Riga · Latvia
Tree House Hostel
Bed bug reports
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Confirmed Google Maps
Potentially bed bugs (or got bitten within one hour on a couch at Central Hostel)! When I told staffz they dealt with it weirdly, telling me it was my problem, not saying "Thanks for telling us, will investigate". Doesn't increase my confidence. Bad at dealing with lost property. Claimed they hadn't found anything. Only when I insisted to be shown the room to check for myself did I find it leaving on the shelf. Not great. No response to email sent on the day before. Common area is nice (although closes at 11pm) but the mattrace is absolutely terrible, like sleeping on a metal wire mesh. Total misfit for the otherwise nice hostel.
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Confirmed Booking.com
When I first arrived, I noticed there were anti-bedbug stickers under the beds. Went to the reception to ask what that was about. The staff assured me that it is only a precaution, and that they fumigate the rooms once per month. If felt more calm and left my bag there. Lo and behold, once I came back, I found a big bedbug right above the bed on the wall. It was 10pm by then. Went downstairs to tell the staff who did not look the least bit surprised and took around 45 minutes to find a solution. It was almost 11pm at that point. I had booked a girls only dorm and they offered to put me in a mixed dorm which obviously was not ideal. Also, as I had been so blatantly lied to concerning my dorm, I was not sure I wanted to test out the other rooms. (I later check the comments and found that a girl that stayed there like two weeks before me had also been bitten by bedbugs, so it would seem that the hostel knew what was going on…) I had to find another hotel the same night at 11pm (obviously everything was sold out and I had to spend quite a bit more) and also had to pay to wash and dry all my clothes at 60 degrees to avoid bringing bed bugs back home. Hostel ended up reimbursing me for my stay, but still I spent a lot of extra money because of their neglect. I also had forgotten a bandana on my bed as I had left in a hurry and told the staff the next day. Apparently that bandana was ‘not found by the staff’ - the only person that was staying in the room left with me because of the bedbugs and the staff said they were going to lock the door - not sure if the bedbugs stole the bandana or if it suddenly turned invisible, but I have to admit that annoyed me even more. They said a cleaning company had come and taken out everything in the room - when I asked if they could call the cleaning company the answer was always the same - it was not found.
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Confirmed Hostelworld
Great place, good rooms, well equipped kitchen, nice people. Too bad about the bedbugs (I had 2 bites)
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Confirmed Booking.com
The cleanliness leaves much to be desired, especially in the bathrooms — the areas under the showers and the vents are very dirty and black. There were bedbugs in my bed/area, and I got bitten so badly that I had an allergic reaction and skin irritation.
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Confirmed Booking.com
I think my bed or my area may have had bed bugs. I was waking up with new bites every morning.
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Confirmed Booking.com
I had two bed bug bites. (And no, they did not bite me in the plane.) I hope they take care of this soon!
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Confirmed Booking.com
This hostel won my "least favorite in Europe award." Maybe a bit hyperbolic, I'm sure there are worse, but this was in the running. I don't expect places to be perfect and am totally willing to overlook a lot, particularly when the bases are covered. This place was just miss after miss. Very stuffy and still throughout the property. Hot is an understatement. And zero ventilation. This makes sleeping above the late night club more difficult and uncomfortable than it would already otherwise be. Non foam mattresses that are basically springs with fabric over them. Sockets ripped out of the wall and lamps hung with tape. Your bunkmates things are knocked over while you fumble with your power outlet. The sleeping quarters were cramped and as bare minimum as one could get away with, a consistent theme with the property. The bathroom had a sopping wet rug in it the afternoon that I arrived and the same sopping wet rug was in the exact same place two days later when I checked out. The water pressure in the shower is pitiful and, for some odd reason, the water does get hot, but fleetingly and it seems to take almost ten minutes.There's also no hooks anywhere near the shower, so you have to leave the shower wet and walk across the floor (and the aforementioned rug) to grab anything that wasn't in the shower with you. Everything has a damp smell to it. I was there for two days and the hallway had maybe 12 large bags of dirty linens just sitting there, in the hot hallway. This is a tragedy of a hostel. I moved after the second night, just a few streets over. I'm paying the same and the difference is night and day. I thought for a moment I was being to harsh and then I was quickly reminded that, no, in fact, this hostel really is just that mismanaged and neglected. A total lack of interest or care. It's loud, hot, messy, moldy, dirty... What more could you ask for? (The gentleman with the glasses was nice.
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Confirmed Booking.com
I was bitten by bedbugs.
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Possible Booking.com
In diesem Hostel gibt viele Bettwanzen. Man kann nicht schlafen. Damit steht die Gefahr ⚠️ auch, dass man aus Versehen eine im Koffer mitbringen könne !!!!!
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Confirmed Booking.com
BEDBUGS!!!
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Confirmed Booking.com
Dirty and gloomy entrance ( we saw a large rat by the front door and a homeless person coming out of the basement); family room smelled musty and we saw bugs in the bed and two of us were bitten by the bed bugs. Nasty experience
HostelPunk native reviews
First-party field notes
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Vibe Analysis
The nightclub and bars downstairs are a defining part of Tree House Hostel. This is a very central Old Town base for people who want Riga outside the door, but the same location can bring loud music until early morning, street noise, and a real sleep tax. Inside, the hostel is basic and uneven. There is a shared kitchen with free coffee or tea, a small common area, and at least one lounge with books or puzzles. The staff can be friendly and helpful, and the location works well for walking to main sights, shops, the river, buses, and late-night food. Comfort is the gamble. Beds and pillows can be rough, rooms may be hot, stuffy, cold, cramped, or poorly ventilated, and bathrooms range from okay to run-down. This is more of a cheap central crash pad than a polished social hostel. Choose it for location and price, not deep sleep, spotless facilities, or smooth logistics.
Signals to check
- Noise from bars, clubs, the street, doors, the elevator, alarms, and other people can make sleep difficult.
- Late arrival and self check-in can be unreliable, and communication may be slow or unavailable at night.
- Bathrooms and showers may have poor cleanliness, low pressure, cold or inconsistent hot water, damp smells, too few hooks, or too few toilets for the floor.
- The building can be hard to find, with an unlit or tucked-away entrance and an old elevator.
- Security and room management have been inconsistent, including door, key, dorm assignment, and access problems.
- Bedbug problems have happened more than once, so check the bed area before unpacking.
- Some beds lack curtains, personal lights, nearby sockets, or usable lockers, and towels or toiletries may not be included.
- The no-shoes rule may feel awkward if floors or carpets are not clean.