I never normally write about just one place to stay, but this hostel deserves a whole post to itself. The East Seven Berlin Hostel has to be the best hostel I have stayed in. It was my first visit to Berlin and I did not know what to expect. I do not like to have too many preconceptions about a place, I simply booked this hostel as it had good reviews on hostel bookers. I would definitely recommend this place to anyone looking to come to Berlin and here are my reasons:
1) Great Location
The hostel is right next to Senefelderpl underground station. It is on a road called Schwedter Str which on one side leads to the chic Kastaniekallee. This street is full of cafes and restaurants and is also the road that leads to the Sunday flee market
2) Fantastic rooms
I rented out a double room as I was travelling with my mac and did not want to have to worry about who would be coming in my room in the middle of the night. I am also not a big fan of sharing rooms with strangers after my experience in an American hostel a few years ago. (post will be written at another time). The rooms had a modern wardrobe and bed (very important after my terrible mattress in Barcelon). The room was big, freshly painted, clean and double glazed windows.
3) Breakfast
There was breakfast at the hostel for just 2 euros. This consisted of museli and cornflakes and toast with a selection of jams, nutella and butter. You could also have a choice of tea or coffee. Quite good value for money really. You would not find this elsewhere as cheap.
4) Common area
There was a garden at the hostel which was open until 10:00pm. It was great to have this outdoor space and even better to know that you would still be able to get a good nights sleep as no one was allowed in the gardens between 10:00pm and 8am.
5) Quiet
After my noisey experience in Seville, this was a nice and quiet hostel. I do not mean to sound boring, but the way the place was built meant there were no echoes in the halls and private rooms were far away from dorm rooms. I was working as well so I could not afford to have many sleepless nights.
6) Tours
This was where I found out about the Brewer’s Berlin walking tours. I was so impressed with the first “free” tour, that I then took another one on the Saturday. The guides were really informative and knew their history of Berlin, they could answer any question that was given to them, not that it was a test.
7) Friendly staff
The staff could not have been more helpful at the hostel. They showed me where to go for dinner, the best places to visit in Berlin and of course recommended the Berlin walking tour. The staff want guests to have a pleasant experience and they were in the middle of throwing out a couple of badly behaved guests when I was leaving. (They had used the 4th floor bedroom window as a toilet – not nice).
8) Secure and safe
This hostel was very safe. There was a door code to get into the hostel which changed every day. I also arrived before check in which was 3pm and therefore was able to leave my bag in a secure locked place.
9) WiFi
Although the WiFI did drop in the first two days I was there, the staff were very quick to resolve the issue. It was great to be able to come to a place where there was reliable internet especially as I was working while travelling.
10) Cheap drinks
Beers and water were cheaper here than elsewhere. The drinks could be bought from reception at any time.
I had a fantastic time in Berlin, my only regret is that I did not stay there long enough to see all the museums (I am not normally a fan, but I wanted to read all about the history) and all the attractions.
