Reviews of Charleston's Not So Hostel

10 February 2012 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Decent location in a city with few alternatives in the price range. Parking good, with quiet room. An okay breakfast of bagels, but decent tea would have been nice.

Disliked: Paying $60 for a room should have included a towel (not $1 extra). Staff seemed worn down from hostel duties, the 10 a.m. kick out seems a bit like the old days.

12 December 2011 Richard would recommend this property

Liked: In a country where hosteling is still not fully developed Not So makes a good attempt to meet the needs of travellers. It's a pleasant place and when they are around the staff are helpful and cheerful.

Disliked: There are no full-time staff, although for checking in they supply the code for the back door in advance should you arrive outside of office hours. There are no lockers for valuable, although the dorm rooms lock. The first day I was there the front door was left unlocked all day even though no one was in attendance. The beds are uncomfortable: the mattress is placed inside a thick plastic bag, which is noisy when you turn over and is shiny, so the bottom sheet slides around on it or sometimes becomes detached. The location is a good walk from the centre, but doable. The neighbourhood is slightly shady. Detailed instruction for arriving and leaving via AMTRAK and Greyhound need to be improved.

14 November 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Very friendly staff (and dog occasionally!), short walk downtown, value for money, decor, free breakfast and wifi, the balcony with rocking chairs is the perfect way to enjoy a cup of tea! Great bar a few doors down, Remedy Market, with awesome bartenders!

Disliked: Only two bathrooms in the main area which meant there was often a bit of a wait.

26 October 2011

Liked: Friendly staff.

Disliked: 1. All the entrances and leaving are done from the back door. If you come to the hostel late at night, going all the way to the back is not something you are happy with. 2. Sharing toilets its ok for a hostel, but sharing toilets with the entire building also means that they should be cleaned very often. This is not what happened. The showers were full of other people's hair and the washing basin is dirty with several other people's toothpaste. In one word, the toilets are DISGUSTING. 3. There is no quiet after 10pm. Although there are signs everywhere saying that from 10pm-8am is the quiet time, people often stay in the kitchen talking loud till late. The walls are so thin that it feels like you are sitting with them. Not only that, as there is a bar close by with live music that I could hear from my bedroom and people talking in the street till 4 in the morning. 4. When you arrive you are given a pair of mismatched sheets so you can do the bed yourself and you can choose amongst several not cleaned blankets - the one I had to use had both dog's and people's hair on it. 5. The mattress is extremely uncomfortable and has no protection against bed bugs. The same applies to the pillows. 6. It is located close to a bad neighborhood and I did not feel safe arriving after 9pm.

11 October 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: great atmosphere, friendly people, good accommodations and great porch :)

Disliked: kind of a far walk from the sites

29 September 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: It's one of the few hostels that I've visited when I've been able to have a pizza party with the staff, which makes a nice change from the usual messy night on the tiles. The free use of computers and complimentary breakfast were also bonuses.

Disliked: There was a minor mosquito issue, but that's not really down to the hostel. And it was a little quieter than other hostels, but that may have been due to my visit in early fall.

21 August 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: I really liked this hostel, especially the bagel-braekfast was great! In this hostel you can see that the stuff also has experiences in backpacking and staying in hostels.

Disliked: Everything was good.

12 July 2011 robert would recommend this property

Liked: Great place to stay. very clean and very nice bathrooms. local restaurants and chain restaurants near by. Helpful staff

Disliked: a little out of the way. but there are bus routes nearby

01 July 2011 Katherine would recommend this property

Liked: It felt like you were living in a house not a hostel. Iv been in over 35 hostels world wide and found this place one of the best overall environments. As a lone treveller i could meet people really easily and the people were of a wide age range and when it was quite or i felt like just hanging in the hostel the staff were really friendly and chatty. Loved it! + theres live music almost every night in the garden two doors down witch is a great way to meet locals.

Disliked: Could have sheets that fit the bed better on the matresses on the bunk beds.

16 May 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: absolutely nice staff and rooms.. like coming to your own family

Disliked: it's a walk from the city with all your luggage(15min from visitorscentre)

04 May 2011 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: All of it. A beautiful hostel - modern, stylish and chic just like Charleston. Eco-friendly. Great and helpful staff. Common breakfast a great place to meet other travellers and share anecdotes. Location good. A bit of a walk downtown but only good - and there are som e great little cafes and restaurants in the local neighborhood too. Def. recommendable!

Disliked: nothing really.

06 April 2011 Christopher would recommend this property

Liked: Dorm was spacious and clean Good kitchen facilities and plenty of shared space Right on the bus route from the Visitors' Centre

Disliked: Check in is limited to 5.00pm to 10pm Common room is closed at 10/10.30 Area doesn't seem totally safe after dark

10 December 2010 Timothy would recommend this property

Liked: It's the only affordable way to stay near the historic part of Charleston.

Disliked: It's the only place in the world that uses Hostelbookers where there's a discrepancy between the balance you get from hostelbookers and what you end up paying. They don't include the tax in the room fee on the website, so you get an irritating, unwelcome surprise of 12.5% more when you arrive. They don't seem to get that this is a horrible way to welcome guests.

29 November 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: beautiful house/nice atmosphere

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

28 October 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Free breakfast, free wifi.

Disliked: "Luggage storage" was our luggage just sitting in the front room, with the front door wide open. Bathrooms were not that clean.

25 October 2010

Liked: Can't beat the price. Within walking distance of some good restaurants as well as a number of fast food places. Free breakfast of bagels with butter, cream cheese, and jam, as well as coffee.

Disliked: Beds are very uncomfortable--plastic mattresses on top of steel bars. Staff not friendly or helpful--appeared that there was a shortage of staff.

01 September 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: very clean and safe

Disliked: there is no 24h reception, there don't have to be necessarily articles about the manager on every wall almost

01 August 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: This hostel has a real family feel. The staff helped me out and the facilitys were excellent. The showers are huge and there is a ping pong table for added fun. Historic down town is not far away but you can rent a bike from the hostel to get around. Stay at this hostel its good.

Disliked: n/a

15 June 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: very helpful staff

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

19 May 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: Beautiful hostel within walking distance to downtown Charleston and nightlife. Easy access by buss from Amtrak and Greyhound station. Need a car to go to the beach area though.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

03 May 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: It was a good deal for the money. It was nice they kept the rooms to 4 to a room so there wasn't too much commotion. They kept the bathrooms very clean for a hostel. It was a little muggy in the room but still a good deal for the money.

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

10 April 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: porch

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

29 March 2010 Customer would recommend this property

Liked: The location is great and close to the main drag!

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.

24 March 2010 Serge would recommend this property

Liked: Visited in March 2010. Low price for staying in Charleston, and not too far away from historical downtown (I had a car), but no night life in the immediate area, except for some good restaurants. Free parking space (at least for ten cars or more) behind the house. Neighborhood = so-so. At night, I wouldn't walk alone if a was a lady - not lighted enough. Offers a lot of services (Internet, phone, washer-drier, kitchen and cooking stuff, towels and linens free, and great staff (helpful at finding solutions)). Also, restaurants close by (on foot), but historical downtown is 1 or 2 miles away. On the down side, not too clean (bathrooms and kitchens could be better), and needs some fixing (handles on doors and some painting). Beds are okay. As I was there in March, heat was not a big factor so I can't say in the summer months. It seems there are only 2 bathrooms in each building (at least, in mine). I would stay again.

Disliked: Serge left no negative feedback.

19 March 2010

Liked: Love here!!

Disliked: Customer left no negative feedback.