Not So Hostel

Stayed here not too long ago. In terms of a hostel, it is one of the nicest places I have stayed at. Personally, I am a more private person, so I really liked having a private room. It was really clean and had a really nice bathroom. The bed was really comfortable. It was super easy to check in and out. Thanks for the stay :) Yay! The only problem I had was that the doorbell is audible in the rooms and might wake you up if you are sleeping. They have earplugs, but I didn’t notice this before I went to bed.

Better than I expected. Two negatives stand out: (1) the ladder to my top bunk was not secure and came off while I was climbing (2) there’s no shared communal space so it’s kind of hard to hang out and meet people… which is half of the fun of staying in a hostel. That said the staff and people I met were super friendly.

Coolest little Hostel I’ve been to great ambiance, and staff. It’s tucked back off the road in it own little world.

The Not So Hostel offers comfy and cozy accommodations that are super affordable. For those of you who have never stayed at a hostel, think of it as camping. If you have never camped and you are the high maintenance sort, just skip it altogether. If you are looking for a spotlessly clean room or you think you should get all the amenities of a hotel for a fraction of the cost, skip the hostel experience altogether. The idea of a hostel is that it is a cheap place to put your head down at night after being out exploring all day. Charleston is EXPENSIVE so staying here is a great option while you spend what money you might have on fabulous meals, art, tours, shopping etc.
1.) The hostel is clean. Yes, you will see dust and dirt on and around the baseboards and windowsills. Old (read historical) buildings can be hard to keep spotless, especially in communal areas with visitors coming and going all day. Big whoop!
2.) Bring your shower shoes/​flips flops. This goes for anytime you are using any communal facilities. The showers I used were clean although the lighting in both bathrooms I used was poor. Also, bring your own towels. I will say that I found the communal hand towel kinda gross so I brought my own. They should consider putting in some hand dryers and better lighting in the bathrooms. Honestly, out of this whole trip that is my only complaint, and a minor one at that. And OH… ME…GAWD! You will might have to walk out of your room and head spitting distance down the porch to use the bathroom or if that is occupied, walk across (gasp!) the tiny parking lot to pee! If this troubles you I suggest wearing a diaper to bed or packing a bed pan and/​or commode.
3.) There is nothing wrong with the bed sheets. As for the blankets, even five star hotels don’t wash them after every guest. If that bothers you, bring your own blankets. The blankets in our room were clean. The sheets were clean and fit the bed just fine.
3.) Yes, there are garbage cans in front of the building. That how garbage removal is handled these days. You put it in big cans and a garbage truck shows up and hauls it away. You don’t see this at the Hyatt because the have the space to hide it in the back so you don’t have to see it but I assure you, every place you stay has trash. Get over it.
4.) Yes, you might see some «odd» people at the hostel. They may find you equally as «odd.» You will often find guests hanging out in the main building. Try not being so judgmental and say hello. You might make a new friend. That aside, no matter where you stay, whether at a hostel, a campground, a hotel or even under a bridge in a cardboard box it behooves you to be mindful of your surroundings and your safety. The Notso Hostel is no exception.
5.) Consider bringing a fan The AC was off during my November visit although we could have asked to have it turned on. We had use of the ceiling fan and my fan from home and the room was quite comfortable and the fan drowned out any of the street noise.
6.) You will hear your neighbors. While we were there it was quiet but we did hear the boys in the next room chatting. We heard footsteps and someone drop something on the floor above us. That’s what happens in old houses, whether you are staying as a guest or renting an apartment. When I was there, people were respectful of the quiet hours.
7.) The beds are uncomfortable. Sorry… they just are but then again, I have never found the beds in any hostel to be stellar. They are more comfy than an air mattress which is likely what you will be sleeping on if you were camping. Hell, half the hotels I have stayed in have less than comfy beds. If you’re doing it right, you won’t have too much time for sleeping because you will be too busy exploring all that Charleston has to offer.
8.) There are a couple of common areas. The main building has some comfy couches to crash on and read a book. The refrigerators are large. The stove and sink are nice. Hang out and cook your own meals if you wish. The people in these areas were friendly. Make a new friend. Share a vegan burrito or some beef jerky.
9.) The staff and owners are NICE. Yes, really. They are helpful and they are friendly. We needed separate receipts for our employer to reimburse us which they did gladly. They offered suggestions about great places to eat. They smiled. They are nice people. They have no reason to be anything but.
For clean, safe, comfy and super affordable accommodations, the NotSo Hostel is top notch. You are within walking distance to all the good stuff. The neighborhood is relatively safe (again, be aware of your surroundings). You’ll have a decent place to sleep, shower, eat, poop, etc. while you enjoy Charleston. I know I will come back here next time I am in town.

