Hostel Horror Story
Our plane arrives late, around 10:30 p.m. to be exact. It’s about an hour’s commute from Heathrow London to our Hostel. After a train ride and an Uber, I stand outside the door. Check-in ends at 1:00 a.m., so I made it just in time at 12:30. We rang the doorbell. No answer. Ring again, waiting for a response. Finally, someone is walking out, and I walk in. The reception door is closed. We ring the doorbell. No answer. Ring again. No answer. After the third try, I wondered if I had misunderstood something upon booking. This cheap hostel experience is slowly turning into a nightmare.
We are on time, right? I reread the sign before a staff member opened the door and said, “Checking in”.?
He gives us a quick tour before showing us to our room. Before we can even turn the doorknob, I smell it.
The smell
It’s a combination of body odor and a sweaty gym locker. The room is warm. The windows are open, allowing cars, people yelling, and sirens to blare through the room. It’s entirely pitch black. We were looking to unwind for a moment, but we started digging through our suitcases to find the things needed for bed. I put all my valuables on my bed and just slept in the clothes I wore on the airplane. I felt gross, but I was too tired to care. This was my fault for talking my friend into doing a hostel experience with me. She won’t do it again, I think to myself.
Once on my bed, I try to sleep. The smell and the noise were enough to keep me awake longer than I wanted to be. At some point, I had to pee, but I couldn’t remember the code to the room to get back in once I left. The bathroom is down the hall. I will have to hold it for the night. I doze in and out of sleep for the next few hours, with the blaring sirens waking me occasionally.
In the morning, my strained neck hurts from the less-than-supportive pillow. I rent a locker to hide my belongings before heading out, but the rest of my suitcase is out in the open. No one will steal anything, but I worry that some things will be missing when I return. I hate leaving my things behind and out in the open. I turned to my friend, she didn’t get any sleep either.
Breakfast isn’t a hotel continental breakfast spread, but we managed to find some bagels and slather some peanut butter. Most hostels I have stayed at offer minimal breakfast options, this hostel experience is no different. The breakfast wasn’t anything to complain about because we knew it wouldn’t be much, but I was hopeful. We will need to find coffee along the way.
After returning from a long day in London, I again want to unwind after a busy day of traveling, but when we return at 9 p.m., the lights are off in the room. While the room reaks a little less, the smell remains.
Immediately when I walked in, a guy started being creepy. As I am putting something back into my suitcase. I see him out of the corner of my eye, staring at me.
How do we get away from him?
He smiles big, and says hello in a slow and drawn out manner. Ladies, you know the situation. That feeling in the pit of your stomach that you need to get away from a guy. That’s how I felt about him, so I quickly headed to the kitchen, where I met two lovely girls from Australia, Maya and Sienna. We talk for a while before the creepy guy comes in and speaks to all of the girls in the same way. We ignore him, and eventually, he goes away.
I head down to the kitchen to write and charge my camera charger. Although I was hoping for peace, one of the other guests started playing action movies with Ryan Reholds loudly. Another guest walks in and starts playing music loudly. No one seemed to understand that they weren’t alone in the room.
I tried to get some sleep; the noise wasn’t so bad until someone else in the 12-bedroom dorm opened the window again, and once more, the sirens were screaming in my ears as I tried to sleep. They said New York City was the city that never sleeps, but London seems to be wide awake. Getting any sleep here will be a challenge.
After experiencing some of the worst night’s sleep, being creeped out by a guy I have to share a bunk with, worrying about my luggage, and smelling the worst BO I have ever smelled, I might take a break from hostels for a while. I miss the comfort and luxury of hotels. Traveling is jarring enough; I want to avoid adding more complications to another trip by sleeping in a crowded room with ten other people. Next time I sleep in a white comfy hotel bed, I will float on cloud nine.
On our last checkout day, someone enters the room and turns on the light at 4 a.m. We had to be up soon anyway for a train to Paris, but I was shocked that someone would turn on the light in a room full of snoozing people. Excited to escape the smell and never see this place again, we pack up and head to our next destination.
My hostel experiences may be behind me, but maybe not.
Not all hostels are made the same. The cost is the biggest perk of choosing a hostel experience over a hotel. I was able to save a lot of money. Read How I Spent Under $150 for a 5-Night Stay in London for a total cost breakdown. My other hostel experience here was drastically different than other stays. This one was a nightmare for the books.
