Hostel 5 - Plzenska

Hostel 5 - Plzenska is a great economy choice for those wanting a somewhat quiet home base to explore the historic city.

The Location

This hostel is located in the outskirts of central Prague on the west side of the river, two bridges south of the famous Chrles Bridge. It is just slightly off the map of most Prague travel maps, however, you can print out that section of the area on Google or Yahoo maps. Depending on how much you like to walk, it is within walking distance though it also sits next to the tram line and would be easy to get to by transit. The building itself is a bit inconspicuous as it only has a somewhat small poster advertising its presence.

There is a large shopping mall three blocks away, and inside that mall is a large grocery store that is open twenty-four/seven. McDonalds and KFC are close by as well. The central part of Prague where all the main attractions are is about a half-hour's walk away.

Rooms and Bathrooms

There are a variety of two- to six-person rooms filled with mostly single beds with an occasional bunk bed. Beds ares reasonably comfy with clean linen and very large pillows. The walls are thick concrete, which blocks out the street noise very well along with any Wi-Fi signals. You can access the free Wi-Fi from the reception room. There are also closets and drawers to store your belongs, but no way to lock them. You can store valuable at the reception. In each of the rooms there is a desk and chair. What is also handy is that there is a fridge on each floor in addition to the fridge in the kitchen.

There is one toilet and two showers per floor, which is shared by approximately twenty people if at full capacity. The showers operate by a push button that turns on the water for about thirty to sixty seconds at a time, probably to conserve water. As such, there is no way to control the temperature of the water. The shower rooms are spacious enough to change comfortably and they have hooks to hang up your towel. Some people however may be thrown off by the odd smell some coming out of some of the stalls, most likely coming from the large amount of mold and mildew accumulating along the ceiling.

Common Spaces

This is definitely not a party hostel, which will be good for some but not for others. The only place where people seem to congregate is near the reception where the two computers are located. There's a sign saying that it costs a per-hour fee to use the computers, but they do offer free Wi-Fi (just ask at the reception and they'll give you the Wi-Fi password). Just outside of the reception area is the kitchen with a fridge and a couple of hotplates -- nothing too elaborate, but enough to do in a pinch.

Summary

Again for those who would rather see the city than go out partying with fellow hostel mates and for those who are on a tight budget, this would be a good recommendation.

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