Castanea Old Town Hostel
Hostelz.com Overall Score
9.1
9 = Extraordinary
7 = Good
3 = Not so good
1 = Run away
Based on 3167 guest ratings.
Features & Details
Recommended For
Business Travelers
Families
Quiet Rest
Seniors
Socializing
Free Amenities
Luggage Storage
Wi-Fi in Lobby/Commons
Wi-Fi in Rooms
Fee Services
Bedsheets
Bike Rental
Lockers in Rooms
Towels
Other Features
Book Collection/Exchange
Credit Card Payments
Elevator/Lift
Entirely Smoke-free
Hair Dryers
Hot Showers
Kitchen
Lounge Area
Power Point/Sockets in Rooms
Not Offered
Airport Pickup
Breakfast
Parking
Wheelchair Accessible
Not Allowed
Dogs/Pets
Service Animals
Ages / Restrictions
Genders:
Males & Females
Max. Age:
All Ages
Min. Age With Parent (dorms):
All Ages
Min. Age With Parent (private room):
All Ages
Min. Age Without Parent:
18
Note:
No use of the common area after 23:00
Details
Checkout:
11:00 (11 AM)
Curfew:
No Curfew
Lockout:
No
Minimum Stay:
1 night
Open Dates:
All Year
Reception Hours:
Limited Hours
Booking
Photos
+21
Description
The Hostelz.com Review
Castanea Old Town Hostel has a very friendly, home-like atmosphere. The building is quite old, but in very good condition, and the other floors apart from the hostel's are populated by various companies. When you enter the lobby it feels as if you've stepped in a friend's house, as the reception office is decorated with lovely accessories and everything feels warm and comfortable.
The Location
Castanea Old Town Hostel is located quite close to Gamla Stan Tunnelbana Station, and is surrounded by a lot of interesting shops and restaurants. It is very easy to find, since you only need to make two turns from the Tunnelbana. The neighborhood is quiet enough, as neither the road nor the restaurants and stores are crowded at any time.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The hostel is located on two different floors. On each floor, the main door is locked all day long, and you need a code to open it. The rooms all have stable locks on the doors and are small but comfortable. Size doesn't really matter, as the common rooms are spacious enough and are right next to the rooms. There are private rooms on both of the floors -- all are about the same. The bathrooms are small to medium size, but in great condition, and contain liquid soap and some random hair and body care products staff and former guests left there. There's always fresh supply of toilet paper. On the lower floor, the bathrooms and toilets are much less regularly occupied.
Common Spaces
This hostel seems calm and less party oriented, although the common spaces are full of people during daytime and quite empty at evenings. Guests are not allowed to sit there during late-night time. There are plenty of books to read, both in English and Swedish. There are good recommendations of places to go and eat on the notice board. The kitchen is well equipped with cutlery, dishes, fridge, and stove. You can store your food and also enjoy things former guests left there (marked with the date, as requested by the hostel in a funny little note).
Summary
Castanea Old Town Hotel is a great place to be if you're planning a trip in Stockholm that includes a lot of wandering around the city, because this is a nice, welcoming place to come back to at night. The great location, just in the center of the old town, and quite close to the Tunnelbana, also makes it ideal for this purpose.
The Location
Castanea Old Town Hostel is located quite close to Gamla Stan Tunnelbana Station, and is surrounded by a lot of interesting shops and restaurants. It is very easy to find, since you only need to make two turns from the Tunnelbana. The neighborhood is quiet enough, as neither the road nor the restaurants and stores are crowded at any time.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The hostel is located on two different floors. On each floor, the main door is locked all day long, and you need a code to open it. The rooms all have stable locks on the doors and are small but comfortable. Size doesn't really matter, as the common rooms are spacious enough and are right next to the rooms. There are private rooms on both of the floors -- all are about the same. The bathrooms are small to medium size, but in great condition, and contain liquid soap and some random hair and body care products staff and former guests left there. There's always fresh supply of toilet paper. On the lower floor, the bathrooms and toilets are much less regularly occupied.
Common Spaces
This hostel seems calm and less party oriented, although the common spaces are full of people during daytime and quite empty at evenings. Guests are not allowed to sit there during late-night time. There are plenty of books to read, both in English and Swedish. There are good recommendations of places to go and eat on the notice board. The kitchen is well equipped with cutlery, dishes, fridge, and stove. You can store your food and also enjoy things former guests left there (marked with the date, as requested by the hostel in a funny little note).
Summary
Castanea Old Town Hotel is a great place to be if you're planning a trip in Stockholm that includes a lot of wandering around the city, because this is a nice, welcoming place to come back to at night. The great location, just in the center of the old town, and quite close to the Tunnelbana, also makes it ideal for this purpose.
by Oron London
Hostelz.com Staff Reviewer
2016-03-21
Photos taken by the Hostelz.com reviewer — Genuine photos you can trust.
