Chillin' at the Chili Hostel...!

Chili Hostel, Prague

Have you ever had that potpourri of feelings which lead you to thinking: “je ne sais qui…?!” Let's just imagine for a moment that you were, hypothetically, about to step into the house of your friend’s sister’s house where you were to spend the weekend due to the acceptance of an invitation to “hang out and chill” in a home away from home; and, as you may have expected that sister to be married to an utterly boring version of Mr. Grey, living in a suburban home with a white-picket fence; SUV’s in the driveway reflecting that post-graduate paygrade; the tea cup which you are forced to drink the “welcome drink” so politely from is just as pretentious as the house, the cars, the Mr.Grey-wanna-be husband...yes, even the family pooch is pretentious as h*ll; only to feel utterly surprised when you enter such friend’s sister’s house and wonder if you just stepped into a yoga retreat, Taj Mahal style; there are no SUV’s in the driveway- instead, a Volkswagen van with a bracket big enough to carry anything which you now imagine this sister and her husband are all about: surfboards, cross country skis, dirt-road bikes, oversized camping backpacks to go along with the oversized tent! And, oh no...you will not be served tea in a delicate china cup- instead, the "welcome drink" is glass filled to the rim of the sister’s secret herbal smoothie, which you can’t help but wonder if it will send you into a psychedelic rabbit hole rather than serve as a holistic cleanse for your tired body…! Hypothetically, such an experience would probably make you say out loud "Alors, je ne sais...qui!" Even if you don't, ordinarily, speak French.

Ok, so if you have ever had that kind of “je ne sais qui…?!” feeling, and you liked the surprise accompanying the emotion, then you will like the vibes of the Chili Hostel; if you have never had such a surprise feeling, ever, in your lifetime, and want to add that good “je ne sais qui…?!” feeling to your bucket-list, then you should spend a weekend-get-away at the Chili Hostel!

The Chili Hostel is located in a quiet part of Prague, however, everything lively is within walking distance; not to mention that this hostel, in itself, is lively: Walking down into the hostel, it appears to be located in a basement; yet, once you have checked in at the most “laid-back” reception counter (and laid-back staff) I have experienced so far, in the world of hostel life, you are given the linen, which the hostel have bought in mass quantity from Ikea, I may add (I should know...I own the same kind of linen!) and the hotel key (old-style), whereafter entering an equally laid-back lounge-area with computers, a kitchen, and to my delight, a coffee vending machine...only to walk either up or down (depending where your dorm is located) to what seems to be an old apartment complex covered with original mosaic tiled flooring...funky!

The dorm I was assigned to, could also only be described equally as “funky” and as laid-back as the rest of the hostel. Painted in mismatched colours, off-setting the colour-scheme of the linen, it added to that good surprise feeling, as well as the feeling of chillin’ in the bedroom of your friend’s organic-farming, yoga-instructing hippie sister rather than staying at a hostel in one of the prettiest cities of the world!


This is a place where you definitely want to be able to use your padlock key directly unto whatever luggage you might have brought. Although the hostel provides lockers for storage, they are too small to fit anything but a pair of socks/underwear, a phone, and/or a laptop, and any other small possessions you may treasure enough to put behind lock-and-key...but, who cares about that when you are chillin’ at the most laid-back hostel in Prague, right?

Furthermore, the bathrooms are as unpredictable and surprising as the dorms and the hostel, in general: one bathroom may be very small (and as I experienced, not suitable to bring more than soap, tooth-brush,flip-flops, and a towel, if you don’t want that claustrophobic feeling!)...only to find another bathroom in the same section of the hostel in the size: enormously spacious! (please read here: bring ALL your primping equipment without worries!). One thing that was delightfully predictable, though, was the cleanliness of the bathrooms, and consistently HOT water...yea!

Overall thoughts of the hostel: this is a hostel for the younger hostellers, and not suitable for families/older hostellers, in my opinion. (Unless, you are a real version of the Cheech/Chong team, then this hostel may be suitable...if you know what I mean!) The hostel serves as an inexpensive opportunity to see Prague’s attractions without having the lodging eating your money away, and should therefore be considered the place to stay...at least, for the not-so-picky-hosteller!

Time to rate:

• Was the location appropriate: Central enough...enough said!
• Overall hostel level: The Chili Hostel gets an “A”...as in category A: Youngsters...enough said!
• Would I let my children stay at this hostel: For the ones over the the age of 16...oh, h**l yes! (again: enough said!)
• Would I bring my mother: Oh h**l...NO! (here we go again: enough said!)
• Would I recommend it to my neighbour: Oh h**l yes...if the neighbor falls into the category “A”, as in youngsters (or, at least feels young at heart, if you know what I mean)
• Low-point(s) of the hostel: other than a really worn mattress, I cannot think of any low-points beyond that…
• High-point(s) of the hostel: Did I mention that there is a coffee vending machine located in the lounge area?
• For s(he) who has tried everything: if you want a Cheech/Chong moment (without a need for any “herbs” in order to feel hippiesh…!) then absolutely, this place to have that moment, whilst in Prague!

For more information about the Chili Hostel, Prague, follow this link: http://www.chili.dj/ 

Sincerely,

TheGreatDane