Bunks at Rode — Hotel in Oslo

Stayed two nights in this brand new hostel that had only been open a couple of days so was fairly quiet as just getting up and running. From someone that has been staying in hostels for nearly 30 years here's what I thought. First the good points, in that has a modern feel, and the rooms have everything you would expect from a modern hostel such as privacy curtain, bed sockets, key card entry, hooks by the bed, full size luggage lockers, decent bedding and mattresses, with the added bonus they provide towels free of charge. The dorm rooms although they have a lot of beds are spacious and not cramped like many other hostels I've often stayed in, they also have nice additional seating, relaxation areas in the dorm rooms. Bathrooms clean and plentiful with spacious shower rooms, with shower gels and shampoo and hair dryers provided. Now for where I feel they fall short, which is the communal area, it's nice and big with plenty of seating, but there are just no kitchen facilities, there are two microwaves, a handful of plates, a dozen small glasses and few items of cutlery, that's it, which won't be enough to go round when the place gets busy peak season, so the only thing you can do is heat something up at best, there's not even a kettle or mugs to make tea or coffee. Budget conscious travellers will want to self cater and there are just no real facilities to do that, I don't know being the first few days there will be more kitchen items arriving in the coming days. I know a lot of hostels nowadays are moving away from big fridges and food storage cupboards as items that guests leave behind just end up cluttering them up making it hard to keep kitchen areas tidy, but they at least need to get a kettle, a hob, and decent utensils to cook with as not having these will put many people off staying knowing they can't properly cook, and one girl staying there was frustrated she couldn't even cook basic pasta. There is also a lack of atmosphere in the communal area, where there was a little music peak times, but this didn't come on until mid morning and was turned off by 9pm, all you need is to maybe put on a local radio station and have it in from say 8 when people are generally there having breakfast, and have it on until 10 or 11pm as this is when most people are using the area most, nothing too loud, just, something. A few screens playing music videos / music channel and also displaying hostel info would just bring a little atmosphere, as the place was so quiet with no life and just not that inviting to want to stay long periods of time in. They have a basic drinks bar that sells a few items, but this closed at 9pm, but to be honest with the big supermarket right next door you can buy what you need from there, in addition they advertise events like movie and social nights, but didn't partake, they also advertise a roof terrace and cinema room, but didn't check these out so can't comment. In summery, rooms, staff, and bathrooms they have nailed it and can't fault, so if you are looking for a great clean place to stay, 5 minutes from the center by tram and on a budget, but happy to eat out or not cook, then you'd be hard pressed to find a better place in the city, they just need to sort the communal area out which would then make it the...

Stayed two nights in a female 30 bunk room. The place seems pretty newly renovated and pretty clean. There's decent space in the lockers (fit a 90L duffle bag; standing up). Outlet, light and curtains on each bunk. Had a top bunk, so there was still plenty of light coming in as there's open space above you. So bring a good sleep mask if you want it dark. There were towels there and the sheets were already on the bed, so that's also nice. It's a 30 bed dorm, so there will be noise, but it never felt crowded, despite being pretty full. There was also a little rack to hang your clothes. Check in was easy (used the self check in) and check out was also smooth. All the staff were friendly. The rooftop terrace is really nice and I loved having my meals up there. The common room/kitchen is spacious, but the kitchen is kind of a joke. There are two fridges, two sinks, an oven and a microwave. It's really small and even if there are just 2 people trying to make a small meal, you're in each others way a lot. This needs improvement in my opinion. But huge plus for the hostel to take care of the dirty dishes/cutlery. The bathrooms were also clean and the showers were good too. There are two hooks there for your towel and stuff. It would be really nice to have a shelf in the actual shower area to put your products (they do supply shampoo and bodywash). There are hair dryers available and there was always enough space to use the sinks/mirrors to get ready. I would love a full length mirror somewhere! Most of the time you could find an empty shower/toilet when you needed it. The area is nice enough, about a 30' walk from Oslo S (a gradual, gentle uphill to the hostel) or about 13' w/ the bus. There's a supermarket right outside the hostel (+ I can recommend getting a TooGoodTooGo bakery bag from the Joker supermarket at Dælenenggata maybe a three minute walk away, if you're on a buget, you'll easily get some good carbs+cals there :)||Overall, really good. But it is expensive (but currently the only real hostel option somewhat central in Oslo) and the kitchen needs to be better equipped...

Very reasonably priced for Oslo. Easy access from the train station (direct bus). The neighborhood is interesting, with several parks and plenty of cafes and restaurants.

The dorm was spacious enough that it didn't feel cramped despite having 30 bunks. The bed was clean, and towels were provided. I liked the self check-in, very easy to figure out. The secure locker was big, but I'd suggest adding a step so a short person can reach the hook and the upper shelf! The dorm has a small social area by the window, which was very nice. I'm not a huge fan of the hot pink aesthetic. ;) The social/dining area could be better - the "kitchen" is mostly useless, with no way to actually cook anything. Not great for people travelling on a budget, all you can do is make instant noodles or microwave something, no healthy cooking from scratch possible. The rooftop terrace offers spectacular views.

And finally - the bathrooms... On the plus side, they are regularly cleaned, and there are hair dryers, shampoo and soap. The women's bathrooms are out of toilet paper by late evening. And the showers just SUCK, everything about them is designed stupidly. You can't just turn the water on and off, the motion sensor just gets it running for a minute. Good luck taking a shower without getting your hair wet! And not being able to turn off the water means everything floods if you run it more than once. There are three small hooks, and no shelves, not in the wet area and not by the door. If you hang the clothes you're taking off, the clothes you're putting on and a towel, there's a good chance something will end up on the floor. No place to put your toiletries, glasses, a phone, or a room key card in the dry area. The shower cabins are poorly ventilated, so by the time you're drying yourself off, you're already beginning to sweat again. The person who designed the shared women's showers should be locked in one until they apologize and come up with something...