It’s hard travelling around a lot of cities. You move around a lot and sleep in different places. Each time you learn something new. This time was no exception. I’m not a fussy person – the bed can be hard, the sheets maybe not to fresh, they don’t have to provide towels however cleanliness is a must. And so it should be, there’s no excuse because it’s all down to the management and staff who are incomplete control of this.
We had researched accommodation in Ho Chi Minh and came across Sakura hostel Saigon. Situated in a small alleyway not far from the backpackers area and the bus station. A lot location to start of with. $5 a night is a good price too. The reviews were average but as long as there is no mention of bed bugs I will give anything a go. If there is even one mention of bed bugs we do not take the risk and move onto somewhere else.
We always see the room first and I inspect the mattress for any creepy crawlies noticeably bed bugs. Next we check in which is a simple process. I notice the tour board which has a few tours and bus routes and prices but not a lot of information at. The receptionist is nice and friendly but with our conversation over the booking her English is just basic.
There is one bathroom per room, I actually didn’t check the bathroom and wish I had. It was terrible. Mould and mildew covered the bathroom screen which didn’t close properly. I didn’t really want to touch it either. It smelt of damp. The shower floor was unstable and even though the water pressure was adequate the shower flooded quite quickly. Last but not least, going for the shower in the middle of the night I saw a cockroach scurrying across the bathroom as I turned the light on. I did tell the receptionist that they needed to clean the bathroom which should have been done on a daily basis. 2 rooms with 12 bunks so 24 people in total were using 1 single bathroom. Sometimes I would have to wait because the bathrooms were all occupied.
The beds are packed into 1 medium sized room. 7 bunk beds side by side. A brown cloth separates you from your next neighbour which offers not really much privacy but we’re only there to sleep so it doesn’t matter. Although the bonus is home beds are comfortable and the screen is great to help block out some of the light of it hadn’t been switched off yet.
This is someone’s house that has been converted into dorms on the upper levels. There is not much of an atmosphere but if you just want to stay the night it is fine. We survived three and then moved out of the city to a hotel on District 13. The price was roughly the same for 2 people sharing $11.50. The number 13 bus to get us there cost us 28000 VND (74p!) and the trip is roughly one hour and stops outside of the hotel.
Sakura Address:
39/26 Nguyen Trai, District 1, Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam
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