Reviews of Friends Hostel

04 May 2013

Liked: location

Disliked: a bit wierd and shabby

02 May 2013 muhammad would recommend this property

Liked: It is very cheap accommodation in Paris. Location is good and easy to find. Hostel was neat and clean. Receptionist speaks English.

Disliked: The person at reception was not in a good mood and rude. There was no liquid hand wash in washroom. I think that is a big point to be filled. No free wi-fi. You have to purchase it. Another negative thing.

30 April 2013

Liked: Just to offer an alternative opinion here, I don't think this location is as unsafe and dangerous as it seems. The entrance is adjacent to the Barbès – Rochechouart metro stop, and a few blocks from Gare du Nord, which makes it extremely convenient, but also puts it in an active, lively neighborhood. Boulevard de Magenta/Boulevard de Barbes borders the more genteel, touristy areas of Montmartre and Faubourg-Montmartre. There does seem to be a lot of illegal peddling at the entrance to the metro, but there is also a police station just a few doors down, and I was never at the metro stop at any time of day or night when there wasn't a team of cops hanging around. I got the impression they tolerate the petty drug dealing in order to keep an eye out for more serious crime. True, the hostel itself is a bit cramped, unclean, and less than luxuriuous. You must share a room with five or six strangers. It made me think of a rock club with it's black, purple and red painted walls, and it's filled with the kind of travelers who are looking for a place to stay in Paris at the price they offer, which can't be beat. So just be aware that if you want something more comfortable you will have to pay a bit more.

Disliked: Sara left no negative feedback.

21 April 2013

Liked: absolutely nothing

Disliked: everything, guys it was the worst hostel ever, believe me...ever!!!!!

17 April 2013

Liked: Good location

Disliked: I dislike everything. This is we worst place in my life. Dirty, small rooms without any comfort.

16 April 2013

Liked: Proximity to Montmarte and Metro station.

Disliked: Everything else. I did not feel safe and the rooms were small, cramped and disgusting. It felt very unclean and I did not want to get into the bed. The tiny bathroom had a shower and a sink and the communal toilets provided no basin facilities. I stayed in the middle of a 3 tier bunk bed but did not get any sleep as the gentleman above me proceeded to masturbate throughout the evening, repeatedly shaking the whole bed. This only got worse when I saw him looking at me over the edge of his bed. Needless to say I could not wait to get out of there. I would never recommend this hostel to anyone.

15 April 2013

Liked: Nothing

Disliked: I hated my stay at Friends. Everything about my experience at Friends was a nightmare. My friend and I arrived and on our way to the hostel from the metro there were some really dodgy people hanging around. Once we arrived at Friends we were told that there were no keys to the room you simply just knocked or walked into your room which is really unsafe for our belonging as anyone can walk off the street and help themselves. Once we arrived in our rooms they were tiny, you could not get everyone stuff in. It was dirty like it had not been cleaned since the last people departed and just generally had a really unsafe and unpleasent experience about the hostel. We decided to go out for the night as we didn't want to hang around. The bathroom in your room you can not move its tiny and the toilets don't have a sink in them. My friend and I were not staying in the same room and she had a really horrible experience where someone in her room was wanking all night long. The next morning we lefted as soon as we could to get out of the place and to never return. It was horrible and I would not stay there ever again. I would not even put my dog in the hostel to stay it was horrible!!!! DO NOT STAY pay a little bit more and stay at another nice, clean hostel.

15 April 2013 Jennifer would recommend this property

Liked: Close to everything and good value for money.

Disliked: One staff member did tell other people in my dorm that I knew one of the other guys in our dorm which was a complete lie.

09 April 2013

Liked: It was right next to a fairly central metro stop, so that was great. The kitchen had 3 fridges to keep stuff in. Courtyard is sort of cool. They gave out good maps.

