I chose the Kama Central Park because I wanted to spend 10 days in NYC by myself and was unwilling to spend $200+ per night at a typical hotel or AirBnB. . . . . . The location is amazing. It is about a 3-minute walk to the B/C trains at 103rd or 110th St. There are lots of bodegas, restaurants, and services (nail salons, laundromats) within a short walk (Columbus Ave, Amsterdam Ave). There is a Lidl grocery store just up the street at Frederick Douglass Ave near 118th/119th. This is walkable, but you could also take the train two stops if you are carrying a lot of groceries. The Lidl has everything I needed: Yogurt, fruit, chocolate, take-away meals like salads with chicken strips. Even a decent and comfortable pair of black trousers for $15 when I ran out of clean clothes, lol. . . . . . I stayed in a 6-bed female-only room. I appreciated the privacy of my own capsule --- being able to climb into bed and close the door and not have to interact with other people. I also appreciated the common area, where I kept some food in the communal fridge and ate breakfast and a late supper (takeaway from Lild or nearby restaurants) most days. . . . . . I had pleasant interactions with travelers from all over the world. I will mention that I am 55 years old and I met many young people of typical ”hosteling” age, but also people my age and older. . . . . . The en-suite bathroom attached to my bedroom was always clean. In the hall --- open to all residents, not just my 6-person room --- there were a shower room (3 showers) and a toilet room (2 toilets and a sink). For early morning showers, I used these hall facilities rather than my room's en-suite so as not to wake my room-mates. These hall facilities were not as clean as the en-suite, but they were not frighteningly dirty. . . . . . Each bed was assigned a small locker in the bedroom; I left my valuables in it during the day (mainly a laptop). My small suitcase did not fit inside the locker, so I left it sitting outside the locker. I was a bit anxious about that for two reasons. First, I was slightly worried that someone would steal the suitcase (even though it was empty). Second, I was worried that my room-mates might be irritated that my suitcase was sitting there, possibly in their way, and not stowed somewhere. The latch on my locker did not work very well. It was very difficult to make it latch properly. I had to buy a lock. The website said I could buy or borrow a lock from the front desk, but they did not actually have one, so I had to go out and buy one at a CVS for $5. This was not a problem, but I was a little concerned about leaving my belongings unlocked for the first few hours until I purchased the lock. But nothing was stolen. . . . . . One thing about the room was irritating to me --- because my bunk was on top, I had no place to spread out and organize my belongings when packing my day bag each day. This might sound odd, but it was hard for me to *think* about my needs each day and pack ap
When arriving to the hostel it was very late (around 1am) so we got a casual greeting which was to be expected, we went properly told were our room was so was a trouble trying to find it. The hostel itself was very clean however, when showing the water was always cold. Me and my friend (both female) were in a mixed room, and the other people were lovely and also travellers. The area it was in did not feel very safe for female travellers so be careful at night walking around as we got hounded a lot by local men The lockers in the hostel were TINYY! No suitcase would ever fit in there they were like high school lockers. Our room also didn’t lock when you closed it meaning anybody could walk into a room. All around I would recommend this place to anyone else but recommend them not to leave any valuables.
Facilities were better than I imagined, close to the metro station, easy to find. Common area is a little awkward but it’s ok. Just the staff, first girl was nice but a little harsh on the way to communicate, second shift guy was asleep and also not too friendly , third shift was also felt like it’s hard for her to work there. I work in hospitality and I didn’t felt welcomed. Overall was good , just the service , need more customer service.