Homestay Bristol hostel review (8/10) “Great value with good experience”
The atmosphere
The atmosphere was very communal, hospitable and welcoming from the word go. The staff on reception were friendly and helpful directing me to where I would be staying and pointing out the rooms. On entry I was the only person in my dorm so could get first pick of whichever bed I wanted. The view from the window was the very end of the street so was not totally overwhelmed with traffic noise either. Having not stayed in a hostel before, it had not occurred to me that there is always potential for people to take belongings. Therefore it would have been nice to have some secure locker storage perhaps, as are present in other places. The room did not have a TV but I saw this as a benefit in preventing residents disturbing others
whilst encouraging people to leave for the communal areas and socialise.
Chilling in your room
For me, one of the most important aspects of your stay is where you can sit and relax and spend most of your time. I found despite selecting the top bunk, that the railings were high enough to prop a pillow against and sit comfortably in the room. As with most multiple man dorms no seats were provided but due to my makeshift backrest which worked well, no seating was necessary. In the evenings my roommates were quiet and there was plenty of storage draws to share. The number of hangers was slightly too few for 4 people. I was expecting the bed to treat my back like the inside of a Ferraro rochet so was very pleasantly surprised when the bed was actually comfortable including the supplied pillows. The size of the room was nicely positive with a small table to place belongings by a mirror.
Community areas
The hostel had a lounge which backed onto the kitchen with comfortable sofas and TV aswell as this, board games are supplied. The kitchen was clean and spacious. It had a vast array of cupboards and cooking equipment including a hob. There was also a kettle and microwave. The kettle did not work but the microwave was at least fully operational.
One of the nicest things about hostels I find is the sharing element of how you all chip into a food cupboard. The “free food fridge” was a great idea and meant everyone was supplied with breakfast provisions topped up until 11am including eggs, microwave sausages, sauces and milk. It even had a stocked fruit bowl with plenty of apples. The fridge had yoghurts aswell 🙂
There were even pancakes and a free food cupboard containing cereals such as muesli.
I can honestly say that I ate too much and indulged throughly with plenty of variety in the food I consumed for breakfast (all of which was totally free). I would therefore be inclined to stay again just for this perk.
Washing and cleaning
As with most hostels I could not locate a washing machine nor tumble drier suggesting a long term stay may be more tricky. To make matters worse the bathroom was almost permanently flooded perhaps due to a leaky shower.
The shower worked fine for the first evening but the second it did not come through hot at all. I was not impressed and complained to reception as I firmly hold the belief in life that cold showers are “Inhumane torturous endeavours”.
After enduring my cold shower on the second morning I realised that actually I was quite tired and could not get work ready due to lack of cleanliness.
This suggests that cleanliness is an area for the business to work on in terms of client hygiene and facilities.
Price
Where can you go wrong at 18 pounds a night with adequately stocked food cupboards. Nowhere is the answer. The value for money this place provides from my experience was very good. It would certainly be tough to beat from other hostel establishments. For me the business was happy to offer a refund for a troubled nights sleep I had experienced due to a freak event. This helped make the stay highly cost effective and pleasant.
Customer service
As mentioned as a ” freak event”, a resident mistook a fire alarm activator for a light switch which created a deafening hum for 15 minutes at around 2 am. As a result of this I had a poor second nights sleep so complained about this and the cold shower online. The staff in the Homestay on reception did not offer any compensation or real apology at the time. This left me feeling disappointed but I was happy to pursue this matter online in my own time.
After contacting higher staff in the business this got quickly resolved with a full refund of my second nights stay. I was very happy with this outcome and it left me with a positive impression of the business and how it deals with issues effectively.
Overall
My stay had certain ups and downs with issues with security, poor nights sleeps and a cold shower yet an uplifting professional resolution to issues faced with generous hospitality and facilities for the price.
“Great value with a developing and highly promising service” .
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