Hello I'm Local - Boutique Hostel

Staff were fantastic - welcoming, helpful and informative. The bedroom was very comfortable and clean. Really loved having a cafe, as well as self catering, on site. We also enjoyed the comedy night hosted by the hostel. Location quiet but very central.

Nothing

The property was lovely and had so much character. I really appreciated the modern amenities like the comfortable beds, nicely incorporated into the space without ruining the feeling of history and character. The main entrance/dining area is eclectic and welcoming, and the location was perfect for the race weekend! It was a quick walk to the train and bus station and I got to see a little of Haarlem on the way. I was also appreciative of the luggage storage and late check in, as I arrived late from a show in Amsterdam my first night and the staff was kind and helpful getting me set up. It also felt extremely safe to walk around the area which was very valuable to me as a single woman, as I returned late from Zandvoort every day of my stay. Food was great and they have an espresso bar, it felt like there was a good selection and was reasonably priced for the quality. Staff were all very nice and Twan was especially appreciated! The room I stayed in was an 8 bunk dorm and it was clean and comfortable, the bunk was a good size and had a light and charging station. We also had bathroom with toilet and sink, and a shower room, which were only accessible to our room. When you enter the dorm, you go through a little hall with the doors to the bathroom and shower room and a large mirror, then another door to the dorm room itself, which helped cut down on noise and light pollution. There was shampoo, conditioner, soap, and a hair dryer in the shower room. The calendar of events run by the hostel is incredible, if I was staying around longer I would’ve loved to participate and meet some new friends. Overall the hostel was great and if I ever get the chance to return to the Netherlands, I would absolutely stay again!

The only, very small, issue I had was that someone soaked the hand towels in 2/3 bathrooms near me and they didn’t get changed for 2 days. So so minor though.

Charming

The location and the venue itself were perfect! All the staff was lovely and always available to help.

The weather was hot and the building doesn’t have air conditioning. I understand that it’s not a place where you’d expect 30 degrees every day, but a few fan should have been supplied, especially for a room where there was only one window that could open only partially. We had a few issues with the “neighbours”: the place in front of our window is a small cafe open till early morning and in two occasions there were people talking very loudly outside until 3/3.30am. Because of the vicinity, sleeping was impossible.