Z Hostel — Hotel in Irkutsk

We arrived on the Trans- Siberian from Yekaterinberg at 10.30pm at night with information from this hostel, that if we were coming by taxi to make sure we paid NO MORE than 250 roubles for the journey from the station, and to have the CORRECT change ready.||Luckily, we were forewarned. ||We found lots of taxis waiting (all ready to pounce on unsuspecting tourists!!!!) ||First, we arrived at a very dark address, which I knew, right from the start was NOT in the right direction of the hostel, as I’d been to Irkutsk before.||We then insisted the driver find the correct address and stayed put. After some time and driving round and round in circles he FINALLY brought us to the front door. (I have no hesitation in believing he knew exactly where we wanted to go, as Irkutsk is not Moscow and the drivers know well, their way around this town and especially when we were on a main street)||I’m ALWAYS sus about taxi drivers, so we got our luggage out of the boot and were at the front door of the hostel before I paid him.||He requested 4500 roubles!!!!!!!! And was hugely irate when we went inside, and then paid just 250 roubles (being the correct fare)||After 10 minutes, the hostel receptionist had to go into the courtyard and remind the driver that he was on their surveillance camera before he would leave. It was quite frightening for 2 gals so late at night to have to go through this on arrival, with a taxi driver swearing at the top of his voice and banging on the door, but the practice IS widespread in Irkutsk sadly right now.||I have no hesitation either in believing the driver would have been violent with us, had we have not been so far inside the building when we paid him.||The Hostel were pleased we had not been ripped off, and are WARNING everybody that this practice is rife and supported by the local police. ||The hostel had NOT had anyone arrive in the week we arrived, who had not been caught in the sting!!!!!!!||BE FOREWARNED AND DO AS WE DID FOR SAFETY.||We booked a private room at Z with private facilities during our stay and it felt just like home. The room, with 2 double beds was fresh and clean with an open window, crisp white linen, duvets and fluffy pillows. The bathroom was spotless. It was wonderful to be able to catch up on our laundry after weeks of travelling. The washing machine and dryer were well received. All receptionists were charming and helpful with our trip planning. Our special thanks to Helen who could not have done more for us.||The kitchen and common room was packed every day with lots of travellers (the place was full) and there was a good vibe nightly as everyone congregated around the TV to watch the World Cup. The kitchen facilities were well laid out with a full cupboard of utensils and there was always someone cooking up a feast night or day. We didn’t eat in, but found the best restaurants of our trip up and down Karl Marx Street 5 minutes from home with Helens help.||Our particular favourite was Antrecot and the Bier Haus next door as we were tiring by then of Russian fare.||We could have stayed forever at Z, it really was very comfortable and is the perfect address for a very central location. Irkutsk is very flat making walking everywhere so easy. It’s an interesting town and the market place is NOT to be missed. We lunched daily at the Central Market ( Tsentral’nyy Rynok) The array of produce is mind boggling, wonderful meats, sausages, cheeses, fruits and fish.||I’d return in a heartbeat to Z Hostel, a very central location with great accommodation...

