Christine L.
Yelp
Things to know upfront: this is one of the hostels that has you make your own bed when you arrive and provide what seems like basic soap (compared to some other hostels that will also provide shampoo and/or conditioner). Though, to be fair, I may be wrong. Our soap dispenser didn't actually have any soap. There is free wifi, towels are 4€, and remember you'll need to strip your bunk before you check out. Lockers are available near the staircases on the first floor and will cost you just a tiny bit. If you have bigger luggage, I would recommend taking out what you need and store the suitcase(s) there. You'll get a narrow, upright closet space corresponding with your bed number, and I found you can use the top of the closet as a bedside table if it's not being used to store something.
For those (like my parents), who didn't realize there is a difference between hotels and hostels, hostels are dorms where travelers and backpackers can essentially rent a bed with shared space and amenities. Perfect for those on the budget and are willing to share space, though sometimes there are private rooms. They're fairly safe and are good for long and short-term stays, though I would recommend watching out for your stuff. Stayokay, in particular, recommends having padlocks for your suitcases and has a procedure for if your stuff gets stolen. Another thing about hostels is that you'll mostly find people in their 20s and 30s living, so the design they're trying for is fairly modern, but ultimately they're good for people of all ages and for families as well as students. Good deals are for everyone, especially when you're traveling to expensive cities. But my parents were definitely uncomfortable with that and continued to iffy about hostels, so just a heads up.
So Stayokay is a chain of hostels with locations across the Netherlands. This particular location is located along the edge of Vondelpark, in a really convenient location, and is remodeled from what was formerly a schoolhouse. Which is hilarious, because our room with its linoleum floors, wooden bunks, and numbered with Amsterdam-themed cartoon deco closets REALLY remind me of my old college dorm rooms. I understand that this location has been remodeled and our group's trip organizer was drawn to those pictures they had posted of the renovated rooms, but the one we were placed in was startlingly different from the pictures and even the main facilities and lobby. It was a lot older, definitely not of the modern aesthetic they were pushing so much, and very small. At last, I found a dorm room smaller than my dorm room back when I was still in college. And back then, I only had to share the room with one other person. Hence, why I would recommend storing the majority of your luggage in lockers to save room if you or your group has a lot of luggage. I'm just lucky that I was rooming with family this time, so we're used to sharing close spaces and having our stuff mix. In hindsight, I kind of wish I took a picture of it to show the difference of our room to the lobby and pictures of other rooms.
The main draw of this hostel is it's located. By itself, it's on the border of Vondelpark, a large public park that's been around since the 19th century). But, for us, it's how it's a short walking distance from the museums (specifically the Van Gogh Museum, the Rijksmuseum, and Moco Museum) as well as being down the street from the edge of Amsterdam Centrum (WHERE EVERYTHING ELSE IS) that had us deciding on this.
Excellent for backpackers, though I'm not a fan of the extra charges. To be fair, I have actually lived in hostels before, knew what a hostel was, and am okay and ready to stay at hostels (via. packed a lot lighter than the rest of my family even with the addition of my own towel). So I felt some of the "shortcomings" a lot less personally than my parents did. My mom was very annoyed that we paid as much as did and had to make our own beds, especially after I explained to her that that's how some hostels simply are. Dad was unhappy about how much an additional towel would cost us as well. Overall, I thought it was an okay hostel in that it was clean, had wifi, had working plumbing and lights, everyone was designated a space, and it was close to where we wanted to be. However, this is the third hostel we stayed at during this trip and was the most lacking of the bunch while still being more expensive. So compared to places like Belgium's Hôtel MEININGER, this isn't a hostel I would prefer. However, it's still better than some of the cheaper hotels! It's all about what you prefer.
