Hostel San Marino

I’m going to make this as fair as possible despite the poor rating. This hostel is good value for money if you want to spend the night in San Marino on a budget. The staff were also friendly and helpful. We had a large room for just the two of us. However, the sheets were quite grainy with dirt. The shower room is very close to flooding every time you use the shower. Although the location seems near to the centre of San Marino, we came quite late so had to walk to the top. This really was a struggle as it’s such a steep slope all the way up, so although the location is good for being near a bus stop, if the buses aren’t running it’s quite a strain (45 minute walk on extreme incline). If you’re staying on a Saturday then be wary of the fact the hostel is above a nightclub. However, the reason I have rated this so low is the strange “breakfast”. It specifies breakfast is included but when we went to the kitchen we weren’t sure what was meant to happen. We hadn’t been told the night before. Nothing was laid out or put aside. I’m not sure if you just raid the cupboards and eat whatever but I don’t really feel comfortable doing that in a communal kitchen. There was no one around to ask so we walked to a cafe round the corner. I think offering a service and not providing it is quite poor. The hostel was almost empty so maybe that’s why there had been a lack of instruction and an awkward atmosphere.

I've been travelling and staying at hostels for about ten years, but the poor service and amenities at the only hostel in San Marino did make me gulp. We happened to arrive at 1 pm and just wanted to put out heavy bags down, when the staff member said "no one had told her we would arrive" - well, we had booked two places... There is only one toilet and one shower for all guests, which simply isn't enough. On top of that, both were very dirty and stank. We spent a couple of nights there, but I never understood who the owner was, given that the reception desk was mostly empty.