I stayed in Hostel Happy Days during the “Artists Abroad Trip” of 2013 and really had an enjoyable experience. So much so that I thought I’d sit down and write a review on the place.
First off, it’s cheap. The cheapest we could find in the city, actually. It varies depending on what days you’re staying, from about $18-$23 (€14-€17) per night. The added bonus: Free pasta dinner every night and free coffee and breakfast snacks in the morning!
Every night at 8pm, a dinner of pasta is served to the entire hostel, gratis. This makes a big difference in Europe. Dinners for myself and the other two people I was traveling with (only from food bought at supermarkets) were around $6 per night. If you’re eating out every night, that number rises significantly. The coffee was a luxury unimaginable to us after saving every single penny possible; depriving ourselves of anything but the most basic means of survival.
The Staff:
Free dinner aside, this is where Happy Days Roma shines. These guys were by far the friendliest staff we had at any hostel in Europe. Alex, the manager, was helpful in so many ways; especially when we were holed-up in our room during our big website catasrophe. (If you didn’t know, the entire website crashed and had to be rebuilt from the ground up) We saw them as good friends by the time we left to take our flight to Thailand. They like to joke around, so be prepared for a good laugh!
I do feel it should be mentioned that there is a lockout from 10am-5pm for cleaning, although the morning part is generally laid-back. This is perfect if you’ll be out seeing the city every day, especially since the hostel is located a short walk away from The Vatican, Pantheon, and a few other sight-seeing locales.
The Rooms:
The rooms are very clean, and they have a variety of options. We took the cheapest, which was a 9-bed co-ed dorm. The beds were comfortable, and everything was well taken care of. There are storage lockers in the room that are lockable if your bring your own lock. You can also store things in the main room next to check-in. There is a smoking room in this area as well, for any smokers that may be staying there. Also noteworthy are the three computers that are available for anyone’s use.
It was mentioned on several Hostel World reviews that people encountered problems with employees sleeping in the dorms during the cleaning lockout, but we never saw this happening. Bear in mind that we were there all day and stayed a total of a week and a half–including our first stay–so this is something we would have noticed. Apparently this may have been a problem in the past, but it appears to no longer be the case. I do know there has been a management change, so maybe it was Alex who fixed this issue.
Summary:
Happy Days Roma is great for younger people who want to see the city, meet new people and have a fun, laid-back time. We never had any problems with people keeping us up all night, and we always felt well taken care of. I highly recommend a stay here if you’re in Rome. You will love it! Enjoy your free pasta dinner, and maybe if Alex likes you, you’ll get a little vodka in your morning coffee!
P.S.
Look for our sticker on the “Staff Only” cabinet in the kitchen 😉
