Annie J.
Yelp
When it comes to writing reviews, I really don't like writing negative ones. That goes double for places where those working there are really nice and helpful. But sometimes it's important to let others know what they are potentially getting into.
Centrally located in the reconstructed Medieval walled Cité de Carcassonne only a few steps from Château Comtal, you'd think it doesn't get any better than this.
But don't be hasty in hitting that booking confirmation button. Auberge de Jeunesse Carcassonne is only 25€ a night for a dorm room for a reason.
The location alone should warrant it at least 35€:40€ a night. On this same trip, I stayed at another L'auberge de jeunesse (hostel), this one in Brussels, and the price per night was almost 31€ and you had to walk a distance, not a terrible distance, to pretty much everything. Several other hostels I stayed at were comparable in price to the one in Brussels, and all were worth staying. Now I understand that the founder of these particular"youth" hostels wanted to keep the price down to make them accessible to everyone. Thats the definition of a hostel. And it's great.
The problem with this particular place is that the areas where you need it to be clean are the toilets, the showers, sinks, dish ware, and, of course beds. While the beds appeared clean, everything else wasn't. All the toilets were filthy and smelled like urine. At other hostels I've stayed, there was a schedule to clean the toilets, shower/sink areas several times a day. This clearly wasn't happening here. In the dorm room I stayed in, the woman who had cleaned it the first morning had forgotten to clean the sink area. It had been filthy when I arrived and only got worse. I ended up cleaning it myself. Now they can't use the excuse that the hostel was completely full because there were only three of us in a six-bed dorm. Every other hostel was full to capacity or close to it. Two of the hostels, both in Lyon, were more busy than usual because i stayed in both of them during the final two matches in the Women's World Cup. Being curious about both places I split up my stay between the two. And they both rose to the occasion doing well to keep everything clean.
Thankfully, Auberge de Jeunesse has a kitchen which guests could use. During this stay I didn't get a chance to make a meal so didn't look at the kitchen too closely. Of course, they offer breakfast. Theirs is decent. Plus, it's really nice they offer hot milk, too. But, man oh man, all of their dish ware, glassware, and utensils were dirty. You could see lip imprints from the previous person, some residual food on the utensils, dish ware. I really wanted to clean everything I had before using it but didn't have access to the sink so wiped down everything as thoroughly as possible.
I mean, come on, people, this is basic hygiene and food safety. If you wouldn't want to drink from a glass or eat from a fork because it's dirty, then clean it better.
Another thing that comes across as odd here is that the bed sheets provided for you are a sturdy weaved paper-like synthetic. They are a one-person use and are meant to be disposed of after that person leaves. Seems like they disintegrate quickly. They don't take up much space. They aren't a comfortable material to sleep on/under, especially in the hot summer months. My first thought after my initial horror was that they save on washing machine costs as well as save a ton of water, making them environmentally friendly. Later on during my stay, this was confirmed. It turns out they do have cotton sheets they can give you instead, but after hearing it's an environmental thing, who would dare to request cotton sheets. Someday soon we might not have the choice. Side story: One roommate didn't unpack her sheets until almost midnight when she got back from spending the entire day exploring the city. She was supposed to stay several nights but the next morning she checked out.
They do provide free WiFi (and have a TV), but the WiFi is only available in the common room. That's cool. They want you to unplug once you're upstairs in your room. More altruism. But it is forced on you. Is that a good thing? Maybe. I don't know. It is only 25€ so I guess it's their way or the highway.
Now on the positive side. All of the staff were very kind, helpful and amiable. The hostel is completely smoke free. They have a peaceful courtyard to relax in or spend a quiet evening with friends.
Normally, all of this would more than make up for other deficiencies but cleanliness is imperative. I don't care how little money you spend or how close you are to the number one historical monument in a city, I had to take off at least two stars for just a decent experience otherwise.