Disliked: Quite dirty. Felt pretty unsafe. The wifi turned off after 6. You can pay for wifi after that time, which my friend did; however, the wifi did not work and she didn't get a refund. Two of my friends did not receive blankets, even after asking the front desk. I received a blanket, but I don't think it had been washed in some time. They do not offer towels. There is a kitchen but it does not have very many dishes to use. Other than that, the kitchen isn't too bad. You have to walk through the courtyard to get to the kitchen, so it would be inconvenient if it were raining. We had a private shower, but there was no shower curtain or door so water sprayed everywhere. Our room smelled quite bad and I'm assuming it was due to some sort of mold or mildew. The ceiling was falling down. There is a sign on the door which says they do not take responsibility if things are stolen from the rooms and that guests should leave their stuff in a "secure" location that the front desk monitors. So, I left my passport and credit card in a bag with the front desk attendant under the impression that it would be safe. However, I wasn't asked to sign anything or anything of that nature. The attendant simply put my first name and room number on my bag of valuables and put it in the safe. Up to this point, I felt at least somewhat confident that my valuables would be safe. However, when I went back to get them that night, the desk attendant offered me a bag of valuables that was not mine, which I declined, and proceeded to take the bag that belonged to me. He did not ask my name, my room number, ask to see any identification, nor ask me to sign anything. Anybody could have walked in there, said "I'd like to pick up my valuables from the safe," grabbed my bag and walked out in a matter of seconds. Luckily, nothing unfortunate happened. But the day I preferred to leave my stuff in my friend's locked suitcase, which i felt to be more secure. Other than that, it was a great hostel!!!!

05 April 2013 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Very close to the metro station. Friendly staff. Good value for the money. Comfortable beds.

Disliked: It is located in the cenre of Paris, but there are quite dodgy looking people hanging around.

26 March 2013

Liked: Location is near to all tourists places.

Disliked: No Towels/Soaps are provided No Door mate provided (not even in front of the Bathroom) No Private Toilets Not Clean

25 March 2013

Liked: The name the showers

Disliked: NO free WIFI Location is central but looks dangerous smelly rooms quite small no social areas very dark rooms DIRTY no electricity slots in some rooms

21 March 2013

Liked: The receptionist was kind and considerate.

Disliked: Lounge is too small. Internet shut off at 6pm, after which you must pay. Poor conditions of rooms, bath and kitchen area. Some guests are on the seedy side. Not sure how to explain properly. Location is rough for visitors. Forced to bed as a result of there not being any place (a proper lounge) to sit and talk in. Conditions were cramped to say the least. Most of the staff were kind and proper. Mostly the men were. However there was an older female who repeatedly shut off the lights in the lounge while we were in it! I believe the way to make this hostel better would be to cover the outer courtyard and convert this into a lounge type space. Offer 24hr free internet. Also make kitchen cleaning manditory for all guests. Also more plug adaptors are needed. This I can not stress enough. This would make the property more attractive and increase their wealth thus allowing them to make their business better. Also I believe that local (paris) people should be screened if they wish to stay in the hostel. There were many *locals who were drifting from one hostel to the next. One large guy attempted to fight me over an empty chair, despite there being several available seats within the tiny lounge. When I visit Paris I do not seek to get into fights.

15 March 2013 Yelfri would recommend this property

Liked: It was clean, people were helpful, I was able to leave my bags there even after check-out!

Disliked: N/A

09 March 2013

Liked: Just don't go there the worst hostel I ve ever been to

Disliked: dirty, stuff was rude

04 March 2013 Tetiana would recommend this property

Liked: The staff was really nice and welcoming, always helpful. It's nice that the hostel is open 24 hours, so you can enjoy Paris as long as you want. It was really warm in the room, which I didn't expect, so I was surprised. And a bed looks scary but is actually very comfortable. Really nice was that I could leave my camera in the locker room. Hostel is right in front of metro station.

Disliked: The neighborhood is a little scary for a girl to walk alone at night. And it's kind of loud, but after a whole day of walking around Paris usually nobody cares and sleeps well. Check-out time is until 9 am, it's kind of early, but it's nice that they let people leave the luggage at hostel and pick it up later, so you don't need to walk all day with luggage.

