Ostello Archi Rossi, Florence > Reviews > Hostel Archi Rossi - Florence on a budget

Author's product rating:   

Value for Money	Good
Quality of Rooms	Good
Standard of Service	Good
Quality of Facilities	Good

Advantages:	Clean, budget
Disadvantages:	Noisy

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

I thought I had left my backpacking days behind me as I had not styed in a hostel for may years, but when one of my travelling buddies suggested I met her here I checked to see if I still had my sense of adventure (I did) and flew over.

The hostel is large but clean, you are supplied with clean sheets and a pillowcase. There are blankets in the room. Most rooms have there own bathrooms. I elected to spend a few extra Euros to stay in a smaller dormitory with just four beds and a bathroom. It was €26.00 per night. The bathroom facilities were clean and worked well though I would have liked a few hooks or shelves as the shower did tend to flood the floor and there was nowhere else to put your clothes, apart from to try and balance them on the edge of the sink which had an automatic tap that responded to proximity thus risking soaking your stuff.

I had a top bunk and, ironically, found the safety bars around the edge a dangerous hindrance as I had to climb up higher to launch myself over them. Each person gets their own locker in the room, which contains a shelf and a hanging rail (but no coat-hangers - no self-respecting backpacker carries coat-hangers, so there was no point to this rail, another shelf would have been more useful.

Breakfast is free and varies from toast to a cooked breakfast with fruit juice, all cooked to order. There are some pretty balconies and some communal areas with a quiet time between 11pm and 7am. The reception staff were always helpful and sold a range of snacks including fruit and Ready meals to toiletries and drinks such as beer and reasonably priced bottled water (€0.70 for a 50cl). Your stay included 30 minutes free internet access per day.

I booked on their website with my credit card, although they were happy for me to pay the second night by cash is I preferred. The hostel is located 5 minutes walk from the main train station and about 10-15 minutes walk from the Duomo and the city centre.

My main problem with this hostel was the noise - the people were not necessarily noisy but the floors were stone and the doors heavy and wooden so it was difficult to settle at night with people coming and going in neighbouring rooms.

http://www.hostelarchirossi.com/