Nathan B.
Yelp
These days I'm more of a hotel guy, so a positive rating of a hostel from me may still need a 1-star inflation from the reader.
Hostel Downtown is well run. Probably the most unique part of the place is a full calendar of weekly activities costing between free and just 2-3 euro. Free walking tours, beer tours, pub crawls, free communal dinners, etc. - they really have thought of a lot, and the staff who guide it are really quite good.
The accommodation is basic, as you'd expect and as is the point of hostel life (other than the community element, of course. It's a big place and feels more like a hotel (6 floors, quite broad as well). That said, each morning we awoke to hallway noise because the walls aren't so thick. Invariably when we checked, it was the cleaning staff chatting away on cell phones right in the main hallway - not other guests. This was the most annoying part of our stay and the reason for 4 stars instead of 5.
Communal areas are well apportioned and probably the best effort at forcing people to chat with each other during their stay. Food storage is easy to manage and there's plenty of it. Left luggage is easy as well, and right in front of reception for easy monitoring. Coffee is cheap, and breakfast it's included for just 4 euros for everything, all you can eat.
It's very central, and as a result not the cheapest hostel you'll find - a twin room for 2, en suite, ran us 75 euro per night. But again, if you're hotel people looking for a good hostel experience, this would certainly be it.