My Friends

I had a bad first night in the mixed dorm, and the staff was kind enough to switch me into the female dorm for the second half of my stay after they had a last minute cancellation, without charging extra. I really appreciated their help and kindness. My experience between the two buildings was night and day - the female dorm was so much more peaceful, well-stocked, clean, and (most importantly) SPACIOUS; from the bedrooms to the kitchen to the hallways to the courtyard. It felt like arriving in a utopia after my uncomfortable experience in the mixed dorm. More food in the pantries and fridges, more modern interior, more dishes to cook with, comfy single beds that were far apart from each other, better and bigger showers and bathrooms that were almost always free, quieter residents, GIANT CLOSETS, etc. So, while this hostel's mixed dorm was one of my worst hostel experiences so far, the female dorm (which is in a fully separate building next door) was one of my best. I would rec staying here if you can be in the female dorm; the slightly higher prices are worth it. To be fair, both buildings offer free eggs/bread/pasta/etc which is amazing, are in a great location on a cute pedestrian street full of restaurants near the city center, and are a short walk from the train station. No stairs involved in either, so easy to wheel suitcases to. This was also the only hostel I could find last minute in Florence that had no reports of bedbug /cleanliness issues. The staff is very diligent! The mixed dorm is very uncomfortable. So much so I booked an Airbnb for my second night, to hold me over until I could move into the female dorm. They keep the spaces as clean as they can, but it's all so cramped and old that you feel grimy and damp all the time anyway. There's a subtle, constant sewage smell throughout the space and the building's 3 small bathrooms are always occupied since they're combined shower/toilets. The mixed dorm's kitchen is unusable given how cramped and old it is; I tried just using the mini fridge, but it went out overnight so I found all the food I bought rotted the next day. The rooms are TINY, so even my 4-bed dorm felt crowded and claustrophobic. They have the smallest and most rickety bunk beds I've encountered in my 4 months of hostel stays; the poor guy in the bunk below me was so tall that when he stood, he towered over me even being in the top bunk. The lockers can't fit anything more than a small purse or backpack (vs the locker size in the female room could hold my suitcase, big backpack, and purses all at once), and they're so flimsy that it wouldn't make much of a difference anyway (you also need your own lock). The walls are very thin, so you're not only hearing the snorers in your room, but every noise from the lobby and the surrounding rooms. I wore earplugs and still couldn't get any sleep. Also, none of the dorm doors locked, which made me feel unsafe as a solo female traveler. My first night there I got back late around midnight, and there was a seemingly random man sleeping on the couch of the lobby, which was directly connected with our room. I think he was a past guest whose late-night flight got canceled and had no other option, which I sympathize with, but not knowing that at the time, it made me even more uncomfy that the dorm rooms do not have any locks (and annoyed because his snores were blasting through the walls all night).

The including of breakfast was definitely a bonus, locations good to walk into central Firenze. The management sprayed 'mosquito' spray all over our room/ bedding/ belongings when we were still in there getting ready one morning. The smell was absolutely vile and made us all cough a lot. we thought it weird for her to spray this all over the walls, a girl I met in the room mentioned she found a bed bug which makes more sense as to why they were spraying. Be cautious of this hostel as they may have bed bugs, and for the high price of the hostel I'm unsure it's worth the risk.