23 February 2013

Liked: Close to the metro-station.

Disliked: - Very unpleasant neighborhood with a grim atmosphere. - Stayed with 34 persons in this hostel. The room for 12 people was more a swine barn than a hostel. Had no windows and even no bin. Got many complaints about the temperature inside. Showers are small. - Breakfast was included, but was only a dry piece of bread with chocolate. Not worth to pay for. I recommend to reconsider booking this hostel and choose to pay a small amount extra for a better accommodation !!

22 February 2013 EMMA would recommend this property

Liked: One of the guys on the desk was really welcoming, they were very helpful when my friends wanted to charge his phone on the computer. The 24 hour access is fantastic,

Disliked: The kitchen needs more plates/bowls/cutlery etc etc - but it's great that there is a kitchen... even though some of our food got stolen :( The room and bathroom (shower + sink) was super small but all we needed really as we weren't there long.

10 February 2013 Emilee would recommend this property

Liked: Staff were friendly and spoke good English, always asking how we were and went out of their way to help us.

Disliked: Coffee machine was broken and they had no kettle. But did give us the breakfast (pain au chocolat) for free while we stayed there.

02 January 2013

Liked: cheap

Disliked: uncomfortable

17 December 2012

Liked: location

Disliked: it was not a clean property very congested bathrooms no handwash soap

26 November 2012

Liked: Nothing!! I actually left this hostel and lost my money on it and found a much safer and cleaner hostel!

Disliked: Everything! This place is absolutely awful! It is portrayed as a pretty decent place when in fact it is in the ghetto where people get mugged outside.. the facilities are awful and rooms are completely disgusting!

24 November 2012

Liked: That it was close to a métro station.

Disliked: This is the worst hostel I've ever stayed in. It was FILTHY, to start with. This was the worst part, particularly the bathroom in my room. It was dirty when I arrived, and they did not clean it during the day. There was water and hair all over the floor, sink, and shower. I checked in around 6pm on the 22nd, and by 6pm on the 23rd, the bathroom was too dirty to use. I didn't even want to walk on that floor with my shoes and socks on, much less use the toilet, touch anything, or shower. I attempted to speak to the receptionist about it, but he was unable to speak French or English (he spoke Spanish only, like several of their staff) and even when he did understand (another guest translated), he vehemently denied that the room had not been cleaned. I said that it was too dirty to use and he just shrugged and clearly didn't care at all. I was furious. Another guest in my room tried the same thing and received the same response and lack of apology or concern. When I checked in, they couldn’t make change when I checked in – they literally had none whatsoever. Maybe they should consider just not accepting cash as a form of payment if they don’t carry a float, but unfortunately it’s just the opposite: cash is the ONLY form of payment they accept. The bedding was old and dirty. There are no pillows. Each room has only one electric outlet. It was unheated, except for a plug-in heater, but if we used that, then no one could charge a phone or laptop. There are no lights by the beds. There is only one key per room, and no lockers. And to top it off, the neighbourhood is sketchy as all hell. I left the metro to the shouts of men hollering at me and every other woman passing by, groups of them clustered on the street corners to try to grab your ass or purse as you walk by, the rest of them yelling their own version of whatever it was. The only thing like a common room is a tiny room with four tables, seven chairs, and no space whatsoever. This is where people go to access the wifi, when it’s available. I would not only never stay here again, but actively discourage anyone I know from staying here. It was disgusting and a terrible experience.

22 November 2012 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Cheap and right beside a main metro station that can take you anywhere in the city.

Disliked: Very small 'common room' area meant it was difficult to use the internet and also hard to meet people because only 5 people fitted in at a time.

16 November 2012 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The location and the prize was quite good - it was very inexpensive.

Disliked: You couldn't turn on the heat and there was a lot of noise from the corridor, which made it difficult to fall asleep.