Marco Polo Hostel

I arrived in the far outskirts of Budapest at 4:30 am. The metro started running at 5:00 am, and within the hour I had reached Marco Polo Hostel. Even though it was 6:00 am, the girl at the front desk allowed me to check in! I was immediately impressed and went straight to the room for a nap.

When I woke up I explored the hostel a bit more. It is made up of a series of single, double, triple and quad private rooms, as well as larger dormitories. This is great for groups of friends or couples traveling on a tight budget. My dorm room had about eight or ten bunk beds, but they were actually divided into mini rooms with walls separating the beds into little rooms and locking storage lockers making up the other wall. You could then pass through a small curtain to get to your bunk area. This was great for me as I liked the privacy, though it could be awkward if you were sharing a bunk with someone really weird and you were that enclosed. Our dorm had a bathroom with a few showers and toilets; the showers didn't drain well or have great water pressure, but they were sufficiently clean.

I definitely felt this hostel was lacking in community. Budapest would be a great place to explore with new friends, and the set-up of the hostel, with lots of private rooms and enclosed bunk beds, doesn't make for great socializing. There is a basement bar that seems to be open all the time, but it didn't look very busy. Additionally, after the initial kindness of the early check-in, I found the front desk staff quite rude. I'm always very unassuming and polite when requesting help with things like directions and activities, but the girls at the front desk were consistently hostile when speaking with me. Their website advertises the Budapest Card under their services, and there was a sign in the lobby for the Budapest Card, so I asked if I could buy it on-site. The girl almost laughed in my face and said, "Hotels don't sell cards. Go to tourist information." I asked where tourist information was, and she replied, "Octagon." I'd been in Budapest for all of six hours, most of which I'd spent sleeping... how was I supposed to know where Octagon was? Even better, the Octagon Tourist Info office turned out to be the only one that didn't have normal opening hours, so I was stuck waiting around until noon (as I had no idea where other tourist info offices could be found).

Return visitors to Budapest who are on a tight budget might like staying at Marco Polo, especially if they're with someone else. People who would like some friendly local advice, or who want to meet others, should probably look for another hostel.

Directions: About four blocks from Blaha Luzja ter Metro Station.

I thought this place was OK.It is a good location and staff were very helpful.
I had to charge my cellphone in the bathroom which was a problem because I couldnt leave it there overnight.
Had to leave before the breakfast so I cant give opinion about that.
I would recommend it.

Unique Quality: Nothing unique I could see

The location and their facilities were quite good.

But I would never go there because the stuffs were so rude. :(
They were not interested in helping their guests
and my friend & I were quite annoyed.

Breakfast was better than nothing.
The bread was like a stone...

You can use Internet, but it was also expensive.
(Sorry, I don't remember exactly how much it was.)

We moved to another place because we didn't want to stay there for the rest of our stay.
Someone recommended another place (it was an apartment very closed to Opera House)
and it was a good choice.

Sorry, I wouldn't recommend this hostel to anybody...

I spent a couple of weekends in Budapest with together with some friends and we stayed at this ideally located youth hostel in the center of the city.

The good thing about the Marco Polo Hostel is, that it's quite cheap despite its central location. The downside of course is that you have to share a room with 11 others, but if you are travelling as a group that's great fun anyway.

Unique Quality: Top location and cheap place to stay in a wonderful city

i stayed here in July of 05. the cost was about 20 US dollars a night. Facility was okay, kind of overcrowded. The staff spoke english but were a little rude. I came back through Budapest on m y way back from Croatia and stayed at a place called Mellow Mood Central hostel.(don't be confused because the Mellow Mood company owns both ) But the one named Mellow Mood was much more accomodating.(couldn't tell you why) but the rooms had more space and there was a nice bar on the top floor. location was great too...and same price

Unique Quality: good view, great location, accomodating staff, very informative also

A rather big hostel with good facilities for prevention against robbery.

But the staff is not very kind to their guests..

The breakfast is bad; stone hard breads and fake-orangejuice are not the types of food you want to eat..

I would recommend another hostel..

When we were arriving by train to Krakow a girl from tourist information go up to the train and give us and other people some information about the city, even maps. We was chatting about hostels and she offer some of them and we choose Marco polo hostel beacuse the spaniards that we met on the traib from Krakow to Auschwitz told us that was nice and the breakfast was excellent... it was a little bit more expensive than others but marco polo had the breakfast included...All about 18euros or 4500 forint (HUF)

so a van picked us up from keleti and after some traffic jams we got there....our first impresision was quite good ...we left back our rucksack and go steps down to the "bar-rest" to have breakfast although we havnt the chance to eat it cos we didnt sleep there that night...anyway...we took it !!! lol

There was a common lockers full of backpacks from leaving people or like us waiting for a room till 3 or 4 hours later
once there the room wasnt as we booked in advance...well in the train. it was a large common room 12 or more with a private locker and a curtain and a wall split the room in 6 bed bunches. The toilet was clean and two showers and two WC for all us .. it didnt like full but the next day we have to change our room,, so confusing and annoyed
Besides they told us that there was a kitchen...we bought everything (food) and when we checked it out...there wasnt pots, knifes, pans ..nothing !!!!!!! just 2 burners (elelctric) but it was so hard to do anything...

So i cant suggest it ..besides it was too expensive for that service and the best point was the breakfast....btw.. the internet in the hostel is quite expensive

Directions: Closer to Keleti.pu and the main avenue to get there is Rackoczi ..exactly 9th block walking from keleti..so 15 min

OK, if you take out all the inconvenients we had just arriving, it's a good hostel. However, it better make some improvements.

As a start, people working there gave us more trouble than really helped us. It says it has a kitchen, but it doesn't. So if you're in a budget and want to cook, forget about it. That really annoyed us!!

It does has a good thing, it's very near from most of the clubs to hang out, so you won't have to walk to much to go partying. That's probably why it is so expensive.

It has a good breakfast, none of the typical continental stuff, but it has hams, and cheeses, so it's pretty good, for what you usually get. A tip!! If you get there in the morning, check-in, leave you bags at the safe, and go to have breakfast. You're not supposed to, but they don't check who is eating.

Internet is very expensive, but there is an Internet place nearby much better and cheaper!!

Budapest hotel prices are climbing: this place is among the cheapest in central Budapest. 10 mins walking distance from the pedestrian shopping area, the market hall, Deli pu. station etc. Clean, modern with "all basics" taken for granted in middle-class hotels. Go to the website for details.

I stayed in a quadruple room - and no one else was placed in it with me... I did not complain!

Unique Quality: Private bathroom, telephone AND television (with italian channels). It was a blast.

Directions: in the pest side