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Tom's Hostel is a bit of a spooky place -- it is housed by a huge impressive building of five stories with about twenty rooms in total. However, as it is slightly off the beaten track, it does not manage to attract many visitors. Therefore, if you come here off season, you might be staying here all alone and often, even the receptionist will leave you on your own for the night.
The Location
Tom's Hostel is located to the north of Trang An, which is quite an unusual choice for a location, as most other backpackers are clustered around the tiny village of Trang An. However, this location is actually ideal if you are more into exploring the built heritage around the Ninh Binh area. Moreover, the hostel lets you borrow their bikes free of charge, so you can actually reach the other parts of the national park quite quickly as well. However, be aware that the bikes are quite rusty and old and it will actually be quite hard to find more than two functional ones. As this is a residential area, you might have a few locals surprised with you being around, but you will also benefit from the cheap prices in the area that are aimed principally at locals.
Rooms and Bathrooms
The hostel offers a wide variety of rooms -- privates as well as dorms -- and you can also opt for a female-only dorm. The rooms are really simple and the mattress is really hard. There is a wardrobe inside, but it does not serve much purpose, as most people prefer not to use it. However, the rooms are en suite, even if the bathrooms are really basic and uninviting. One really annoying thing is that the entrance door of the hostel has an automatic greeting sound that goes off when somebody walks through it, and from 6 a.m., the receptionist will be coming and going nonstop, making people in the dorm wake up from the loud sound going off all the time.
Common Spaces
There is a common area nearly on every floor of the hostel. The rooftop is the most attractive -- here, you can sit on high chairs all around the sides and admire the amazing view over some lesser-known hill formations that are characteristic of the area. You can also play board games or table football here and there is free drinking water available. On the ground floor, you have a massive dining area. While there is a kitchen as well, it seems to be for staff use only. Free breakfast -- an egg sandwich -- is included in the price of the room. On the respective floors, you have some smaller chilling areas with benches, cushions, and board games. There are some books available for reading as well.
Summary
Tom's Hostel is not a bad choice at all if you do not mind a more quiet place, possibly with few other guests around. While the dorm is far from being amazing, the common spaces are really nice and the free breakfast is a bonus.
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+4
JudyM
Hostelz.com Staff Reviewer
Published on May 25, 2019
Location and Contact
Location
• Dong Thanh hamlet, Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu District, Ninh Binh Province • Our hostel is the intersect of QL38B and road 491B, approximately 15 minutes from the stone gate near ancient temple Thien Ton next to QL1A or 25 minutes from central of Ninh Binh City. It costs about 50,000 VND for taxi. If you want us to arrange a driver to meet you when you arrive, please contact us. • You can also catch public bus 17 from Ninh Binh city