Hostel ONE Budapest

by Andrew Negru | Jul 22, 2017 | Travel

So….You’re going to stay at a hostel? Have you ever stayed at a Hostel? Do you think you’re going to like staying at a hostel? These were just some of the questions I asked myself while I was booking my rooms to stay at Hostels across Europe.

So far my experience has been great. From the moment I found the Hostel and inched my way toward the door, my emotions were all over the place. Is it going to be cool? Will they like me? It was like middle school all over again. I did it, I made my way to the door, super confident I decided to pull on the handle and embarrassingly there is a large sign that says click button to open. Not a great start!

Hostel ONE Hallway

I walk in and am welcomed to two twenty something friendly faces. How are you? Welcome! How can I help? All of this was making me feel a bit better that this was not a mistake and this was a good choice. After a few minutes of pleasantries I am taken upstairs to where I will be staying for the next few days. Each step closer I was getting more anxious to see my new roommates for the next few days. Well, at 3pm in the afternoon, no one is really sleeping or staying in their room in a super touristy city. So, there I am, all by myself in a 10 person dorm waiting and trying to figure out what I am going to do. Sleep! Sleep sounds pretty good right now. So, after a very long journey without much sleep, I get myself mentally ready for what may be one of the best power naps I am about to take. I slowly let myself down waiting to feel the soft embrace of a bed and a pillow. And…..Nope! Hard as a rock. Both pillow and bed are hard as a rock. Blanket? What blanket, you mean the thing that weighs as much as my bag and is thicker than my Columbia jacket? The bed is not the most comfortable in the world, but for what I was paying to sleep there, I should not be expecting the RITZ.

Hostel ONE – My Personal Bed and Sheets

My bed was not all that, but at least I’m saving money and going to have a great experience meeting some cool people. I think that trade off was worth it, for me at least. After a long day of doing all the touristy things of my heart’s desire, I came back to the Hostel. I walk in, and there you go, a few new faces that I did not see the first time I was there. Ready, Set, Go….Hi, My name is Edy, What’s yours? What comes next is probably expected in many Hostels that you will stay at, an Accent. Hi, Im…. I’m from Australia. From across the room, you’re from Australia, me too. I opened Pandora’s box and apparently I am the only non-Australian in my room. Cool, I got less stuff in common with everyone who is in my room. Let’s head downstairs for the free dinner that is provided by the hostel. This free dinner is where everyone gets together and starts playing games, talking and getting to know each other better. This was fun! Felt like I was back home with friends telling stories. From 7:00 pm till about 11:30 we were all down in the rec room, having a great time all together. For me though, jet lag kicked in, and it kicked in quick. I was ready to knock out, by roommates were not. With one word I said I’m out, and all the Australians said “aight mate”, see you tomorrow.

Co-Ed Bedrooms

This is where the fun comes in. From 11:30 till about 5:00 am People came in and out of the room. This wouldn’t be bad, but the hallway light is on 24/7 so the moment you open the heaviest door I’ve seen in a hotel that sounds like a prison cell door opening and closing, you are aware that hey, someone is coming in. This was not the only inconvenience, because there was no A/C the windows were open, we are only on the second floor, and right across from us is a bar that has open windows. Music blaring, people yelling makes for a great night of sleep.

Loud Bar Right outside my bedroom window

Luckily I was just tired, I had walked around 12 miles that day, lack of sleep from the flight and trip made for a great mix of tiredness. I slept through much of the noise and disturbances, and was not really annoyed by it. I was able to wake up around 5:30 just a few minutes after the last person came in and I took my shower, got ready and hit the city while everyone else was asleep. Overall the experience was great, made me see that maybe the going out till late days have now passed me by. I enjoy my peace, I enjoy the quiet, I enjoy company, but even company can sometimes stink. Will I do it again, maybe, probably, but first I’ll look and see if I can book a hotel.