The Hostelz.com Review - Genuine, independent review you can trust.
Starfish Alley Hostel is a very basic and simple hostel whose main audience is people on a low budget who come to Da Nang to enjoy the beach. While everything is quite decent, do not expect any luxury or added extras. However, the main theme of the hostel is cute drawings, which gives the place quite an upbeat vibe.
The Location
Starfish Alley is located in the southeastern part of Da Nang, only three hundred metres from the beach. This location is quite unique amongst backpackers places, which tend to be more in the center or the north of the city. The hostel is hidden in a quiet alleyway in a residential area, which makes for a very peaceful location. Moreover, if you just walk out to the main road that leads to the beach, you will be spoilt with a wide variety of food stalls and local eateries which offer some amazing dishes! Some supermarkets are also in walking distance. To walk to the Dragon Bridge will take you around forty minutes and the Marble Mountains are only recommended for ardent walkers as it might take you up to one-and-a-half hours to get there on foot.
Rooms and Bathrooms
Despite of the hostel being quite tiny, Starfish Alley offers a huge number of rooms, most of which are dorms. It has female only as well as mixed dorms available. The dorms have bunks inside which are huge, are equipped with their own bedside tables and have curtains around them. Inside, you have electronic plugs and a bedside lamp. However, if you are on the top bunk, make sure you don't place your phone right at the end of the bed as there is a huge gap between the beds and the wall. An extra surprise is that every bed comes with a different colourful pillow with the picture of a cute animal on it. Moreover, there are lockers under the beds which are quite spacious. The hostel offers two bathroom complexes, ensuring that you never have to wait for your turn. The bathrooms are quite dull but serve the purpose fine.
Common Spaces
There is a semi-outdoor eating and socialisation area next to the reception, but it is all made of concrete and not too attractive. Inside, you have a long bench next to the wall that you can sit down on but the corridor is too narrow already so this would just lead to having to move every time somebody wants to walk past. Although there is no kitchen, there is a kettle in the corridor and a water fountain with drinking water that you can use for free. Candies are also available free of charge at the reception.
Summary
If you don't mind crammed spaces and the fact that the whole place is quite basic and where there are no paintings, the hostel is quite dull and uninviting, Starfish Alley is not a bad choice for a few nights. You will love its closeness to the beach and the beds are quite cosy as well.
Photos taken by the Hostelz.com reviewer — Genuine photos you can trust.
+4
JudyM
Hostelz.com Staff Reviewer
Published on May 22, 2019
Location and Contact
Location
• The taxi will cost around VND100.000 from the airport to Starfish Alley Hostel. • Go to the Alley 44, Phan Tu street. At the No.44/7, go into the smaller alley 10 meters and you will see Starfish Alley Hostel.