Had a great time staying at the Not So Hostel! It was in an amazing location– literally two blocks from King Street, which is one of the main streets with HEAPS of delicious places to eat and shopping. It was so easy to get out and about without having to use public transport.
The hostel was clean and comfortable and the hosts were really friendly and welcoming. Please note the rooms and beds are very small so its not very ideal if you are carrying heaps of luggage. Also it is quite loud in there but they give out free earplugs so its not too much of a worry :)
But the hosts were great, friendly and had heaps of tips on where to go! Everyone in Charleston in general were really nice, would love to go back there !

Such a great hostel. I had an awesome time here. It’s clean, it smells good, and the staff is fantastic, especially Fallon. The manager genuinely cares and is so sweet and nice. She wrote a book as well which I highly recommend. I would give this place 6 stars if I could. Stay here!

The Not So Hostel is very very very «hostel ish». For anyone that has stayed in a lot of hostels you can stop reading, you already know what to expect.
For those that have not gone to a hostel let me begin with the basics.
1) Hostels allow you to meet people and mingle with others traveling in the area.
2) Hostels are far less expensive than hotels/​motels and one can stay in an area bit longer or go on more excursions.
3) Hostels are notoriously loud, slightly dilapidated, and crowded
Positive Things
+The location of the hostel is within walking distance of a good assortment of restaurants and the downtown/​historical area.
+There is trolly service within a block and a half.
+Check in was easy and friendly.
+The hostel rents bikes for under $ 30.00 a day which is a great deal compared to other bike rental options in the city.
+ The beds themselves were clean and the linens were fresh.
+There were some lockers available in the closet for those that wanted to lock up small items.
+ There were plenty of outlets available to charge devices.
+ The price was right. 2 nights + taxes was $ 68.00
Negative Things
–The door to my all female dorm refused to close the entire way. No matter which way we tried to deal with it, we eventually just gave up, trusted the hostel gods and left our stuff out.
I did mention the door issue to the girl at the counter but her response was, «Yeah, that door has been weird since we had the maintenance guy trim the edges.» If security is important to you, you probably won’t be in a hostel in the first place, but we dealt with it like champs.
–The room was quite dusty and the blinds on one of the windows was falling off. The room itself didn’t seem to have been wiped down/​dusted in some time though there were definitely people staying in it just before us.
— The bathrooms were fairly clean but hand towels in the bathrooms should have been changed MUCH more frequently. 1 or 2 per day isn’t nearly enough.
— The traffic on Friday night between midnight and 2 a.m. was pretty loud and I woke up frequently, Saturday was much quieter.
Take it as you will. If you are used to hostels, you will be fine. If you are expecting a «boutique hostel» (of which I stayed in one, one time and yes, it was amazing) then this is not the place for you.

Lovely accommodations!
House and rooms are very clean. Provided with clean sheets, blanket and pillowcase upon arrival. Towels also available. Bathrooms are great.
Staff are awesome!
Perfect place to stay for a traveller on a budget!

