One of the reasons in choosing Maverick Hostel is because it is listed as one of Europe’s Famous Hostels which is comprised of 51 hostels in Europe belonging to this listing. Having heard of Europe’s Famous Hostels, it helped take the guesswork out of finding a hostel for Budapest.
Location
You won’t find a better location. It is located 50 meters from Ferenciek tere metro station. In saying this, I did have a problem finding the hostel at first. I ended up passing it the first time because I was looking for a sign outside of the building that said ‘Maverick Hostel’. There isn’t a sign so I walked right past the building. At this time, I utilized my offline map on my phone to point me in the direction of the hostel. The map took a few minutes before it gave me directions since it said there wasn’t a road nearby. When the map started working then I was able to turn myself around and find the hostel. Turns out it really is easy to find after you know what you are looking for which is a big green gate. Another thing to note is that it is one block away from the main shopping area for restaurants and souvenirs; Vaci Street. To me, this is the heart of Budapest. As you can tell, I loved that the hostel is off one of the main roads and a block over from the main shopping areas.
Rooms
The room was good. I stayed in a five bed dorm with no bunk beds in the room. That was a plus for me…. The room was a good size with a fireplace in the room and a big window for letting in the fresh air and seeing the building across from you. Linen and towels are included. The only downside is that none of the beds have numbers on them which means you need to leave something on your bed before you leave for the day. Otherwise, if someone new comes to check into the room they will think that bed is empty and take it for their own. I had that happen to me. I didn’t leave anything on the bed the first day I was staying here. I came back in the middle of the day and someone else had their stuff on my bed. Not a big deal. I went to reception and they handled the situation quickly. Staying in the same room, I took the other bed that was available. It ended up working out better for me since the bed I took was away from the other beds in its own space. The other four beds were next to one another. Just remember if you stay here to keep something on your bed before you leave for the day.
Facilities
You have everything you could possibly want in a hostel. You have a lounge area outside of your room for chilling at the end of the day. You have a guest kitchen to use, free coffee and tea on offer, throughout the day. Breakfast is not included but there is a kitchen that is open until 11-12 midnight. There is a small bathroom along with larger bathroom facilities for showering. Wi-Fi can be accessed throughout the hostel and didn’t have any problems accessing it when I was staying here. Individual lockers are available for your use; located off of the rooms. There are even computers for guest use located next to the reception area. Safety was top priority with the keycards gaining you access to the building itself (after walking through the green gate) using same keycard to gain access to the sleeping/lounge area where your rooms are located. I loved everything this hostel had to offer for its guests.
Atmosphere
Felt like I walked through the door to my home; had a laid-back, cozy feeling to it. It was easy to make friends because of sharing rooms with others. Activities abound i.e. pub crawl though I didn’t do this but heard from others who had.
The Staff
Everyone I came in contact with on staff was accommodating and very helpful. Every question was answered whether it was through email or face to face contact. I had many questions and each one was answered as if it was the first time someone asked that question. One of the questions I had asked had to do with getting into the hostel before check-in. One of the members of the staff, through email, explained that you proceed through the green gate, speak into the intercom before you proceed to the next door and then someone will let you through the door where you can walk up to the reception area. This is something that needs to be done before you receive a key card after check-in (the keycard will allow you access into the building anytime, day or night). In hindsight, this could be deemed a stupid question but they never treated it as such. Another thing they did was able to accommodate my stay another night and handle any problems I might have had quickly.
Summary
I couldn’t have chosen a better place to stay than Maverick Hostel. It is centrally located on the Pest side near Elizabeth Bridge. Many of the tourist attractions are within walking distance. Others can be accessed via Ferenciek tere metro which is 50 meters from the hostel. I used the metro a couple of times but the rest of the time I walked everywhere. As for the building itself, you walk through the green gate, through another door, and feel like you have walked into a mansion. So if you are looking for central location, easy access to metro system, and everything you would need in a hostel; kitchen access, no bunk beds in dorms, lockers for use, secure place to sleep than I highly recommend this place.
More Info
Check out their website if you would like more information on Maverick Hostel or want to book your stay here.
Address: 2 Ferenciek tere, Budapest 1051
Phone : +36 1 2673166
Price : Subject to change
Disclaimer – I was not compensated by Maverick Hostel for this review. This is solely my own opinion/experience in staying here.
