Guest User
February 11, 2024
The Albatross is an okay place. The location is fantastic, being very close to the train station and right in the heart of Newcastle; if you can't reach everything you want to see by foot, there's also a metro station nearby. My room was at the back at the building, at the end of a long corridor, and was remarkably quiet; the only sound from outside was seagulls in the morning, and while you could hear other people walking in the building, because there was no one walking past our door this was not much of a disturbance. I also really appreciated not being assigned a bed so I could choose the much more desirable bottom bunk when I arrived at my half-empty dorm room. Unfortunately the facilities are extremely lacking, even in basic amenities. The rooms had absolutely no hooks anywhere, so it was lucky that there were only 3 of us and we could dry towels/hang coats on the bedposts. There is a huge lack of sockets so phone charging needs to be strategic. No individual lamps either which meant I was reading with my phone torch in order not to disturb anyone else. Beds were okay, the linens are some of the more comfortable I've experienced, but the bunks are quite low (I couldn't sit up without hitting my head on the top bunk) and the bed I was in was positioned in such a way that if anyone had been above me, they would have been climbing up and down next to my head. There were lockers in the rooms but they were quite small. There wasn't anything as basic as a bin or a mirror in the room. Toilets and showers were disappointing. The bathrooms are basically just public toilets with no hooks or surfaces to put toiletries on, giving you the feeling that you were brushing your teeth in a public place rather than private accommodation. The one shower that had any hooks in it didn't work – the temperature dial was clearly broken and there was no hot water. None of the other shower stalls had hooks which meant you could either leave your clothes/towel susceptible to theft by hanging it over the door, or collecting water on the floor. Both facilities were also quite a long walk from the room, so bring shower shoes. I only used the kitchen to refill my water bottle so I can't say how well-stocked it was. It was quite big and there was also a common area that always had a few people in it. I didn't have much interaction with staff, though I appreciate there is a 24-hour reception as my train was delayed past 11pm. I didn't need to provide ID or even my surname when I checked in which was questionable, and the guy checking me questioned why I was bothering to read the terms and conditions of my stay before signing them! In the email I received before arrival I was told I'd need £5 cash for a key deposit and £25 cash for a damage deposit, but the damage deposit is apparently only for large groups (this was not communicated), so I ended up carrying way more cash than I needed over the weekend. All in all this was an okay stay for a weekend in Newcastle, but I w