Hostel – Page 3 – SteveWhittythoughts1965

During my recent trip to Bratislava I stayed at Hostel Blues. The hostel is located in the centre of city is a traditional hostel which is famous for the double bunk beds.

Entrance takes you to the first floor reception. Checking in takes a little time but you can take time to relax with a beer in the bar which is also located in the reception area. There are five floors in the hostel. Each floor is split into two blocks. Each block has two dorms, a bathroom with toilet and a separate toilet. An nice touch is that each block is named after a captial city. I stayed in the Berlin block on the 4th floor. Entrance to each block is by keycard. You use the same keycard to enter the dorm. The dorms themselves are clean and spaceous with bunk beds and lockers. There is plenty of room to move around.

There is a kitchen area where you can cook your own food with a dining area away from the kitchen. Baguettes and snacks are also available in reception with soft drinks and beer. Once a week there is a communal cook where everybody helps out in cooking local Slovakian dishes. It was a great way of getting to know people and it was a very good night.

The staff at the hostel were very friendly and helpful. You are given a free map upon check-in and you are given recommendations on where to go and visit. There is also a board which lists night spots which are recommended. Reception is operated 24 hours. The hostel advertises the walking tour and pub crawl. I can recommend the walking tour.

This was the best hostel I have stayed in. It has a friendly atmosphere where everybody is made t o feel welcome. There is also a sense of community with everybody who stayed there. I will choose Hostel Blues again the next time I visit Bratislava.

Hostel Blues, Ŝpitálska 2, Bratislava, 811 08, Slovakia

http://www.hostelblues.sk

I booked the hostel through HostelBookers – http://www.hostelbookers.com

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve

During my recent trip to Prague I stayed at the St. Christopher’s at the Mosaic House. How does it rate?

As a hostel it was different to what I expected. It is a large building and it gives off a look of an expensive hotel. It is located near the centre of Prague. It is about fifteen minute walk towards Charles Bridge.

Checking in was initially difficult as the receptionist was unable to find my booking. The booking was found eventually and I was checked in.

Entry to the dorm was by key card and there is an 150CZK deposit to pay but you get a free map of Prague. It is refunded when you check out of the hostel. My dorm was on the second floor. You can either get the lift or use the stairs. Once I entered the dorm I was pleasantly surprised.

There were three bunks in the dorm. There was a security box to put your rucksack in. You would need to bring your own padlock. You can purchase one from reception. On each bed there was storage, a charging point and reading lamp. I found this to be very useful especially when returning late at night.

The bathroom was excellent. It was modern, in fact it could have come straight out of the Ikea catalogue.

There is no kitchen area for you to cook in. The hostel does have a big bar area where they serve hot food. You get a discount of 20% when you order your first meal. However, if you are staying for a few days it can get expensive for you. The food is of excellent standard. I particularly recommend the Bar-b-q ribs and chicken wings, very sticky and tasty.

A buffet breakfast is also available from 7-10am. At weekends it is available for longer. It costs 150CZK.

There is a large bar which is always busy. There are plenty of local beers and spirits available. There are plenty of television screen which show various show especially sport from around Europe. It is a good place to chill out and speak to people over a beer. There is live music on every Thursday evening.

The hostel has plenty of activities which it organises. As a solo traveller I would recommend the free walking tour and the pub crawl. It is a great way of seeing the city and meeting people at the same time.

Overall, I enjoyed my stay at St. Christopher’s. The staff were friendly and helpful and the atmosphere was excellent. If you are looking for a hostel that is in the centre of Prague than I would recommend this one.

I booked through HostelBookers.com.

Until the next post stay safe, stay healthy and keep smiling.

Steve