Simplon Hostel Groningen

I stayed there from 2 February until 8 February with some of my friends. We rendered the apartment and I can say it was quite lovely. What I wanted to really point out is the staff, they were all so lovely and so ready to help whenever. ( especially one of the guys Eus they called him if I am not mistaken, I have asked him for some stuff for more than 5-6 time in a minute and he offered to help for every single one of them with a big smile in his face) I would gladly come back every single time I end up in Groningen.

It's not a bad place to stay; but it's not great either. They speak good English at the reception, there is a nice courtyard area just outside. A little bit run down on the interior; limited common space, very limited facilities for the shower and toilets. Not super far from the centrum; but still a good walk. In a commercial neighborhood; lots of nice places to eat. The breakfast buffet is pretty good for 9 euros! Overall, a good place to stay if you're a student, but otherwise prepare for a worse-than-average-experience.

Very basic structure located at walking distance from Groningen Noord station. Rooms are very basic, maybe a little noisy considering the wooden structure of the bunk beds, but are okay if you plan to spend a single night there. On a very positive note, the adjacent restaurant serves very well prepared meals with a 20% discount for the hotel's guests.

Excellent, friendly staff. Bed was okay but would be better with a curtain for privacy. Good shower and toilet facilities. Excellent outdoor, kitchen, and lobby spaces 10/10. Safe space with friendly people.everyone respected the 11pm-7am quiet rule.

We stayed at Simplon with a big group of 20 people, and it worked out great! The service was very friendly and likeable. Of course it is a Hostel and therefore nothing fancy, but it was perfect for our weekend trip. Also the small lounge and breakfast area are super cozy. Moreover, they were so nice to provide a fully vegan breakfast for the group upon our request! And they did great, the breakfast was nice. Very considerate and kind, we had a blast.

I spent 12 nights and it was generally okay. Not far from the city center. The important part was I really felt safe there and it’s a great place for those on a budget. Bus stop is close by for easy shuttle to the train station with luggage. Most nights were so cold for summer weather! The sink and showers had warm water but not the toilets upstairs. It was uncomfortable to have to go downstairs everyday to use the showers as the ones upstairs were damaged at the time I was there. It’s a bit noisy on the weekends Saturday and Sunday nights (when it’s full to capacity) but it is a hostel so it’s expected.

I booked a hostel because I wanted to enjoy a more vibrant travel life while traveling alone. But I was seriously disappointed. Here's why: -the rooms have more than 10 beds in it - I didn't not see this information stated anywhere on Booking.com and the picture for the dorm room looked super different than they were in reality -the atmosphere was not sociable at all (everyone kind of did their own thing and there was not a place to really get together and get to know each other) -the beds were like stones (they don't even have a real mattress, it's more like an inflatable mattress...) -I could only charge my phone nearby the bed when the lights were on and the staff reacted in a confused and not very helpful way when I complained about that -the walls are extremely thin and you can hear every move someone makes in the room and outside of it (meanwhile there were construction sounds early in the morning at the time I was there as well as party music blasting through the walls at night) -there's no curtains and no privacy in the room itself I really had one of the worst experience sleeping in this hostel because other guests didn't care about other people sleeping already when coming in. There should be more behavioral rules for everybody cause it seems to be more of a place to crash for people who like to go and party. At the same time, I didn't get why the employees themselves give someone the bed above me to check-in at 11pm (!!!) when other bunk beds were still completely empty. I wouldn't recommend this place and I'm definitely not coming there again.

Some facts: Security at the hostel is enforced by card. You are given a paper card when you check in and show this to the attendant when you enter the hostel. The rooms are not comparable to hostels at similar price points. The beds are cheap plastic and they do not come made with sheets. There is no place to lock up luggage in the room and the rooms do not have locks. Lockers are available in the hallway. Many of the lockers in the hallway seem to be broken - one locker was open and had a broken lock inside of it. My belongings were safe for the two nights I stayed here. The bathroom and shower that I used were growing a bit of mold. They should be probably cleaned more frequently. Staff were very helpful and provided soap and towels upon request. I was asked to move from the common space while working there later in the evening to make room for folding laundry. The outdoor space in front of the hostel is cozy. During my second night's stay, people were quite loud in that area late at night (2 AM), which made sleeping difficult. (The window had to be open to let air in - the day was quite hot).