Trio Hostel

It is very well located: 15-20 minutes walking distance from old town and when you want to go catch a flight, the stops of busline nr 106 (that goes to the airport) are within 10-14 minutes walking distance. Although it's a student dormitory style hostel (which means that a whole floor shares the bathroom, kitchen and toilets) and it was supposedly fully booked at the time, I never had to queue for shower or toilets. Also, as there was a sink in the room, we didn't have to run to toilets for every toothbrushing or handwashing. And during the whole time, we hardly got a glimpse of our floor neigbhours, and hardly heard any of them during the night. Our room had a working refrigerator, the beds reasonably comfortable, and the rooms are more spacious than in similar style hostels closer to the Old Town. Check-in was easy, I like that they have a 24-hour presence in the reception. All in all, I think it's quite a decent place to stay if you can cope with shared bathroom - particularly considering the price.

It is situated near a big road, so expect a lot of traffic noise when the windows are open. A couple of years ago, when we stayed there, we could borrow a water kettle from the reception free of charge; now, it's apparently only possible for a deposit money (and quite a high one, I could actually buy one for that). Maybe they have had bad experiences. There was one for the common use in the kitchen, though, so it was not a big problem. When we arrived, they had forgotten to put towels in our room, so I had to ask for them specifically in the reception. The common-area kitchen could do with more equipment (right now, there is a water kettle, a sink and a cooker, but no pots or pans). A few more coathangers in the room would do much good (right now, there were only 3 for a twin room, so we had to keep most of our clothes on the chairs and beds). Also, guests are expected to bring their own cups/glasses/plates/spoons etc or whatever they would need when they want to have a meal in their own room. The walls were a bit more stained than I remember from an earlier stay a couple of years ago - it looked like a guest had drawn on the walls and they hadn't managed to get it off.

(+) The location was good for me, next to the event I participated in. The place had a washbasin in a room, which was convenient. The shared facilities, including showers, were clean enough, as the staff was constantly checking and cleaning them, so no shortage of toilet paper or hand paper was noticed. The staff was present in the facility 24/7.

(-) The showers were old, no handle, just a pipe in the wall. The water pressure was low, and I had to press the button countless time for the water to keep coming. I could wash myself, but it was a pain. However, what was absolutely the WORST was the soundproofing of the rooms or, rather, its TOTAL lack. Each floor consist of a long corridor with some 20 rooms. The doors lack any seal, it's just a door against a frame. No-one slammed the door, the NORMAL closing created a loud bang that resonated in a corridor. Every time people got out or in their rooms, everyone on the floor could hear it. It was a nightmare. I slept just five hours because of that terrible noise, because not even the earplugs could eliminate hearing that bang that probably carried as a vibration, too. I strongly recommend the owner to go to the nearest home improvement shop (eg. O*I, L***y M***n, C********a), buy the cheapest rubber door seal and apply it to every room. It would undoubtedly made the comfort of the visitors rocket 500 percent.