Great place! I came from New York for a wedding and they gave fantastic service.
Friendly staff. Breakfast and very clean location.
Right near downtown Charleston great for going out.
Daniel

I stayed here last weekend and had a pleasant overall experience. I was nervous before I arrived because of so many negative reviews (but was traveling on a budget so I hoped for the best) and truly, a lot of the negative reviews seem ridiculous and misguided. If you go in knowing that this is a hostel (and not a private hotel room) and recognizing that you’re paying probably $ 100 less here than any other hotel or airbnb per night, then you’ll likely be very satisfied.
I stayed in the Brazil (private) room at the spring street location. Parts of the neighborhood look a little rough, but it didn’t feel unsafe in the least. If anything, the area seems up and coming, and it’s certainly quieter than king street. Plus you’re just a couple blocks from hominy grill, which means you can walk over there early enough to not wait in line for breakfast or deal with the parking hassle.
Parking at the hostel was a bit tricky. There are lots of spaces, but the lot is narrow so backing out of your spot can be a process. Plus each spot is separated from the others by a 2×4, which helps identify the spot clearly but does limit your movement. We were always able to find a spot in the hostel lot, but it looked like others weren’t always as fortunate, so walking and biking are recommended so you don’t lose your spot!
The staff /​service was fine for my stay. The woman at the desk when we checked in was very patient. My friends and I made the payment complicated by deciding we wanted to split the cost three ways after we already ran the whole cost on one credit card, but the woman didn’t seem annoyed and helped us get all the payments split on the appropriate cards. Other than that, we didn’t interact with the staff because we had everything we needed and check out was very simple.
My biggest complaint was that the room my friends and I selected had been advertised as fitting three people — this wasn’t the case at all. It only had a queen size bed (and no futon). Luckily I brought my air mattress, but we had to rearrange the furniture to make enough floor space to fit the air mattress (which took up every last inch of floor space — it got reeeeally cramped). We made it work, but I wouldn’t recommend it!
A lot of people on here complain that the space is dirty. I didn’t find this to be true at all — it’s just old. And it’s a hostel. So obviously it isn’t going to be pristine like someone’s private home, but it certainly didn’t feel filthy. I consider myself to be a very clean, tidy person, and this place was fine. Again, the buildings are old, but it looked like everything actually stayed pretty clean. We did find a stray sock under a chair, but that was just funny.
We never had issues waiting for the bathroom. We stayed Thursday through Sunday (which is presumably busier than week nights), and the most I had to wait was maybe 5 minutes, max. I was waking up around 7:30 or 8 am so maybe I avoided lines that way, but it never looked like there was a line of people waiting. Shared bathrooms can feel a little gross, but just bring your own towels and some flip flops for the shower and you should be fine.
Wifi worked great. Never had the breakfast so can’t comment on that. Also never saw somebody renting out bikes, which I would have liked to do. I felt secure here — each room has its own lock, plus the whole building requires a code to enter. Ceiling fans kept the room feeling nice and cool. I thought the bed was comfortable (the mattress didn’t seem thin to me) and the plastic casing really wasn’t that bad or noisy.
Would I stay here again? Definitely. Would I recommend it? Again, definitely. I wouldn’t bring my parents here, nor would I likely come here for a romantic getaway, but if I am traveling with friends again or flying solo on a budget, I would absolutely stay here! The price was great, and it had everything I needed for a fun, comfortable stay. Go in with reasonable expectations and you should be fine!

If there were negative stars I would give it soooo many. Me and two of my friends booked the Carissa room at the NotSo. We are currently on this 1800 mile road trip which included charleston and the notso. As we were driving through the neighborhood we felt very uncomfortable. We went into the office, were given the wrong room, and sent upstairs. We walked through the kitchen, past a man who as high and gave us all rape vibes. Went into our room, locked the door, and still felt scared. There wasn’t even a deadbolt to lock the door, just the lock on the handle. Not. Safe. We felt the need to pray we were so scared. The office was closed when we decided to leave. We literally stayed for 25 minutes. I will call tomorrow to try to get my money back, even if we cant, it was worth losing $ 150 to feel safe, and not feel like we were going to be raped.

