Heart of Gold Hostel & Capsules Berlin

There are 3, maybe 4, simple things needed/nice when staying in a hostel bed: usb sockets, personal light, shelf and a curtain. This hostel had none of these - which meant staying on a top bunk really sucked as there was nowhere to put my phone (or any stuff) or be able to charge it. There were only two showers and three toilets for about 30 people (at a guess), although strangely this never became a problem. The showers were quite badly maintained: on one occasion there was no hot water and on every occasion the plug was blocked and the tray quickly filled up; this is such a simple 2 minute fix it confounds me why some hostels don't get it sorted (I did report it at the desk). It was a bit annoying having to pay a deposit of 10 euros for the keycard - I stay at a lot of hostels and having to leave a deposit is Very uncommon. Also the bar only accepted £10 minimum for card payments but I think this might have been a more German thing because people were always pestering me for cash in Germany. Also the breakfast is lackluster and definitely not worth the 10 euros - the salami was horrible and there was no Real milk offered for tea, just vegan stuff, whatever it was it was horrible. On the good side, the staff were all extremely nice and helpful, couldn't fault them. The lift was fast, which is unusual in a budget place like this. The area was quiet, felt safe and was quite central. The beers were good value - like 3.50. There was a nice outside patio area with tables.

I did like my stay here, but the reason why I gave it four stars was that they do not clean all of their bedding in between each guest, which is disgusting. They don’t clean the blankets between each guest nor the bottom sheet.. this is just not sanitary. So if you stay here, please request new ones! I did like they had free coffee and tea all day.. they also had a hairdryer and iron that you could put a € 10 deposit.. which was OK. The other thing I didn’t like about it was smoking was everywhere and it would come through the window windows so the capsule area smelled like smoke.. yes, I’m American so I hate this!

I've never stayed at a hostel before so I don't know whats standard and how my stay compares. The employees were all friendly and helpful. I found my pillow to be inadequate; it barely had any stuffing in it. The dorm i stayed in got quite warm and had an odour but it was no doubt the other people in the room and not the room itself.

Great stay, free tea and coffee all day, you can keep your luggage onsite too. Great location close to restaurants and transport, Would go back.

The staff and pod beds were great. The hostel was let down as the pods barely have any ventilation and in 40+ degree heat were almost unbearable. In cooler days though I’d recommend the hostel as it’s well run, in a great location and value for money