Not that you have many options in Gent, but this hostel was wonderful. Modern, clean, really friendly staff, great location. It makes a nice getaway from Brussel or Brugge.
4 of
7 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 8271)
Great location, August 1, 2004
Reviewer:
maelinva
Pros:
n/a
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n/a
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saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
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(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
The hostel is quite ok, a bit lacked of "soul" but clean enough, dorms are ok, 6 ppl ones with complete bathroom inside so u avoid the sleeping in a beehive feeling, staff is friendly and helpfull, a really good breakfast is included, the lunch room like the other common places have a school look, something more "homely" would have been better. But the really strong point of this hostel is the location, just perfect to explore the town and have both the pubs and sights at minutes distance.
1 of
3 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 8272)
Veni, vidi, vici, December 17, 2003
Reviewer:
Tommaso
Pros:
n/a
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n/a
Imported Review
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
Nothing to say to the hostel.. it's probably the cleanest, newest and nice-to-stay hostel in my breef travelling career.It's just in the heart of the beautiful Gent, in front of a romantic channel which directly goes to the Gent Castel of the Duke of Flanders, close to all the main and spectacular buildings of the city - Sint Baafs, the Laeken, sint Niklaas, Sint Michael, the StadHuis - and close also to the several pubs that animate Gent all over the cold nights of december...The rooms are accurate, clean, with their own shower... unfortunately I found a room-mate a bit crazy which entered the room at three in the morning after a "Piccolo" and took a shower till 4 o'clock in the morning, singing "losing my religion" by REM and making such a noise which it had been impossible to sleep!!!The breakfast is good, and sufficient.. nothing wondering but enough to restore a man after a beer-trip along the channels of Gent.Just a few recommendations for a nice visit to the city... For the visit of the Castle of Gent, just say to the ticketman you're under 26 years old.. you will get a strong reduction of the entry price of the monument!!"Five stars" to the promenade along the main river of Gent, with the astonishing sight of all the 4 towers of the centre of the city.After the cultural part of your journey... don't miss the Charlatan Pub, live music and strong beers, but beware 'cause it's just in the middle of the gay quarter of Gent... keep away if you don't want surprises!Recommended Beers are of course the typical Delirium Tremens and the flavoured Morte Subite. Don't lose the Trappist pub just in the center of the red-light quarter of Gent... hundreds of beers, nice bartenders and an exiting and particular sight of Gent by night!Ohoho!!
6 of
6 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 8273)
Not far, abundant breakfast and great staff members, December 9, 2003
Reviewer:
ico Tonazzo
Pros:
n/a
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n/a
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saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
No problem to discover and find the site. There's always a truck in front of the tiny sign of the hostel, but I think it's a good thing. You know where it is by looking for this SCANIA truck. Inside you can find books, ping pong, internet. The room is spacious. I've eaten very well. Please try the PATE'. It's great on the bread!
5 of
6 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 8274)
clean, close to major attractions and great price, November 5, 2003
Reviewer:
Juliann
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n/a
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n/a
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Maintenance
(4)
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(4)
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(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
I found this spot on line and the web site is a great indication of the place. Tour guide on site. Felt safe there and meet some really nice people. Would stay there again.
2 of
9 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 8275)
Great spot, August 12, 2003
Reviewer:
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n/a
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Anonymous
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Maintenance
(4)
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(4)
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(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
Good hostel, in close to distance to the fantastic city of Ghent. No dramas getting into the train station, and better still, very close (stagger distance) to an extremely good pub !!.
2 of
6 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 8276)
Great location, staff, facilities, and breakfast, April 29, 2003
Reviewer:
Alan J. Moum
Pros:
n/a
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n/a
Imported Review
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
We had a great stay here. The location is superb, right across a canal from the Gravensteen and about 2 blocks from several major tram lines. The staff was very friendly and professional. They didn't mind having us bring in rare beers from outside into the bar area and using their glassware and washing facilities. It's true that not many people gather in the bar and common area but it's mostly due to all the excellent places to visit in Ghent. Breakfast was great and abundant. Frankly, I barely remember the bedroom facilities so they must have been pretty good too. Don't hesitate to stay here, even if you're a party animal there are plenty of places for you to visit nearby.
2 of
4 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 8277)
The only hostel in Ghent, but it's OK, March 30, 2003
Reviewer:
Eric
Pros:
n/a
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n/a
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Maintenance
(3)
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(3)
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(3)
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(3)
Being the only hostel in Ghent, many have no other choice but to stay at De Draecke. However, it's quite a decent place to stay.The hostel is located just off one of the major tram lines, and the tram ride from the major train station to the hostel isn't long. De Draecke is situated in a fairly nice area of Ghent, with many shops and pretty things to see nearby.Being a HI hostel, De Draecke is a bit institutional with single-sex dorms. The common room is fairly large but not very cosy, and there isn't a very social atmosphere. The rooms and beds are quite small, however the individual bedlight lamps are really helpful. One of the best things at De Draecke is the free breakfast: a lot to eat, and a lot of different things to eat. Also, the staff working at the hostel when I visited were some of the nicest and most helpful hostel staff I have encountered.I would definitely stay at the De Draecke if I went back to Ghent again, but then again I really have no choice.
2 of
4 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 8278)
A slight improvement on the typical HI hostel, November 12, 2002
Reviewer:
Pros:
n/a
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n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
Cleanliness
(3)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(3)
Like most HI hostels, this hostel has an institutional schoolhouse feel about it. The rooms are average, and cleanliness is reasonable, if not exceptional. Fortunately, bed counts tend to be small, with no rooms having more than six beds.The common area isn't a bad place to meet people, although not exceptional in that regard, it lacks the type of coziness that encourages people to mingle. But the reception was reasonably friendly and helpful.The best feature of the hostel is the location, in a decent neighborhood perhaps 100 meters from the town center, and convenient to a tram line that connects the center with the train station. Ghent is picturesque but gets relatively few visitors, so it is a good way to see a major town while being a bit off the beaten path.As this is the only hostel in Ghent, this is your only choice. It's not too bad overall, but if you're looking for a special or unique hostel experience, you will not find it here.
8 of
8 people found this review helpful
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(Review ID: 8279)
we tried booking, September 4, 2001
Reviewer:
R.Coffey
Pros:
n/a
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n/a
Imported Review
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Maintenance
(1)
Cleanliness
(1)
Facilities
(1)
Atmosphere
(1)
We used their email form to book but it turns out one week and a half later that they do not check it and so we now have nowhere to stay