We arrived on the Trans- Siberian from Yekaterinberg at 10.30pm at night with information from this hostel, that if we were coming by taxi to make sure we paid NO MORE than 250 roubles for the journey from the station, and to have the CORRECT change ready.||Luckily, we were forewarned. ||We found lots of taxis waiting (all ready to pounce on unsuspecting tourists!!!!) ||First, we arrived at a very dark address, which I knew, right from the start was NOT in the right direction of the hostel, as I’d been to Irkutsk before.||We then insisted the driver find the correct address and stayed put. After some time and driving round and round in circles he FINALLY brought us to the front door. (I have no hesitation in believing he knew exactly where we wanted to go, as Irkutsk is not Moscow and the drivers know well, their way around this town and especially when we were on a main street)||I’m ALWAYS sus about taxi drivers, so we got our luggage out of the boot and were at the front door of the hostel before I paid him.||He requested 4500 roubles!!!!!!!! And was hugely irate when we went inside, and then paid just 250 roubles (being the correct fare)||After 10 minutes, the hostel receptionist had to go into the courtyard and remind the driver that he was on their surveillance camera before he would leave. It was quite frightening for 2 gals so late at night to have to go through this on arrival, with a taxi driver swearing at the top of his voice and banging on the door, but the practice IS widespread in Irkutsk sadly right now.||I have no hesitation either in believing the driver would have been violent with us, had we have not been so far inside the building when we paid him.||The Hostel were pleased we had not been ripped off, and are WARNING everybody that this practice is rife and supported by the local police. ||The hostel had NOT had anyone arrive in the week we arrived, who had not been caught in the sting!!!!!!!||BE FOREWARNED AND DO AS WE DID FOR SAFETY.||We booked a private room at Z with private facilities during our stay and it felt just like home. The room, with 2 double beds was fresh and clean with an open window, crisp white linen, duvets and fluffy pillows. The bathroom was spotless. It was wonderful to be able to catch up on our laundry after weeks of travelling. The washing machine and dryer were well received. All receptionists were charming and helpful with our trip planning. Our special thanks to Helen who could not have done more for us.||The kitchen and common room was packed every day with lots of travellers (the place was full) and there was a good vibe nightly as everyone congregated around the TV to watch the World Cup. The kitchen facilities were well laid out with a full cupboard of utensils and there was always someone cooking up a feast night or day. We didn’t eat in, but found the best restaurants of our trip up and down Karl Marx Street 5 minutes from home with Helens help.||Our particular favourite was Antrecot and the Bier Haus next door as we were tiring by then of Russian fare.||We could have stayed forever at Z, it really was very comfortable and is the perfect address for a very central location. Irkutsk is very flat making walking everywhere so easy. It’s an interesting town and the market place is NOT to be missed. We lunched daily at the Central Market ( Tsentral’nyy Rynok) The array of produce is mind boggling, wonderful meats, sausages, cheeses, fruits and fish.||I’d return in a heartbeat to Z Hostel, a very central location with great accommodation...

From arriving at Z Hostel, both my girlfriend and I were immediately surprised by how warm a welcome we received from Dima. We arrived early in the morning from Moscow, but dropped by the hostel anyway to ask if we could leave our bags at the hostel so we could explore the city while we waited to check in. Of course that was fine, but we were told that if we were exhausted from the ride we could even check in early for free, and that he could have a room ready for us in an hour or so! ||||When we got back from a walk around the city about 90 minutes later, he told us that, although we had booked a dorm, they had a private room available throughout our stay that we could upgrade to if we wanted at less than the usual price; so we took that. The rest of the staff weren't quite as friendly as Dima was, and even told me contradictory things about leaving the door open at night (she told me to leave the front door open for guests coming back so she could sleep, then when I did that came to knock on our door and tell me off because it was unsafe to leave the door unlocked!) but they still did their jobs well enough in the hostel. Dima spoke fluently in English and was able to give us lots of recommendations for places to eat and drink nearby, but the next morning when we asked the other staff about visiting Listvyanka they weren't able to tell us much - even when we asked in Russian.||||The room was comfortable and suited us more than fine for the few nights we stayed there. The bathrooms were adequately equipped, and the kitchen was fine for us storing some wine and vodka to chill it - especially before the overnight train that we were to leave Irkutsk on. When it came to leave, Dima even offered us a ride to the train station since he was driving home that way anyway - which was really nice of him! The only downside of this hostel is that they asked us for extra money to clean the sheets when we left; I've never been asked this anywhere of the ~80 hostels I've stayed in before, and always thought that cleaning costs are covered by the amount we're paying for the room!||||Still, for budget accommodation for a few nights in Irkutsk, this hostel was a lot friendlier and cleaner than every other hostel we stayed in across Russia. The location is also great: Irkutsk is not a big town, but all the tourist sites, local transport links, and a good selection of restaurants and bars are all within walking distance. It's definitely the first place I'd look back to when...