Hostel Jamaika, Vilnius, was the first-ever hostel I’ve stayed in – and I’m glad it was! If you’re thinking of visiting Vilnius soon, and don’t want to do the work of scrolling through all of the reviews online, then you’re in luck because I’ve written you a detailed review of my stay at Hostel Jamaika!
Contents:
The Room:
When I first walked into the room, I adored how spacious it was! There were 6 beds in total and each bed had a bedside table. The beds are on beer crates, however, they’re completely comfortable and feel very secure (they’re tied together with cable ties!). The sheets were clean and the rooms were the right temperature – not too warm yet not too cold when I travelled there in March. I stayed in the female 6-bed dormitory for 7 nights and the entire time I was there I felt very safe. There were also lockers for storing your valuables, although I only think a few had the keys still, which may be something to consider. The hostel kindly also gave everyone a towel, which is a nice touch as I know that sometimes some hostels charge you extra.
There were a few instances during the middle of the night where someone new would walk in and turn on the big light and be noisy, though this isn’t the fault of Hostel Jamaika – it’s just a normal thing you should expect at hostels. Although, something that the hostel could aim to improve is that some things in the room were broken, such as a blind was missing, though this is just a minor thing. It would have been nice to have more plug sockets near the beds because I had to sit on the floor if I wanted to charge my phone and go on it at the same time. The power coming out of the sockets also wasn’t very strong in my opinion, as it took me longer than normal to charge my phone. Finally, you could also sometimes hear the people in the room next to the dorm, which was a bit unpleasant, so it would’ve been nicer if the walls were slightly thicker.
The Bathroom:
In my opinion, the bathroom is what let the hostel down the most. It had nice things about it such as that it was big and was regularly cleaned. However, you couldn’t flush toilet paper down the toilet according to a sign on the wall, instead, you had to chuck it in the bin – which was a bit gross at times. The shower was also a bit dated and only had one big fixed head – this was a bit of an issue for me as naturally, my hair is very curly so I straighten it. This meant that I had to stand in a very awkward position every time I had a shower because I couldn’t get my hair wet (if you straighten your hair then you understand the struggle!). It would also get a bit dirty from other people, which is again what you should expect staying at a hostel and not the hostel’s fault itself.
Another thing that may be an issue for some people is that the bathroom was supposed to be ‘female only’ but lots of men staying at the hostel would use it. It wasn’t too much of a problem for me, although I know for some people it could be, so just be aware.
The Location:
The location was one of the best things about Hostel Jamaika! It is perfectly placed within a short walking distance of everything you will need! The train and bus stations are about an 8-minute walk, the closest supermarket is about 2 minutes away (it’s literally just across the street), the old town is about 12 minutes away and there is a bus stop right around the corner.
The Check-in/ Check-out Process:
Everything was smooth during the check-in process. The lady at the reception was kind and helpful. She explained everything, told me which keys were for what and assisted me when I had trouble unlocking the door (which I’m going to blame on myself for being tired).
The check-out process was very good too. You had to check out by 11:30 (I believe?), which was plenty of time. All you had to do was drop your keys off at the reception.
My Overall Opinion of Hostel Jamaika:
Overall, I really enjoyed my stay at Hostel Jamaika and would definitely stay there again. I liked the atmosphere of the hostel – especially the decor, loved the location and found it to be safe and secure. There are some things which I wish that they could improve on in the future, but these are only minor things and really won’t affect the quality of your stay. I’d also like to mention that there were a lot of stairs, so if you have a lot of luggage, you might find this a bit annoying.
It cost me £50 for 7 nights, which works out to £7 per night – which I think is such an amazing price for how good the hostel was. It’s important to note that I visited in March, so prices may change depending on other factors like how far in advance you book.
Photos of Hostel Jamaika:
Have you ever stayed in a hostel? How was your experience?
If you liked this article, then you might also like: ‘How To Spend 3 Days in Vilnius, Lithuania’ or ‘The Best Tips For Solo Travellers‘.