Indy Hostel

I try to use hostels as much as I can when I travel, so I was happy to find that Indianapolis had one and even happier that it was privately owned in a beautiful old home in a historic neighborhood. Just over this summer I stayed in 6 different hostels and liked them all. This hostel was in a desirable location with a beautiful outdoor space close to the biking trail.

I ended up having mixed feelings about this particular hostel. I feel it could be very amazing, but it just isn't there. I was reserved for two nights the last weekend in July, but did not hang around for the second night. As a matter of fact I spent less than 14 hours here.

First, when I arrived at 8:00 pm, I was supposed to use the door code to let myself in. But, the door opened without me needing to punch the code. This didn't bother me until I realized that there were no hostel staff still at the location. I thought it maybe was activated when they left for the night. It felt very unsafe to be able to open the door and walk right in. Also, no lock on the dorm room door. If you could walk in the back door, you could then walk right into my dorm room. There were no lockers as advertised in my dorm room. Everyone's stuff was scattered about and took up much of the floor space in the small room. Not safe in case of emergency exits. Not enough outlets to charge our phones in the room.

Second, the room was extremely hot. The current guests said the air conditioner wasn't working well enough to cool the room and all the windows were open. They were right, when trying the AC it would run for about 30-45 minutes and then completely shut off. Extremely hot and stuffy. No fresh moving air as there were no fans. It was especially bad for those in the top bunks as the windows are very low to the floor and they opened near the bottom of the room. Just hot, dead, stagnant air. We sweated our butts off in that room trying to sleep. The last straw was the mattress. I understand that hostel mattresses are well used, however, this one was misshapen along the sides and had NO support left in the middle. When laying on my back my arms were well higher than the center of my body.

I used my phone to arrange for different accommodations whilst still miserably awake at 4:00 am. When I left the next morning at 10:15 am, after trying a cooling shower in a bathroom that also was not cooled, there was still no hostel staff present at the location. One of my bunkmates was asleep on the common area couch as it was nicely air conditioned. A call was made, to the number provided in my email, on 7/27 it has not yet been returned.

I try to use hostels as much as I can when I travel, so I was happy to find that Indianapolis had one and even happier that it was privately owned in a beautiful old home in a historic neighborhood. Just over this summer I stayed in 6 different hostels and liked them all. This hostel was in a desirable location with a beautiful outdoor space close to the biking trail.

I ended up having mixed feelings about this particular hostel. I feel it could be very amazing, but it just isn't there. I was reserved for two nights the last weekend in July, but did not hang around for the second night. As a matter of fact I spent less than 14 hours here.

First, when I arrived at 8:00 pm, I was supposed to use the door code to let myself in. But, the door opened without me needing to punch the code. This didn't bother me until I realized that there were no hostel staff still at the location. I thought it maybe was activated when they left for the night. It felt very unsafe to be able to open the door and walk right in. Also, no lock on the dorm room door. If you could walk in the back door, you could then walk right into my dorm room. There were no lockers as advertised in my dorm room. Everyone's stuff was scattered about and took up much of the floor space in the small room. Not safe in case of emergency exits. Not enough outlets to charge our phones in the room.

Second, the room was extremely hot. The current guests said the air conditioner wasn't working well enough to cool the room and all the windows were open. They were right, when trying the AC it would run for about 30-45 minutes and then completely shut off. Extremely hot and stuffy. No fresh moving air as there were no fans. It was especially bad for those in the top bunks as the windows are very low to the floor and they opened near the bottom of the room. Just hot, dead, stagnant air. We sweated our butts off in that room trying to sleep. The last straw was the mattress. I understand that hostel mattresses are well used, however, this one was misshapen along the sides and had NO support left in the middle. When laying on my back my arms were well higher than the center of my body.

I used my phone to arrange for different accommodations whilst still miserably awake at 4:00 am. When I left the next morning at 10:15 am, after trying a cooling shower in a bathroom that also was not cooled, there was still no hostel staff present at the location. One of my bunkmates was asleep on the common area couch as it was nicely air conditioned. A call was made, to the number provided in my email, on 7/27 it has not yet been returned.

I loved staying this little hostel! It was nice and safe and very pleasant. The main thing to know is that the bathrooms don't offer any amenities. Not even hand soap. So you'll need to bring all the toiletries you might need. They do provide coffee which you can brew in the morning. The kitchen is nice and has pans, plates, and utensils that you can use. When I stayed there they didn't have any bikes available, contrary to what the booking site said. I'd say the service is far less than what I've experienced at other hostels. I didn't get a great tour or introduction to the place. I had to talk to other guests to figure out what to do about a towel. I never figured out laundry. The owners don't really spend much time at the hostel. I think you can get the help you need if you call them, but you have to call. But beside all that, I'm looking forward to staying at this hostel again for my next visit to Indy!

This place is amazing! I had the opportunity to meet the owners and Wow, the nicest, most genuine people ever. The grounds are pretty cool and there is quite a bit of space for being so conveniently located to Broad Ripple. On my most recent visit there was a little bit of finish work happening following their recent renovations and upgrades. The craftsmanship and quality is really nice and the upgrades are equally nice. All in all it is a wonderful place and one I have been pleased to spend time in.

Luxurious!! This hostel is such a retreat style stay that it surprised me - what find! Spacious, SUPER STYLISH & immaculately clean accommodations throughout. Modern yet with a retro theme - best of now and then that gives a comfortable ambiance I love. I will so stay here again. And that’s not even mentioning the staff who are so genuinely friendly and caring that I have to say they do this from the heart. I feel like I’m in a Bed & Breakfast except with the fun of a hostel.