Ivan Kralj
January 8, 2025
Even if it ended with a nice gesture, the receptionist handing me a keychain gift (not sure if they do that with all guests), with a written request to leave 10/10 review, sadly I couldn't ignore the shortcomings of this hostel that seemed like just a downgraded version of Marco Polo Poshtel (not sure which one came first, but from breakfast to "funny" wall messages, there was a similar "creative" signature).
While I was initially attracted by reviews mentioning hostel's cleanliness, I couldn't say I shared the same opinion. Certain public areas were quite messy. The staircase to the first floor (where shoes are forbidden) didnt seem to be cleaned for some time. In the showers (which had a good water pressure), there was mold. None of the three handsoap dispensers in the only bathroom had soap in them. It just felt the staff doesnt have time or organizational skills to maintain everything in working order.
But I was mostly surprised by finding a not clean (i dont want to call it "used") bed cover in my bed. It had some fresh stains, hair and crumbles (well, not just on bed cover), and seemed just to be folded after the guest before me (even the folding seemed messed up, so i really thought maybe the bed was forgotten). When I asked the housekeeping to change it, they initially approved. The younger housekeeper started changing everything, sheet included (which i believe is a good way to do it, when it is not certain if the bed was completely changed), but when the older one returned, she made her put the sheet back (the sheet that was thrown on the floor in the meantime), laughing all along. No, that wasnt really funny.
Then instead of letting the young housekeeper put on the new bed cover she brought along, i noticed that the older one brought something that seemed to be the same old bed cover that i complained about (the duvet was already inside). When i asked if that is a new thing, she was convincing me it was. Already at that moment, i felt ridiculed. But i said, "okay, if you say so."
After all was done, i came back to my bed, unfolded the bed cover and confirmed my doubt - all this performance of changing the bed, without them changing anything! The only difference was that the bedsheet was also on the floor in the meantime.
This got me really frustrated, mostly because they lied to my face (what for?), and mostly because they invested energy in "changing" everything while actually just stripping everything off and returning it (why? It takes the same amount of energy to do it for real). Feeling like an *****, i asked what seemed to be the problem? Dont they have clean bedding, or what? But they had. I asked them to give it to me then, and i would happily prepare the bed myself. Which they accepted. Lol.
I dont know, with that poor breakfast, the visual mess, unpleasant "toilet" scent at hostel entrance, and generally low level of cleanliness (you can see how yellow the pillow is once you remove the pillow case yourself), it felt that other reviews mentioning spotless hygiene were misleading. Or were my standards too high?
In any case, i stayed in a dozen of Phuket hostels during my month here, but none of them tried to insult my intelligence. There are better places, and no, Dorm Hostel sadly doesnt deserve 10/10, to quote the request they tell everyone at check-out.
I also tried to leave them space for hostel improvement, so instead of lowest marks, i left average ones, even if the experience was truly below average.
P.S. When a guest asks whether a ferry with a pick-up operates everywhere in Phuket, a genuinely helpful answer would be "yes". And not "no, it's only our hostel's pickup". I understand everyone just tries to earn money, but it shouldn't be done by misleading guests who just trustfully ask for information.
