I had a fantastic experience at the Stockholm - Fridhemsplan HI Hostel this summer, staying for a total of seven days/six nights over the course of two visits in two weeks last summer. The first stay I booked was for single accommodation for the majority of my trip (five days, four nights) and the second stay was in a dorm for two days/one night (maybe two?).
The hostel is located is a few minutes away or one tunnelbana stop from the heart of downtown Stockholm (T-Centralen). It is also a fairly easy walk to Hornstull and Gamla Stan. I spent most of my time in Stockholm on foot and was able to visit nearly everywhere by walking until the very end of the day when I could walk no more.
Staff at the hostel are friendly and as one would expect, able to converse in a number of languages, most importantly to me, English. Even though I had booked my accommodation online months before my arrival, the staff each time I checked in were able to explain the deposit I had already paid as well as the additional charge I would then accrue upon my arrival. There were no mysteries, which was great. Having to figure out how much things cost was enough for me.
The rooms are spacious and the entire hostel is incredibly clean. Since this was my first time at a hostel I was scared that I would be surrounded by teenagers from all over the world looking to find themselves but this was hardly the case. There were families, young people, old people, and as I came to discover in my one night in the dorm, a random French woman trying to save on rent and escape homelessness while traveling. Unlike the hostel I later stayed in while visiting Reykjavik, any activities for hostel guests were not well publicized even though I likely would not have been interested in them. There was a lobby area to sit, read, and mingle with other guests if one wanted to spend their time that way.
Back to the rooms...my single accommodation had two beds in it so I believe I may have been put in a double by mistake or due to single rooms being full. Either way, the room was a perfect size for the two single beds. A blanket and pillows were provided but I needed to use my own sheets (they are also available to rent). A towel was also provided in the room. Not all hostels provide this as I later found out, so this is important to know. There is also a television that gets a number of channels (if I recall correctly it was between 20 and 30) in both English and Swedish. I actually wish there were more Swedish channels so I could have immersed myself more in the language but alas, no such luck. There was a small night table between the two beds.
Shower stalls are separate from the toilets and are more ample. At no point was I stuck waiting for a shower and I woke early in the morning. By my estimation it seemed to be a ratio of one shower room for every two or three private accommodation room. In the eight dorm, in which I was the only person staying for most of the night I was there, I saw three showers and had no issue accessing them but then again, I only encountered one other person in the dorm the whole time I was staying there.
Security at hostels can be a concern and HI hostels such as this one have you covered. You can use a lock in dorms to protect your things (rentals are available for locks) and the main doors lock after 10 pm. After that, you need to use your key to access the hostel.
GET THE BUFFET BREAKFAST. The food is great with a plentiful spread of bread, meat, yogurt, museli, cereal, hard boiled eggs (the Swedes love those things), coffee, and more. They have a juicer loaded with oranges so at the press of a button you can watch four or five oranges turn into your juice. It is the best juice you will ever have. This alone convinced me to get breakfast at the hostel every morning after skipping it for a day a two and eating elsewhere. At $10USD, it is worth every cent just for the juice machine alone.
When I go back to Stockholm, odds are I will return to this hostel as the prices are the most reasonable in comparison to other locations and all other factors (privacy, showers, food, location, etc.) are rather top notch. read more