Reviewer:
Al
( al.villavelez@utoronto.ca)
from Toronto, Canada
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saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
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(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
This is one of the best hostels I've stayed in. I stayed for 8 nights and even came back to stay for another three. Every staff member was willing to accommodate to our REASONABLE needs, suggested places to visit, assisted us in getting oriented in Napoli (eg. bank, supermarket, restaurants, shopping, etc.) and more importantly, they treated us as their friends, not just another tourists at their establishment. The hostel itself is very clean. There is a hired cleaning person who comes in everyday who in addition makes the beds, which I am quite impressed. For those, who are not capable of putting their own sheets on, perhaps you should stay at hotel. It is not typical in hostels especially in a dormitory style room to have the beds made already. There are three decent size private bathrooms. There are also DVDs to watch in the evenings for those who wish to relax after a busy day. The common room is available until 12 p.m., enough time to meet other travellers to go out with afterwards. There is a refrigerator available for your groceries and a washing machine to do laundry for a low cost fee. There is also a kitchen available after 6 p.m., although it is very small, everyone managed to cook their meals at the end of the night. The breakfast is better than what I've seen at other hostels. It includes unlimited cereal, melba toast with jam, milk, coffee and tea. For the spoiled brats who wish to have fancier breakfast, I suggest, again, don't stay at hostels. There are postings on the door for train and ferry schedules and various useful pamphletes are available as well. The hostel has a telephone available to make domestic and international phone calls. The hostel is very close to the port (5 minutes walk) and about 10 minutes from the train station (by bus). I suggest you take the bus from the train station especially if you have a heavy backpack. It is neither located in a "spooky building" nor a "spooky" location. It is located on the 7th floor of a respectable business building. No worries, there is an elevator. Napoli, itself, is a beautiful town which offers several places to visit. We used the town as a base to visit Pompei, Sorrento, Capri, Ischia, Mt. Vesuvio. Yes, there are pickpocketers and scam artists so it is wise not to take funds with you which you cannot afford to lose. Like everywhere else in the world, apply your common sense. If you don't have one, I suggest you should not travel or perhaps join a tour group. Overall, HOTS is a great place to stay in Naples. It is a non-commercialized hostel and best of all, a friendly and very relaxed atmosphere. If you like some tips about Napoli and the surrounding areas, don't hesitate to drop me a line.
15 of
15 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 3935)
Nothing Special, October 4, 2003
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Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(2)
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(2)
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(2)
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(2)
Not a bad place but I think to give it 5 stars is a bit ridiculous. Top floor of a fairly spooky building in a fairly spooky part of town. Staff were quite friendly which was nice but it was just all too cramped and stuffy for my liking. Naples was pretty cool in general, though, glad I came.
3 of
9 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 3936)
An okay hostel but nothing special!, September 30, 2003
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Anonymous
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(3)
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(3)
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(3)
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(3)
We have been in the hostel of the sun some days before. Don't exspect something special. Maybe for some years or month the hostel were created with love but now it's not very clean (especialy the shower). There are a lot of wholes in the walls and the color flake off. We put up a poster to make the room a bit nicer. The sheets you have to put by yourself, the staff is not very helpful (we asked for bus to Pompeii, but they didn't know) and not interested in you. Forget the free breakfast, it's only rusk and tea. Nevertheless you should visit Naples. It's a great city and you will feel like in a movie.
