meal. The dinner also added a lot of value to someone traveling. I hope they bring it back. I look forward to seeing what the new owner does. I hope they keep the old school charm of the Route 66 Hostel. Overall, I loved this hostel, and would suggest it be your "base" while in Albuquerque.