Tromso Activities Hostel — Hotel in Tromsø

5 ☆ but WHY?

The last 3 months I was working in tourism and stayed in the hostel mostly. This one is among the many out there extraordinary. Let me tell you how. First remarkable detail was that many other guests extended their stay or came back. With some I became friends - that made me feel more home. Also I got to know the owners of the business which seem to me like them wanting to have guests having a good experience like being warm and caring for their needs . later more to that.. Amongst the many hostels Ive been the level of cleanliness there is high considering international standard (and the wifi superb). Maybe norwegians or italians wouldnt agree. But the effort that is made is good considering how many people come through. And thats also interesting. The people and their reasons to stay are very diverse. bikers. hospitalpatients. hikers. researchers (samiculture) worldtravellers....

Everyone of us has different needs and I experienced that the staff really tries to help like for example when a dude forgot his guitar at the ferryterminal they went to get it (back to him). Or when a very smelly human infested a dorm - was moved to another room to make sure we wont be bothered anymore. It was great to get informal help when we couldnt find a parking in town or needed to store luggage...

During my stay in the summer '19 it was a bit noisy because its a building thats almost 200 years old. These kind of traditional wooden houses need renovations constantly which are only conductable in the short summerperiod. Through this the hostel is preserving in a way also a cultural heritage of northern norway. The wooden beams and they provide a cozy atmosphere. And when one stays there we are also supporting this. And thats what travelling is about. Act like a local. swim the arctic sea. eat tacos with friends on fridays. Live in a cozy vintage wooden house with an...

I reserved and paid for a dorm bed at the Tromsø activities hostel for a week. When I arrived I was pleased by the friendly and warm vibe - being made to feel welcome by the volunteers and other guests. I had a pleasure of meeting so many other wonderful travellers which was one of my highlights here in Tromsø.

The first night at the hostel I struggled to sleep comfortably. The pillow was flat and the mattress was so then and hard I could feel the wooden framing underneath. I have stayed at many hostels in my time and all other places I’ve been had decent bedding.

One of my roommates was sick while we shared a dorm - having coughing fits throughout the night that often woke me up. By the third night I had a sore throat and developed a fever, so to ensure the health and safety of other guests at the hostel I moved to a hotel to isolate. I also received a COVID test and when it came back positive I notified the hostel owner, along with the fact I left.

In all my experiences were much less than satisfactory, which is regrettable as I really looked forward to staying here. I asked the owner if he would refund me for the remaining nights I did not stay at the accomodation - this seems only fair as I did not use it. The owner declined to refund me. This is really poor form. Nowhere in my reservation did it stay it was nonrefundable or state terms and conditions for cancelling the booking. Adding insult to injury the owner wrote “If the request had been to check out initially we could have arranged something” - I informed the owner I had checked out the day I left and the owner should not just arbitrarily decide whether to refund or not based on how he feels.

While it is not the fault of the hostel I got COVID, I feel most let down by the events that followed. It’s...

I've been here twice. My first experience in Nov 2019 was superb. Cool guests, fantastic volunteers and even though there were a lot of broken items in the building the atmosphere was cozy and I felt safe. Even without keys or lockers. The location in the city centre is awesome. I also had a great Aurora tour with the guide Jess and fantastic pictures.

That's why I decided to return when visiting Tromsø again in Nov 2023. Unfortunately it was a huge disappointment. When I wanted to check in it turned out that they booked me in for one aurora tour only but not for the bed. The volunteer tried to reach the bosses but did not get a contact. From 4 nights that I planned to stay 1 night was already fully booked. The volunteer tried his best and even offered me his bed.. in the end it somehow worked fine. What annoyed me most was not the fact that they forgot my booking... that can happen... thanks to the volunteer for taking care! But I never got an apology or even any message from the bosses. I felt like they don't care at all. Also this time I never got any pictures from the aurora tour. Bummer!

After 2019 I would have recommend this hostel to everyone (which I did on several platforms) but now? No, I think I wouldn't...