I got the chance to stay at three different hostels in Budapest. It was easy to move around, as all of them were a 5 minute walk from each other! They were located in District VII, also known as the Party District. This is the place where most famous nightclubs and hotels are. I didn’t even realize an area like this existed in Budapest. Literally all the notable hostels and bars were located within a 10 minute walk of each other!
When I was looking online, I couldn’t decide between The Hive Party Hostel, Wombat’s The City Hostel, and Hostel One Budapest, so I decided to try them all! Here is my honest review and ranking of all three 🙂
#1 Hostel One Budapest
As its name suggests, this is my number one! I loved this hostel. It had a cozy atmosphere and the staff were super friendly. They were fellow travellers and worked there as volunteers. They would even hang out and go on outings with us. The rooms were clean and warm. There were communal bathrooms that were also kept very clean. The hostel gave off a small and cozy feel, despite it having multiple dorms.
One thing that I really like and appreciate in a hostel is when the bed is made for you. For some, it’s easy to put on bed sheets, but just the thought of putting on a blanket cover gives me anxiety. So I was happy to see that the bed was made when I got to my room! The rooms also had purple curtains, which was a unique touch and added to the atmosphere.
The hostel had two common areas. The first common area was a cozy nook with couches and pillows, all in front of a big tv. People would gather there to watch movies or just relax on their phones. The second common area was bigger and had long tables, as well as a bar that opened at night! It also had shelves with many boardgames on it. There was also a small kitchen where the regulars would cook their meals. It was small, but gave you a great excuse to chat with people.
On top of all this, the hostel would plan regular group outings to trendy bars and clubs. So if you wanted to go out, you always had the opportunity. It’s one of those hostels where you never felt alone, thus, perfect for solo travellers!
Overall Rating: 5/5 (yes, I loved it that much)
- Cozy, friendly atmosphere
- Frequent group outings
- Clean rooms, bathrooms, and kitchen
- Wonderful, helpful staff
#2 The Hive Party Hostel
This is my second choice. It was the first hostel I went to, the theme of it seemed fun so I wanted to check it out! It is a big party hostel with a huge bar right in the centre of it. The bar often has live music and even a dance floor! There is also a rooftop bar, but because of COVID, it was closed when I was there.
The rooms were very nice and clean. Thankfully for me, the beds were also pre-made! The bed frames were even in the shape of hexagons, to go with the hive theme. Each dorm room had its own bathroom. There was also a pretty large communal kitchen where you could cook your meals.
Because this hostel was quite big, it didn’t give off the same cozy vibe as Hostel One did. Though, there were some organized events. There was a pub crawl that would meet in the bar area of the hostel everyday at 9pm. I went on two of these pub crawls and it was a nice way of meeting new people.
The hostel is laid out like an apartment building. To get from one dorm to another, you need to step outside into a big balcony area. This can be annoying, especially in the colder months, where stepping out to get to reception or the kitchen would require you to brave the cold. Also, since it’s a party hostel, you can easily hear the music from the bar area well into 3am. I guess that’s to be expected though.
Overall Rating: 3.75/5 (it was decent, fun theme)
- Lively bar right in the middle of the hostel!
- Cool theme
- Very clean
- Loud music in the middle of the night…because of the bar
- You have to step outside to move between dorms or go to the kitchen
#3 Wombat’s The City Hostel
Wombat’s has hostels in Vienna, London, Munich, and Budapest. Because of the amazing experience I had with Wombat’s in London, I decided to check out its sister location in Budapest! It’s safe to say that I did not have the same experience.
But first, let’s focus on the positives. It was the biggest hostel out of the three, so you could easily book a bed last minute. It also had a beautifully decorated common area (as seen in the picture above). Also, the walls of the dorm hallways were decorated with portraits of notable Hungarian people and had little paragraphs with facts about them, so that was pretty cool.
Now, the negatives…because there were quite a few! First of all, you had to make your own bed. When I entered the room and stumbled upon an unmade bed, my phobia of blanket covers kicked in. Also, when I peeked inside the bathroom, I was greeted with a dirty toilet bowl, no hand soap, and barely any toilet paper. Apparently this was because housekeeping didn’t work on Friday nights and Saturdays, and I arrived on a Saturday. So I got to experience the full brunt of it.
To take my mind off of the dirty bathroom, I decided to do some much needed laundry. So I went downstairs with my laundry-packed suitcase and got a laundry token and some detergent from reception. When I entered the laundry room, the lights wouldn’t turn on. Turns out the lights recently stopped working, but a repairman would be coming in first thing on Monday…Since I already committed to getting the detergent and carrying my laundry all the way to the laundry room, I decided to just do my laundry in the dark. Halfway through putting my laundry into the washing machine I realized that almost half of the washing machines were out of order, including the one I was putting my clothes in. I transferred my clothes and thankfully, that was it.
I’m sure this hostel has some redeeming qualities, but the one night I was there, everything seemed to be going wrong. It was like I entered a strange twilight zone where all appliances stopped working.
Overall Rating: 2.5/5 (it was a bit traumatizing…)
- Big hostel with lots of beds available
- Nicely decorated common area
- Dirty rooms and kitchen
- You have to make your own bed
- Very spacious and spread out, not good for solo travellers