Winston

I stayed here for my last evening in Europe and it wasn’t a bad time all in all.
After accidentally booking my reserved room to another customer, Allen (the owner) upgraded me to a deluxe suite free of charge. I had an exceptionally comfortable amount of space, plus my own balcony that looked out over the street.
There is a bar and lounge on the ground floor, which makes for a pretty fun time. The crowd was a bit older than some of the other hostels I’ve stayed in, but it was still very easy to meet new people.
The breakfast was fantastic. I couldn’t help but laugh at how few people showed up (big surprise in this city), but it was worth waking up early for.
Overall, I’d probably stay here again if I had the chance. It was a nice place to end my trip!

Decent hostel! We stayed here for a few nights and they were really accommodating. Great with directions and you’re right in the red light district.
Our bunkmate brought in some bed bugs from her travels and they took care of the entire situation really well! Definitely took the issue seriously.

El peor hostal en el que he estado jamás, y aún así lo digo con todo mi cariño, peculiar como él solo, siempre lo recordaré.
El problema es que uno no resiste la tentación de alojarse en un hostal que está en pleno barrio rojo (justo bajo nuestra ventana había una tienda de setas alucinógenas, frente había cabinas de prostitutas y al fondo del callejón veías el canal de Oudezijds Voorburgwal) y que tiene una decoración tan psicodélica (nuestra habitación parecía una sala de sadomasoquismo). Para completar el atractivo, en la planta baja hay un pub que se anima bastante por las noches (y en el que se puede ligar fácil no, lo siguiente).
Pero cuando toda esa cortina de humo se va, uno piensa en las cosas verdaderamente prácticas y cae en la cuenta de que:
–El precio es carísimo, el hostal más caro donde he estado, creo que fueron 35 napos por barba cada noche y 70 las noches de fin de semana (ya había visto sitios donde te cobran un par de euros más los viernes y sábados, pero este directamente te dobla el precio…)
–La limpieza brilla por su ausencia (mi compañero de habitación se encontró una chinche en la cama y la pudo ver porque le había picado tanto que la chinche ya parecíà la reencarnación de Marlon Brando)
–Los colchones están para tirarlos a la basura (el mío estaba tan doblado que si no me situaba justo en el centro me caía para un lado, tuve que hacer una especie de fuerte indio alrededor de mi cama con sillas y maletas)
–El cuarto de baño era microscópico (el wc estaba prácticamente debajo del lavabo, aunque estaba altísimo, yo mido más de 1,80 y sentado tocaba el suelo con los pies de milagro)
–El desayuno era rácano y es el único sitio donde me han llamado la atención por llevarme un par de rebanadas para hacerme luego un sandwich en la merienda
La localización es inmejorable y el estilo muy llamativo pero todo lo demás es desastroso, y yo no soy nada sibarita para los hostales, eso sí, siempre y cuando el precio vaya acorde (he estado en cuchitriles de los que salí satisfecho porque me costaron 6 pavos la noche), no cuando te sablan un precio con el que te sientes el invitado a la cena de los idiotas.
Eso sí, me dio la oportunidad de tener anécdotas para contar durante días a la vuelta de mi viaje.

Just back from a great weekend at the winston (or st. Christopher’s inn as it is also called!). As a newbie to the European hostel scene, I was pleasantly surprised by my experience at the here. A mighty group of fifteen descended on this small hostel and we were very well accommodated. We had two rooms of 8 right beside eachother on the ground floor which was perfect. As we are all college students, a bit of a ruckus was to be expected and we weren’t called out on it at all during our stay so if you’re looking for a hostel that is happy to turn a blind eye on a shindig in the dormitory, it’s a good shout! The staff were really easy to deal with too and were always on hand to offer some advice on nightlife, local restaurants and attractions. The bar and restaurant do deals on food and drink for residents which is a handy gig! The location is bang on too, 5 minutes from Amsterdam central station and 2 minutes from dam square. One thing that I would have to criticise is the heat of the rooms. At times it was just unbearably hot, granted there was a large number of us but even at night it was just uncomfortable to sleep in. The fan in our room didn’t even work which highlighted the problem moreso but that aside, very satisfied with my stay and I would recommend it to similar groups :)

Great staff. Friendly people. They made it easy to check-​in. Rooms were great and clean for a hostel. Obv the city is loud till late into the night but you can’t really fault the hostel for that. Would recommend.

