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I saw in a recent topic about how to survive in a Hostel, and thought this should be done to inform other travellers..

If there is a Hostel / Hotel etc.. that you have stayed at and either left early or had a bad experience at please let us know or even any place you had travelled to and had a bad experience as well.

[sianeth]

The Three Ducks in Paris. One word... DIVE

Although I think it might actually have been closed down now.

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Thankyou Sianeth for getting the ball rolling....

[polydemic]

Europa in San Francisco is also a dive. But I knew that when I first checked in. All I need is a clean dry place to sleep, take a shower, & lock up my things. It was all right the first time. But by the second time, the people who work there seem to think that since they charge so little, they don't have to do much work. So when someone vomitted all over all the toilets in the men's room, no one bothered to clean it up for two day. probably more. I didn't stay after the second day. On the next visit, I stayed at the Golden Eagle. That's also a dive but at least the bathrooms are kept clean.

[papayaprincess]

Hey,

I've stayed A LOT of hostels and for the most part, I've usually had great experiences! (sometimes, it's the little things that make for a great stay...fully stocked kitchen: yippee!!)

One of my worst hostel experiences was in Belgrade (granted I got sick and it didn't stop raining, so it exacerbated my dislike of our lodgings). We stayed at a hostel near the bus station (which made it a bit sketchy) and it was only three rooms (one of which was the 'reception' where the lady smoked like a chimney, making the whole place reek of smoke 24/7)...It was called the Downtown Belgrade Hostel...I really didn't enjoy my stay, but it could have been my frame of mind as much as anything...

I've also had really bad luck with the Hostelling International hostel in Fez (when I was living in the city and waiting for an apartment)...there booking policies were ridiculous (hopefully they've changed!). I wasn't allowed to book a room, as they were waiting to see if any groups would check in. So each day I would have had to take all my things with me and come back after 7 pm when they reopened to see if they would have rooms that night or not. They also had three lock-outs every day!

The worst place that I ever stayed (and I went to it expecting it to not be good) was a 'hotel' in Bizerte (Tunisia). It was very cheap $10/person/night, so I was not expecting anything even remotely wonderful. However, my roommate sat on her bed and it broke (she is hardly heavy), the only bathroom was infested by cockroaches (so big that I could see them without my glasses on ...and I am quite blind) and (there were five us, so we had a room for 2 and for 3) two of my friends had a window in their room that looked out into the hall (where all of the sinks were), but it could be opened and closed from the hall, and several men peeked into their rooms...needless to say they didn't sleep much that night! I can't remember the name though!

(Sorry for the run-on sentences...it's a bad habit of mine!)

Cheers