5 The hostel welcomes its guests.
We walked into the front door and booked in, once they had taken our money and seen our passports they directed us back out the front door and around to another ‘hole in the wall’. That’s all it was, the door opened (there was only enough room for the door to swing open) before the narrow steps began, three flights of stairs that where so steep they made walking up the decks of the Titanic as it was sinking seem easy. This hostel is not ashamed of their client’s not at all!
We walked into the front door and booked in, once they had taken our money and seen our passports they directed us back out the front door and around to another ‘hole in the wall’. That’s all it was, the door opened (there was only enough room for the door to swing open) before the narrow steps began, three flights of stairs that where so steep they made walking up the decks of the Titanic as it was sinking seem easy. This hostel is not ashamed of their client’s not at all!
4. A nice clean bathroom.It’s always nice to get into the shower after a long trip what’s even better is when you see water running down the walls of the bathroom (before you have turned the shower on).
The bathroom consisted of four walls that where just jib board with paint slapped over the top, and a free standing shower in the corner with tiles up to waste height. New Zealand has nothing - this is a leaky home waiting to happen. Don’t forget we are three stories up, when the floor collapses its going to be impressive. In the hostels defence it did have an extractor fan for the bathroom, however the fact that this is where the water was coming from only concerned me more! Everyone knows water and electricity are a great combination, great to think about when your having a shower directly below.
3. A structurally sound room.It’s always a concern when you wake up and you see the ceiling boards are held in place with plasters. The first question you have to ask is ‘Are they used plasters?’ The second is ‘Will I be more upset about having a ceiling fall on me or a plaster?’ I’m not actually sure which one I would prefer. Travelling has a certain element of danger to it; however I never imagined ‘death by hostel ceiling’ or ‘he suffocated on a used plaster’ to be on my obituary.
2. Working amenities.
The first time I flushed the toilet it sprayed the water back at me thought the basin. I initially thought this was quite funny. However when I realised that every time you flush the toilet the water from the toilet comes out the drain of the sink I suddenly didn’t feel like brushing my teeth anymore. I’m not talking a little bit or regurgitation either this water is shot 30-40cm straight up in the air.
1. Safety cautions and enforces rules.Our room was on the third floor of an old building, at the front desk the clerk asked us not to smoke inside. As we climbed to our room every door had a no smoking sticker on it and there where big posters up and down the stairs. Only problem was you couldn’t see the signs because of the smoke from all the weed being consumed! We walked into our room (past the no smoking sign) and saw an ash tray on the table and there was a luggage ticket taped over the fire alarm. A fire marshal would be having a field day with this one - seriously though the amount of people who must fall asleep while smoking a joint must be worrying.
Just to make things even worse, this has been one of the most expensive hostels we have stayed in – It cost about 35.00 euro each (yes euro, we are still in western Europe – not Asia or India). In their defence the orange juice in the morning was good.