Had a great great time at Not so Hostel. The main location is on Spring St. and within walking distance of some really great restaurants and shops. The dorms and private rooms both have decent space and there are lockers if you want to lock up your personal items. The staff here is very nice and accommodating and will help you anyway they can. There’s ample parking space at the back of the house if you have a car. I would recommend walking when in Charleston, driving around downtown can be a hassle. The free breakfast in the morning is a great way to socialize and share stories with other travelers. Making new friends and exploring the city will basically sum up your experience here.
There is free wi-​fi and there are fans in each room. They do provide linens and pillows but it wouldn’t be a bad idea if you decided to bring your own. I would recommend bringing shower shoes as well.

This will be short and sweet just like my stay at the Not So Hostel…
My stay here was terrible. There is no such thing as «quiet hours» here. Guest across the hall from me (who I’m assuming were freshly 21) were up all night screams and chanting. I would have went to the front desk to state my complaint, however, there’s no staff on duty at night. It was without question one of the worst nights sleep I’ve ever had. I was actually booked for two nights but went to a hotel 30 minutes away the following night. I paid for TWO nights at NSH and obviously they wouldn’t refund my pre-​paid second night. Not to mention they have a super late check in time.
Hate to sound dramatic but the not so hostel is a joke. I wouldn’t stay here again under any circumstances.

The name says it all NotSoHostel, it’s a cute little cozy welcoming home. It is a hostel and cheaper which is the best part.
Friendly ladies work here. Breakfast is great with different taste of bagels, English muffin, cream cheese, peanut butter jelly, chocolate spread, coffee and tea. It’s ready 8.30 in morning. Clean after yourself por favor :-)
Ps. Towel rental is 1 $ or being your own. They also rent out bikes which is great to explore the city biking.
Location is perfect if you like to walk. It’s 30 – 40 min walk to downtown, walk to King str then down to Downtown, pretty easy. Charleston is a beautiful city, you see lots of hole in wall with walking. I enjoy walking so I didn’t mind. If not take the free trolley one street down.
I didn’t have any bad experience here since my main point was to explore Charleston. Depends on what you want out of your stay.
Charleston was breathtaking, I will definitely be back here again for more stay :-)
Just a note: since there are no staff overnight or off work hours, my main concern is emergencies, things can happen anytime. Another issue was some do not respect the quiet time after 10pm, it says clearly in the kitchen on the wall. However some make loud laughs and talks in the kitchen. Since there are no staff in the hostel off working hours obviously people take advantage of this freedom and disrespect others.

Let me start by saying that I wish I could give it NEGATIVE stars. Thats how truly terrible it was.
I’ve stayed at hostels in the US, in 3 European countries, and a few in Central America. Never, not once, have I been in such a terrible place.
To begin — the staff. No one was actually FRIENDLY. They were efficient, yes. But thats it. They show up when their shift seems to start — in the morning to lay out breakfast and in the evening to check people in. Thats it. Which is fine — thats what they tell you will happen.
What IS NOT explained is how unhelpful and unfriendly they are. The young lady who checked us in was efficient bordering on curt. I asked her for help about the best bus route options — she pointed to a map and said clearly «You can look at that» — offering no further help or insight.
I booked one room specifically — they put me in a different room.
The air conditioning wasnt working — because it was INCREDIBLY HOT. Its the south. In the summer. How is there no temperature control?
Ok, so no air conditioning. Maybe a fan in the rooms at least. Ah — they put those little mini fans for each bed! Thats good — at least I wont swelter to death.
No, no – those fans, whose blades were covered in a thick covering of dust and filth didnt work. Neither did the one in the bed above me.
The mattress was not soft, and ungiving. The bed frames moaned and creaked with every roll or turn.
The shower had cob webs growing over it and mold on the baseboards. The bathmat was worn and molding as well.
The kitchens had rugs stuffed in the holes in the walls /​baseboards.
Now — lets get to security. You are emailed a code before you arrive in order to let yourself since there are no staff members anywhere to be found. Which is fine and well.
Except, upon arriving — the door codes are posted prominently on the outside of thedoors themselves!!! ANYONE, literally ANYONE could have just walked in. Which they did.
When I asked whom I should talk to in case of an emergency or any problems (always good to be prepared just in case!), I was told «unless someone is near death or there is a fire — just wait until 8:30 in the morning when someone arrives». Thats it. Just wait for help. They did give you a number to call in case of an emergency — but I saw someone dial that number and guess what? No one answered (of course).
I would recommend skipping Charleston altogether if you are forced to stay here — thats how bad it was. I have pictures to post as well.

