Sweet Peas Hostel — Hotel in Asheville

1:29am I ENTER THE NIGHTMARE SWEET PEA! See my 1 thru 8 translation of what 'LIGHTS OUT" means at Gestapo headquarters. WORST HOSTEL EXPERIENCE IN MY LIFE OF 50 YEARS. This place is joke! If you stay up past midnight to play on your laptop, forget this place! They need to rebuild so has rooms separate from public/social areas. They are attempting a hostel in an open warehouse. 3.7 google reviews is ridiculously generous. WHEN THEY SAY LIGHTS OUT AFTER 12, HERE is the NO JOKE TRANSLATION:

1. There are literally 0 lights where you can work.
2. ALL 100% of the lights are out. I felt uneasy the whole time I was totally in the dark on my chromebook. Why? Because I could be keeping the security guy up who was already pissed at me because he awoke when I was talking to a hosteler in the kitchen “after midnight”.
3. Me and 1 other guy were told, NOT EVEN WHISPERING after midnight!!!! You have entered the Gulag!
4. I ‘WHISPERED’ what is the internet name and password and he replied ‘there is no whispering after midnight!!!!! After he thought a bit the 2nd time I whispered and asked for the Internet password, he decided this wasn’t a flogging offense and he angrily told me as he hurriedly turns to go to his bunk bed. I asked if I had other questions tonight what do I do? You guessed it. No more questions because ‘no whispering.’ This is nuts!!!
5. Anxiety ridden at 230am! Even though in headphones the screen or key tapping will have me kicked out for doing nothing more than trying to be on my chromebook in total darkness at 2am. I’m sure he won’t be able to sleep because of his negative energy and thinking and will come back out and escort his new heretobefore happy hosteler out because ‘I tried to be’ on my laptop at 2am. 5 star negative energy the first night! I’m totally anxiety ridden and want no part of this place other than to sleep tonight.
6. However, I’m sure my snoring will have me awoken and kicked out early in the morning because it will bother others in the social area because it is all one in the same. I’m anxiety ridden and don’t foresee getting a full night’s rest from my typical 3 to 6am sleepy time then up at 1pm. Lovely way to start your first night in those wonderful energy places called hostels.
7. Cannot go in the kitchen after 12.
8. 3am and butt hurts on this terrible sofa, but afraid to disturb the other staff member asleep in the social area to get a pillow for fear of waking him and getting thrown out at 3am in the morning which they threatened to do! Now I know why this hostel is not on hostelworld and airbnb. They would get crushed on reviews!!! Thanks google and your reviews still. 1 THRU 8 ABOVE PUTS A WHOLE NEW MEANING ON LIGHTS OUT! P.S. I had stowed my stuff in the hostel about 7pm, got the tour. Then 1:29 am back to learn their crazy rules and totally incompetence. -5 negative stars if i could. Used to teach quality in the Navy. They haven't a clue what a customer is obviously. Was kicked out the next day as soon as I awoke. Turned out good for me because they have a silly 48 hour cancellation and was wanting to get the hell out, but they so kindly helped me. Thanks ridiculous sweet pea. Full refund guess did...

I had never stayed in a hostel before, so I was not sure what to expect when I booked a few nights at Sweet Peas. I was impressed by the pictures online and the price cannot be beat, so I decided to give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised by how fantastic the stay was! The pods are plenty big enough. I am a fairly tall person so I worried that they would be too short for me, but there is ample space to relax and sleep. The lockers are also much bigger than I had imagined that they would be, there is plenty of storage in them. The kitchen is great for cooking a meal if you want to, though I mostly ate out on this trip I did find that having a fridge to keep my bottled water cold was a huge plus. Everything about this place is comfortable and welcoming. They have rules, such as quiet hours and a time when the lights should be turned off in the sleeping areas. I found the rules to be easy to follow and it helped make the stay that much more enjoyable. The parking is in one of two parking garages across the street and the location could not have been more convenient! I parked my car at around 2PM each day and left at 10AM each day for a few hours to explore parts of Asheville that are not downtown, and it was only $10 a day to park. The parking garage has a $10 cap for what it charges overnight and you can pay your parking fee in either cash or credit which I liked. There is a coffee shop just feet from the hostel and all of my downtown favorites were in close walking distance. The location is perfect for anyone wanting to experience staying in downtown Asheville. I would also like to comment on how clean Sweet Peas is! I am usually pretty picky about hotels and places that I stay when I travel, and I have to say that Sweet Peas is one of the cleanest places that I have EVER stayed. The staff is super friendly and willing to give you directions to whatever it is your looking for. I asked if there were any record stores nearby and they informed me that there was one not too far away. It always helps when there is a reliable staff of people to ask questions to if needed. I have read a few reviews that comment on the noise from the bar downstairs, but I would like to explain my personal experience with this. The building has a business downstairs and during the day it is a little loud. I found that at around midnight each night, the music and noise stopped. If you go to bed earlier than midnight then Sweet Peas has free ear plugs that you can have, but I really did not find this to be an issue. The people staying at the hostel were friendly and respectful of one another and I had no issues with noise from the guests at the hostel. The entrance is also private and you can only get in by having a Key Card. I felt extremely safe and comfortable staying here. I much prefer staying at Sweet Peas over a hotel and when I return to Asheville it will be the place that I continue to stay. A hotel / hostel can really make or break a trip when you are traveling and I am happy to say that Sweet Peas made my trip to downtown Asheville a...

I have stayed at both hostels in Asheville and would highly recommend this one over the other one. That said, this review is for Sweet Peas in July of 2022 and I stayed a the other hostel in June of 2021 so it is possible that the comparison is a bit outdated. I have stayed at around 15 hostels in four different countries.

Pros: The hostel is very organized, clean, and the pods are AWESOME in terms of privacy and what you get (outlet, light, shelves, locker, etc.) They take care of the details that are sometimes unclear for other hostels (i.e. do you need a combination lock or not - you don't because they provide you with your own cabinet and lock for the pod storage). There is some noise due to it being downtown but I did not find this to be an issue unlike some other reviewers. The young people who work there were very professional and there was someone there to check you in and show you around. There were also plenty of bathrooms (which were clean) which is different than the other hostel which has one upstairs toilet + shower for everyone staying upstairs.

Cons: This is in no way their fault, but if you drive, the most convenient parking options are expensive relative to what you pay for the hostel. The other hostel is in a neighborhood that is busy but has free street parking and a few (usually full) parking spaces in the back. Sweet Peas has a couple of parking garages right next to it (max $20/24 hour period at the time of me writing this review) though street parking is free from 6 pm - 8 am. They will direct you to free gravel parking lot if you ask but it is quite a walk (around three or four large blocks away over the highway bridge and I found that parking lot to be kind of shady). This is fine if you plan to park your car and just leave it but otherwise it is...