TOC Hostel Barcelona

The hostel is well located being only a couple of minutes walk from a metro station. Easy to get to an airport bus. The 8 bed dorms are well designed with each bed having a light, charging point and spaces to place items. The steps up the ladder are wide enough to place your whole foot, and the is a pole to hold on to making it easy to climb in and out of the top bunk. The area at the end of the room has a locker for each bed - lockers able to store even a large suitcase ( bring your own padlock ). The lockers even have a pole and one hanger inside which is handy. This area has stools and a lamp at the side if the locker meaning someone in that area can put on light without having to put on an overhead light and disturbing everyone. The layout is practical and well designed. The shared toilets and shower rooms are in the corridor. They are modern and clean and sufficient that I was never waiting. Laundry costs £9 for a wash and dry. There is only one washer and one drier meaning there were a few times I wanted to do my laundry and it was occupied. The kitchen is large and includes seating in this area. The kitchen is popular with people cooking; it is well equipped with regards to pots, pans and dishes, however lacks utensils which can make preparing food tricky, I had to prepare fried eggs using a fork to flip them. Difficult to find knives, forks and spoons to eat with. fortunately I travel with my own fork and spoon. There is 24 hour reception, bar, common room, patio, swimming pool, security doors making it feel more like a hotel rather than hostel. Modern and safe feel. Highly recommended.

I stayed at TOC Hostel Barcelona and overall had a good experience. The location is excellent—right in the middle of the city and close to both the train and bus stations, which made getting around really convenient. However, I did feel that the cleanliness in the bathrooms and toilets could be improved. Another thing that confused me was the signage: each bathroom and toilet door has a photo on it, and I assumed the pictures indicated whether the facilities were meant for females or males. But I saw men using the ones with photos of women, so I wasn’t sure if there was actually any gender distinction at all. It left me a bit unsure of how the system was supposed to work. Aside from that, the room itself was clean and had plenty of space for my belongings, which I appreciated. The receptionist was also very friendly and helpful throughout my stay.

This hostel is disappointing overall. I thought this would be a good spot for digital nomads to socialise but it wasn’t. The bunk bed in room 403 was completely sagged. If you have a sensitive lower back like me, you'd might end up the next morning with pain. This was the first time in a month of traveling that that happened. My second-hand IKEA couch at home feels more supportive than this bed. The upper bunks also have no curtains or rails, so when someone turns on the light at night it shines straight into your eyes. For work a stable connection is essential, but the Wi-Fi here was really poor. The lockers are placed so high it’s hard to reach them if you’re short and carrying a big backpack. Other small inconveniences: only one washing machine and one dryer, one hooks and no shelves in the shower to put your clothes, silverfish in the toilet, poor lighting at the sink (not great for makeup) and no clean bowls at breakfast. I had to eat my cereal out of a coffee mug. They also make you pay for luggage storage. The air conditioning didn’t work in the common area (with almost no atmosphere), so I ended up sweating during my online meetings - and the Wi-Fi barely reached that space either. I actually left at noon to work from a café instead. The last straw was when a staff member insisted she’d given me a laundry token when she clearly hadn’t, and we had an awkward argument over it. To be fair, the rest of the staff were kind and attentive. The breakfast team always greeted guests with a smile and the reception staff listened and even offered a small compensation after I explained my issues. I really wish I could rate it higher, but between the bad bed, weak Wi-Fi, and hot common areas, it just wasn’t a pleasant stay.