Allen the manager is the man. I made a mistake and booked the wrong date so I was in a be a homeless at Amsterdam. (Not quite where I would like too be homeless if I had to choose).
Yet he still made it possible to accommodate me on busy Friday night. Great place to be it your traveling around if your looking to meet people from all over the world.
Their lobby has a smoke room open till 3am so I just brought my bong down. It’s real chill their is an outside and indoor smoke room. Def recommend.

Had to be in Holland on the coast for a work trip so went a day early to Amsterdam. A female colleague booked us a twin room here as male colleagues of ours were staying here.
Pros: Paid up for the en-​suite and the shower was clean. Room and sheets were clean. Breakfast the following day was a plus (if you could get yourself up to go). Having a bar and restaurant was very helpful. Garden outside. Friendly staff and clientele. Location is great for going out at night.
It was definitely the most expensive hostel I’ve ever stayed in — at Euro 132 for two twins with private bath and shower. I forgot to show the bartender my key jacket and missed the 25% off food. He knew I was staying there from a prior order — so that was slightly uncool and I noticed it the next day.
The art is interesting. The re and black painting of what we think is inside a woman’s private and a nipple was a bit aggressive too.
The biggest annoyance was the policy to turn in your key upon exiting. Once I had to wait a while for my key to go to my room due to one person on staff with several people in queue. Another time, i had an empty desk.
All in all, I found the place clean, people friendly, and a good location. And it still beat a hotel price.
Oh — just beware — there is a church bell that starts around 10 am on Sunday and keeps going on it’s own schedule. Not overly loud but not at whisper decibel.

Do you like sleeping? This is probably not the right place for you.
Look, I know it’s a hostel. And I thought I knew what I was getting into.
I expected the shitshow at check-​in.
I expected the sink so small I couldn’t wash my face.
I expected the mural of a lady bent over, touching herself, directly over our bed.*
I expected the grimy shower, the uncomfortable beds, and the scratchy towels.
I expected the inability to check in until 2 pm, with nowhere to stash our stuff.
I expected and enjoyed the rowdy atmosphere, the bar downstairs, the irreverent staff.
I expected that drinking heavily until 3:30 am would be enough to let me sleep through the noise and the night. But…
I did not expect and I did not appreciate that some guy would steal some girl’s bed in one of the group rooms, and that they would scream at each other for 45 minutes starting at 4 am. And I did not expect that absolutely no one would do anything about this.
Since the rate here is actually not THAT much better than the downright luxurious (by comparison) actual hotels (like the DoubleTree), I think I’ll spring for one of those next time.
I guess I’m old now.
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
*OK, I didn’t expect that one:

I walked in around 7pm and watched a heap of people asking for a room get knocked back because it was fully booked. The guy at reception was really nice. He was Australian too so we chatted about Melbourne for a bit. Heaps of people were checking in at that time so he did a pretty good job.
The bar played good music. Everyone who works there is a tourist from somewhere which is cool. When I asked for a Hoegaarden pronounced correctly he had no idea what I wanted, but when I said in my most Australian accent, Hoe (like the prostitute) gaarden (like the garden) he understood.
Place lost a star cause the bed was super uncomfortable, and the venue is a bit dingy. I had some awesome roommates as I was staying by myself. We were all in bed by midnight (party-​poopers)
I kind of wish I was staying here again tonight but they’re fully booked.

Stayed one night in the hostel. The room was small and ran down, but was clean and secure and served our needs for the one night. The rest of the place, however, I have nothing remotely bad to say about. The location could not be better. The staff at the bar are all really helpful and very nice. The outside area is a very nice place to chill out, socialize with other travelers. The beers are large and relatively cheap, compared to other places close by. Free WiFi is a major plus. We used this as a central meeting point for the rest of our trip even though we were not staying at the hostel. The club next door was so much fun! We went for drum and bass night, and I danced until they kicked my ass out.

My favorite hostel of the 3 we stayed at in Europe! The location couldn’t get better, the staff was really nice and they provide a small breakfast in the morning. There’s one picture to the entrance of our floor that I’ll never forget! My only gripe was that it got really hot in our room easily, but there was a large fan in the room. There’s a large cubby/​locker under the bed to safely keep all your luggage — my entire suitcase fit in it!
Stay here, you’ll have a blast!

Arrived after a long flight. The man whom I assume is one of the owners was so helpful and courteous and nice when we saw him in the bar while using the WiFi. Definitely would recommend this to anybody visiting and it is only our first day here!!!