Hoosville Hostel — Hotel in Florida City

ATTENTION!!! This was me and my boyfriend’s first time staying at a hostel, previously not knowing what it was, but this is our deduction: this hostel was a dirty, dangerous nightmare. To start off, there are NO private bathrooms (for 20-ish guests) and when we walked through the hall, there was a 50-ish year old man with his pants halfway down shuffling to the bathroom. The kitchen was a straight up horror movie, with no sanitation whatsoever. Disgusting floors and pile of dirty food everywhere. The cook was sweaty and we definitely didn’t trust him to cook food. This hostel is in an extremely dangerous place, the neighborhood was dark and run down, we did NOT feel safe. Most of the guests who stayed there were just looking for a place to crash until they find another place to live. Basically a glorified homeless shelter. The manager even told us that the guests who stay there are CRAZY DRUG ADDICTS. He showed us drawing on the walls and laughed while saying the people who did that were probably on LSD… he also told us that we cannot pick up/pet the koi fish in the koi pond (which we didn’t want to in the first place.) He told us that guests have done it previously… overall, rancid, dangerous, and homeless/druggies everywhere. Worst part was that we decided not to stay and didn’t get our $72 back...

This place is a hidden gem. I'm a native Floridian and love to get away to the Florida Keys on the weekends whether it be camping or staying in a hotel. I found out about this place from a friend. I booked the Small Nenby which is a secluded 1 bedroom, 1 bath bungalow with a screened in patio and kitchenette. The nenby is fully fenced in and surrounded by lush native plants and fruit trees. It also has it's own private spring pool made from coral. The entire pool deck is made from coral. At night the patio is lit up with fun lighting, tiki torche and a propane fire podium. New owners just purchased this place about 6 months ago and are excited about getting this place into tip top condition so I can only imagine the possibilities. This location is only a short drive to the upper keys and the Everglades. They also have a lot of canoes and kayaks that you can rent. They have all the equipment necessary to stap them on to the roof of your vehicle so you can choose where you want to go to get on the water. Overall this place has a very bohemian feel yet tranquil. I would recommend this as a place to stay for any floridian with an adventurous spirit looking to get away for the weekend or any tourists. I look forward to staying here again. Thank you Greg and Bobby for a great visit. We will...

Very affordable, clean, laid back, funky place to hang your hat for a few nights on the way to or from the Keys, or the Everglades. The national park is only 8 miles away. I have stayed here 7 or 8 times since 2004, and have always enjoyed it. Well equipped self-serve kitchen, movie lounge, outdoor movie theater, refreshing lagoon style pool with a waterfall. Lots of space to sunbath, relax and just hang out, have a beer and socialize with other hostelers from all over the world. Free pancake breakfast, too. They also offer camping. The new owner, Mike, is friendly, " hands-on ", and involved, with great plans for running tours, canoeing, biking and other new activities in the near future. Shout out to the very friendly, helpful, knowledgable, and professional staff: Mgr. Nicole, Chris, and Robert. Big plus: Miami and Keys buses outside the door for 3-5 bucks, ( Yes...you can actually bus it all the way to Key West...110 or so miles... for five bucks ! ) and all sorts of shopping and restaurants in the immediate area. This place is a gem... highly recommended from someone who has stayed in numerous hostels in the U.S., Europe and Central...