Dale E.
Yelp
Sitting here begrudgingly wondering if I should drop this down to a 2-star... Here's the deal: I think that Samesun hostel is entirely hit or miss. I, unfortunately did it wrong and the whole thing was a miss. That said, it has some redeeming features and if you came here for the right reasons it might really hit the mark. Like everyone's favourite dive bar, it can be exactly what you need, or the severely wrong choice.
GO HERE IF: You're travelling alone and need a cheap(ish) place ($49) to stay where you'll be able to make new friends and meet new people. The place is decently clean, and in AOK working condition. Bright murals and funky colours are everywhere. It seems like a fun and cool place to hang out. The attached "Beaver Bar" has excellent happy hour, $8 dinner specials and everything from a karaoke night to live music and a carnival style shot wheel. It looks like a great place to party with fellow travellers.
They've got a chalk board with a host of fun activities everyday - hiking groups and the what not. If you're travelling alone, there would be some excellent opportunities to make new friends and try new activities.
DO NOT GO HERE IF: You're just looking for an inexpensive spot to crash for a small group. We thought we had booked a 6 bed dorm room to ourselves and in September, a shoulder season, $250 for a hostel room for 5 people seems more than fair. Actually it seems downright ridiculously expensive. But to our surprise, we walked into the room to find a lady blowdrying her hair, who after the first awkward "Oh! Are we in the wrong place? Are you in the wrong place?" conversation never so much as made eye contact with any of us. I asked the girl at the front desk what was up to which she responded, "Oh, that one's actually a 6-person dorm, so..." Well, I guess that's that.
Also learned that it's $8 to use one of their padlocks for the evening, that is if you want to lap top up while you leave your random surprise roomie alone in your room. Forget it. You can buy them from the local hardware for $6.
For $250 bucks we could have easily got ourselves a bangin hotel room with 2 queen beds, (yeah, like REAL beds) and a pull-out couch... and probably a hot tub... and a mini bar...
$50 bucks a person to sleep on a crappy foam tiny bunk bed with a random stranger in the room? Yup. I'll definitely pass up this opportunity next time.
...I do really want to try my luck at that shot wheel though.