3 of
6 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 3937)
Nice atmosphere, cheap, handy to port, September 7, 2003
Reviewer:
Susan
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saw things this way
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(4)
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(4)
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(4)
I weighed up the pros and cons for ages when trying to decide whether to go to Napoli. In the end I'm glad I went - yes, Naples is a crowded, noisy city but has a certain charm to it.I was also trying to decide between this hostel and 6 small rooms. I went for Hostel of the Sun (HOTS) in the end because it was near the port where I was continuing my journey (to Capri).HOTS was quick to reply to my email, but said they could only hold the room until 12 midday and after that I would have to call to double check they still had a bed. Bit of a pain, but a quick 20 cent call from Napoli train station was easy. It is a bit of a trek to get there - about a 15-20 min walk - but it's down a straight road and the directions on the web site are excellent. You can also take the R2 bus.The hostel itself it on the 7th floor of an apartment building. Yes, there is a lift (*whew*) but it's quite little. If the main door is shut, you need to be buzzed in - there are instructions.I was greeted by really friendly staff, and there is a wealth of information at the reception desk about where else to go in the area. My room slept 4, no bunk beds. There were huge free lockers and a sink in the room. The bathrooms are separate and are amazingly huge - shower, sink, toilet and even a bidet! Plenty of hot water. The dining table/lounge area was a great place to hang out, I met so many people here. Because I wasn't keen to venture out in Naples by night (and most of the others seemed to have the same view) we ended up watching Pulp Fiction and having a chat. There's heaps of videos to choose from. It was nice to have a relaxing night in after travelling for a while.Breakfast was pretty standard: cornflakes, brioche-type toast with jam, tea/coffee, included in the price (18 euros).The internet access was a little strange - the only computer was the one at the reception desk so if you wanted to use it you had to go and sit behind reception which led to a bit of confusion when people came to check in. Luckily the staff were close at hand. Internet use costs 1.50 euro per 1/2 hour.As I said, the port is literally 2 mins walk away. Really handy if you're using Naples as your base to go and see Capri, etc.The staff are happy for you to leave your luggage at reception if you're checking out but leaving town late.I guess my only gripe, besides the weird internet access set up, was that because it was so hot we had the windows all open and got eaten alive by bugs - how about some screens or even a fan or two?I was sorry to leave HOTS, mostly because of the nice friendly environment, but I wanted to go and stay somewhere where I was happy to wander around in the evening. In Naples, as a single female, I didn't want to do this. This aside, I enjoyed my brief stay in Naples.
6 of
11 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 3938)
This is an awesome place, July 20, 2003
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Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
I loved this place: Huge doubles, clean bathrooms with soap and shower caps, secure (they buzz you in), access to the kitchen (dishes, stove, sink, fridge, etc), fans in rooms, huge common room with a TV and VCR (and big selection of English movies) for those like me who don't venture out at night in Napoli, great location next to the port (great for ferry trips to Sorrento and islands), breakfast and coffee in the common room, reasonable prices... I really have nothing bad to say about this place. Except that if you don't like the idea of so many people smoking in the TV room and in their bedrooms (and no fire escape to speak of), you might want to sleep elsewhere. Otherwise, stay here, you'll love it!
1 of
2 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 3939)
Great Staff, Great People, Great Location, July 18, 2003
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Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
Having found refuge from expensive accommodation in Sorrento, I had four fantastic nights at HOTS. The staff knew exactly where to send you for cheap food, other hostels in other cities, sites, museums, the internet access, kitchen and cold showers were so useful and had a fantastic party on the lest night. Superb!
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(Review ID: 3940)
This place is amazing and luca is a ledgend!, July 17, 2003
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Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
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(5)
firstly this place is everything that you could wish for, it is clean, friendly, helpfull, and cheap!!! The people here are cool and luca is awsome! very helpfull and a great laugh! the hostle is on the best side of the town by the port. you have to come here. enjoy your stay i have for the last 8 days, give this city a chance its not as bad as people make out, even if the city is not to your taste the hostle is unmissable.
2 of
11 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 3941)
SUPER HOSTEL, July 3, 2003
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Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
Well i dont have much to say just that this is a SUPER hostel me and my friend stayed here for 5 days and it was perfect, nice friendly people and we had a really good time so i just want to say thanks to the Hostel of the Sun and to other people: Go here if you go to Napoli!!!!!!!!!!!! ciao Ruben
2 of
3 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 3942)
If Naples isn't in your itinerary, add it & stay here!, June 24, 2003
Reviewer:
Vanessa
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saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
I was there for a week during the summer of 2003 and had the most marvelous time staying at this friendly staffed and clean hostel. I ended up staying longer than the original 3 day stop and had a clean dorm room, bathroom, rec room, use of internet, nice breakfast, lockers, and use of the kitchen. Lucca, Stefano, Atanasio, and Chris were the absolute best; they were full of recommendations, friendly talks, and endless good deeds. Be sure to visit Capri, Ischia, Procida, Mt. Vesuvio, Erculaneo, Pompeii, Sorrento, and the Costiera Amalfitana. Truly a good value for your money and close to the port. Naples really isn't as scary and dangerous as it is made out to be; it's what you make out of it and what choices you make.
4 of
5 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 3943)
Great Hostel Great City, April 25, 2003
Reviewer:
esther
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saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
This Hostel i can recommend to everybody going to Napels,Amalfi,Pompei. It has got the perfect location to visit Napels and it`s surroundings it is in a safe area and what made me really happy is that it is very clean with a kitchen and free breakfast. The staff is very helpfull and friendly.We were supposed to stay two nights but in the end we stayed six i think that says enough about the Hostel. Napels is a great city for sure we will be back and we did`t find it dangerous at all but as a tourist i think you should watch out everywhere you go i love this crazy city and the food ofcorse the best!!!
