Alexandra N.
Yelp
I have stayed in many hostels around the world, so I know what to expect from a hostel experience. I didn't expect privacy or silence. This hostel still fell short of my expectations, especially for the high price.
There were a few good things about this hostel. It was in a good location and it was easy to walk to downtown. The facilities were clean enough and the temperature in the rooms was comfortable. It was nice to get a free beer upon our arrival, and the food trucks were conveniently located outside.
However, the bad outweighed the good at this hostel. Here are some of the issues my friend and I had:
1) There are not enough bathrooms for the number of guests. There was almost always a line for the bathroom. I haven't encountered so few bathrooms at any hostel before.
2) It was loud at all hours of the night, despite "quiet hours" supposedly starting at 11pm. Obviously I expected to hear people coming home from bars or going in and out of their rooms-- but the staff blasting Taylor Swift downstairs or people starting a sing-a-long at 1am? It seemed like the staff was encouraging and participating in this rather than telling people to quiet down.
3) There were constantly people everywhere who were not guests of the hostel. This feels unsafe and awkward, and puts further strain on the limited facilities (e.g. bathrooms and kitchen).
4) Staff was rude and unfriendly towards everyone except their friends, who seemed to always be hanging around. I can appreciate a laid-back atmosphere, but this crossed the line into unprofessionalism.
5) The beds were uncomfortable and squeaky, and the rooms were small. I stayed in a 4 person dorm and I could not grab something under the bed without bumping into the sleeping person in the next bed. This hostel crammed 4 beds into a room that clearly wasn't big enough for them.
6) This hostel was incredibly expensive for what we got. At comparably priced hostels (in equally expensive cities), there has been breakfast/coffee offered (yes, here you can make it yourself but that isn't really helpful when the kitchen is constantly mobbed), more comfortable beds, relative quiet, and more spacious rooms.
If you are friends with the staff at this hostel or staying in town long enough to become friends, I can see how this would be a fun place to stay. However, if you are just looking for a place to stay while visiting Bend, I would not recommend it.