Backpackers Hostel & Pub — Hotel in Everett

I will preface this review by saying that I stayed the weekend of the Boston Marathon and that may have affected my experience more positively or negatively compared to baseline.

I've stayed in hostels all over the world and I will say this one was cleaner than probably 70% of them. Newly renovated bathrooms which were kept quite clean. Showers were plenty hot, sheets I received appeared clean, the mattresses were nothing special but I slept okay on them.

Clientele was overall very polite, everyone else in my shared room was running the marathon the next day. On any other given weekend I couldn't speak to the caliber of folks staying, but I felt really safe and didn't have any serious concerns about my valuables/safety.

Amenities I used: Small lockers in the shared room allow you to lock up valuables (bring your own lock). The luggage room is unlocked and not supervised but the hosts were very accommodating allowing me to leave my suitcase on the day of my departure so I didn't have to lug it around sightseeing all day. Not a ton else going on, the main lobby is nice for socializing. Breakfast in the morning is basic - toast with jam/peanut butter/butter and coffee which was a nice offering. I would highly recommend a short walk to Santanas plaza for an affordable (and plenty of options) breakfast menu with huge portions, consistently busy but did not have to wait long for a table or our food. Otherwise supplementing the toast and coffee with a bigger 2nd breakfast in the city (Mike's Pastry) is always a safe bet.

Considerations that may or may not be a dealbreaker for some: Location - 10-12 minute walk from public transportation which will get you into the city in about 20 minutes. Not the worst and nothing they can do about that, but its a little out of the way. I would have some reservations making this walk alone in the dark. Pricing - $80/night for a shared room seemed a little steep to me based on the location, but demand may have been higher for the weekend I was there since Boston marathon was the next Monday and they seemed pretty full. That all said, we booked through hostel world and could have saved quite a lot in fees if we had booked direct with the front desk. Road noise: Our room was next to a very busy surface street (and a roundabout). It was hot in the room so having the window cracked helped with climate control but the road noise was definitely noticeable. I always use earplugs and an eye cover at a hostel which helped a lot.

Some fun extras: the front desk workers give out t-shirts as part of your stay. Everyone I encountered was real friendly and willing to help out with any questions I had. They are aggressively nice about asking you to leave a review - I did it for you Ray!

Overall I would definitely recommend to a friend wanting...

DO NOT STAY HERE, ESPECIALLY IF YOU ARE A SOLO, FEMALE TRAVELER!! I have no idea how this place has such good reviews, my stay was HORRIBLE. I would give 0 stars if possible.

I stayed here because I wanted to practice the hostel experience if I ever get to Europe. What a huge mistake. I will never stay at a hostel ever again because of this place. I requested an all-female room and was supposed to stay for 4 nights but only stayed for 1. The second day I was staying here, WHILE I WAS SHOWERING (thankfully in the locked bathroom), a MAN came in the room and had just come in and fallen asleep in one of the beds. When I got out of the bathroom, I was completely panicked, and the front desk really acted like it wasn't a big deal and it wasn't their fault that they didn't check everyone's IDs of who would be staying in what rooms, and the room I was in was even initially (mistakenly) marked as co-ed. Oh, heck no. I was moved to another all-female room, which was empty except for one person who had clearly been living there for several weeks, literally to nurse a physical injury until she could get home, and I felt like I was completely invading her somewhat safe space.

It's not a hostel, it's a halfway house. People literally LIVE here and pay week-by-week to do so, and that was happening at the front counter every time I passed by, clear as day. They advertise their cool lobby space, which is always full of older men (40+) who stare at you anytime you walk by, which was also confirmed to me by some other girls who were staying there. It's also in a pretty shady neighborhood, so waiting for your Uber outside or walking to the transit stations isn't super great either, and the advertised shuttle system (which I think is just one of the employees driving you?) didn't exist. I felt so uncomfortable and unsafe here, after the room mix-up incident I decided to just Uber to the airport in my pajamas in the middle of the night because I wanted to get out of there so bad, I knew I'd feel safer waiting overnight at the airport. I decided to change my flight to go home to the following day since I had already paid for my entire stay and moving my flight up cost way less than changing to any other hotel in the city.

Oh, and I also ended up with a throat infection that put me in urgent care within a couple days of staying here.

DO NOT STAY HERE. Please just find a hotel or there's a hostel I walked by in Chinatown that seemed to be much...

My experience with this hostel began with a prompt and friendly pickup at the Wellington metro stop, which is a six minute drive away from the hostel. The driver was helpful and made me feel welcome right away. When I reached the hostel, I was greeted by a wonderful example of Boston charm. He greeted me with a smile and was genuinely interested in my travels and plans. Soon, I was shown my room and the hostel facilities. The eight bed room was spacious and had plenty of storage areas for my luggage. Hostel provided sheets and blankets were folded on the bed and an air conditioner kept the room cool and comfortable. Additionally, there was a large common room with several couches and computers, a hostel pub for louder social activities and a billiard room and very clean and orderly guest kitchen in the back. All of the areas provided opportunities to meet fellow travelers, which I greatly enjoyed. Although the hostel is one and a half miles from a metro stop, it provides frequent and reliable shuttles to and from Wellington metro station, which is just four stops from North Station (a commuter rail stop and popular metro station). Thus, after settling down and enjoying some of the hostel’s niceties, I was able to take a shuttle to the station and was even able to later take one back to the hostel even though it was later than the posted hours. Also, since the hostel’s sleeping quarters are far away from the common areas, the hostel had no enforced curfews or lights off policies, though it was generally quiet after 12 AM anyway. The beds were soft and comfortable and the room was comfortable as I slept. The only quibble I had was that the door could be a bit loud when it closed, but this was a minor point for me. When I awoke, I was happy to enjoy the provided continental breakfast of toast, jam, peanut butter and coffee and towels, soap, and shampoo were provided for my use. My stay was so nice that I regretted only booking one night. My shuttle back included a talking tour of the history of the area and our driver was a gem. Without a doubt, this was a highly enjoyable...