+4
Map
(Location is approximate. You may need to pan/move to find "Castanea Old Town Hostel" at Kindstugatan 1.)
Location/Contact
- Address
- Kindstugatan 1, Old Town, Stockholm, Sweden
- Coordinates
- 59.324768, 18.072681 (accuracy not guaranteed)
- Location
-
- Website
- www.castaneahostel.com
- Telephone
- 46 8 223551
To add or correct information for this listing, please use the Listing Correction Form.
How is Castanea Old Town Hostel rated on other websites?
| Cleanliness | Staff | Location | Atmosphere | Security | Overall | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostelworld |
93%
|
97%
|
86%
|
91%
|
||
| HostelBookers |
94%
|
99%
|
90%
|
93%
|
||
| HostelsClub |
Not listed on HostelsClub.
|
|||||
| Hostels.com |
90%
|
92%
|
92%
|
89%
|
||
| Average |
92%
|
96%
|
89%
|
91%
|
||
Hostelz.com Guest Reviews
Modern and stylish
Nice hostel located in the heart of Gamla Stan, the old city. It's a bit like living inside an Ikea store -- everything was modern, clean, and stylish. The dorms were fourteen bunk beds in a large room with heaps of space to put your stuff, with wooden floors, white washed walls, huge windows, and plenty of ledges to store any other stuff you might need. I think some other people had smaller rooms (twin bed, four-bed) as well. My only gripe was there weren't enough bathrooms for everyone -- three toilets and three showers, so you have to get up early to beat the rush.
Roger
(Australia)
2007-08-19
Castanea Old Town Hostel is located in the heart of Gamla Stan (old town Stockholm, where the "original" Royal Palace is located), minutes away from the main shopping street and Stortorget, but in a quiet, residential area. There are several small businesses on the street where the hostel is, but it is amazingly quiet and peaceful while being a stone's throw away from the action.
The walk from the Tunnelbana (underground) is about an eight-minute walk and relatively easy (except if you have too much stuff to lug up the somewhat steep inclined street and/or are jet-lagged!). Just follow the directions given on their website as to how to find the hostel. Nothing marks the hostel other than a very small, brown metal plaque next to the door. The hostel is on the second floor of the building. There is an elevator, which is a welcome sight for some after a long day of lugging stuff around!
The hostel is owned by two sisters, who are friendly and are more than willing to answer any questions asked of them. They walked us through the hostel personally on arrival and gave us a hearty welcome. We got great recommendations for restaurants and places to have "fika" (afternoon coffee break of sorts). They have only been running it since the last year -- the hostel had been a one-star hotel in its previous life.
Staff are only there between 9 and 11 and 3 and 6 everyday. In between those hours, there are no staff members present -- however, we never found this to be a problem. While there is no locked luggage room, there is no problem leaving luggage at the front desk. There aren't any lock-out hours or curfew. Access is gained by punching a code in the front door of the building and again at the front door of the hostel. If you are staying in a dorm, you will also receive an access code to the dorm door instead of a key.
The hostel has a truly "bare-bones" decor. All walls and floors are white, and with the exception of the bright accents in the common room, kitchen, and eating area, decor isn't interesting -- but then again, why should that matter? We stayed in a two-bed, private room which was surprisingly cozy (not big, but definitely not too small) where we could lay out our two packs almost comfortably and almost walk around -- definitely one of the bigger private rooms we'd seen in a hostel anywhere. Beds are actually quite comfortable and there are large picture windows that open. The best "European moment" at this hostel is listening to the church bells chime while laying in bed with a nice spring breeze! Linens are for rent and the towels are huge, beach-sized -- super!
The common areas are not anything exciting. There is not a television or any Internet access. There are, however, ports for connection in the rooms -- but we're not sure if they worked or how much they cost. Kitchen is well-equipped and has a nice eating area. A 7-11 is a five-minute walk away. There are three toilets for the whole hostel. There are four showers. We never had a problem getting hot water or waiting any more than five minutes, but we weren't there in summer. There are some notices posted, reminding others to save on hot water, so it may be a problem at times.
We stayed at the hostel for five nights in late spring and didn't really see any social activities or connections being made while we were there -- in fact, there were two Swedish families and a school group lodging with us in the hostel. We didn't really see too many other "non-local" types -- which can be good or bad, depending upon the experience you're looking to have! If you're a young single, we'd look elsewhere. If you're with someone else and/or don't care about a social atmosphere and are looking to be as close as possible to the major sights, this is your place.
Bottom line on this hostel is that the location is absolutely perfect for sightseeing and eating/drinking. The hostel is clean -- we had no problems with cleanliness save a few overflowing trashcans -- and the staff is friendly. The only downside apparent would be that there is no social life or TV/net.
Bonnie Sarnoff
(USA)
2007-06-09
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