Great place to stay if you just need a room to sleep and shower. I looked for hotels all around charleston but most of them were charging close to $ 700 for 4 nights!!! My gf and i decided to stay at the not so hostel bukowski private room for only $ 300! If you decide to stay here you need to check In at the main location AT 5 PM then walk a couple blocks to the annex location. It was kind of strange that they charged us all 4 nights on my Visa the first day we came and not just a deposit just incase we didn’t like it.
We were located only a block from King street which u can walk to the market about 1.3 miles. During the walk there are so many stores and good shops you’ll be full before arriving to market street. If you don’t like to walk We used über for most of our transportation. If you sign up your first 5 trips are free!!!
Environment here is very homie. There’s a living room and kitchen with 1 tv. 2 shared bathrooms at the annex location (only private rooms). Rooms are pretty small but manageable and saving $ 400 we didn’t really care. We bought a Lysol to go spray to disinfect the sheets which made them smell super nice. They do wash the sheets because u have to turn in your sheets into the laundry basket checking out. We wore our slippers in the showers due to the shower stalls and bathrooms not being very clean. Check out here is at 10 and they let you keep your bags here if your flight back is at a later time. I would recommend staying here to save you hundreds of dollars.

This is a great place to stay if you are traveling through Charleston. My boyfriend and I were there Labor Day weekend, 2013 and we will be back on our next trip to Charleston. The location is great, very close to plenty of bars, restaurants, shopping in the Charleston area. It was nice being able to meet fellow travelers and having other people to bum around with.
I do have some suggestions WHEN you visit The Not So Hostel though:
1) Bring shower shoes. The showers are clean and taken care of, but lets be honest, its like living in a dorm. Better safe than sorry.
2) Possibly, bring another fan? We were there over Labor day, second floor room and it was hot.
3) Bring your own sheets, if you make a reservation, you’re aware of what size mattress you’ll have. They do supply them, but they are well used and the elastic around the fitted sheet kept coming up for us. And towels, bring those too!
The only possible negative I would have to say is that there are only two restrooms. When we were there, they were booked solid, so there is a chance that it’s not too bad during less busy times.
Overall, great, awesome, fantastic place to stay. Be sure to say «Hi’ to Leo too, he’s the orange cat that lives there. He’s a sweetie.

When I travel I usually stay in hostels because I often feel lonely when I stay in hotels (I often travel alone). Generally the cities I visit have several hostels to choose from. Not Charleston. Due to the lack of options, I really was not expecting much from the Not So Hostel.
About a week before my trip I lost my credit card and I immediately contacted my credit card company and asked them to expedite a new card. I waited and waited and when I called them about my card, the person I had spoken to about sending a replacement, didn’t and there was not enough time for me to get a new card before my trip. I began to panic. Although I had cash, it is important for me to carry a credit card in case of an emergency. I was going to be in Charleston for a week after all. There were several options available to me, and I chose to contact the hostel for permission to have the card sent to them. The manager Victoria was absolutely amazing about the whole matter and gave me permission to have the card sent to the hostel. What a relief!
Check-​in at the hostel is 5pm, which is quite late for a hostel, though they did provide you with the WiFi password in advance and are given permission to chill at the hostel. Check-​in was not a problem for me because my flight was delayed and I did not reach the hostel until 5:30pm.
The hostel itself was quite charming. I stayed in the Cyprus room which is supposed to be the quietest of the bunch. Since beds are not assigned to you, but instead it is first come first serve, I was able to choose my own bed since I had arrived before all the other guests that were staying in the room with me (I prefer to sleep on bottom bunks). I did notice in my stay that people were having some problems getting up and down the top bunks because of the fans and awkward stairs. But overall all the guests seemed content. There is a kitchen that you share and this kitchen is equipped with everything you need to cook (cutlery, pans, pots, microwave, stove, etc). Every morning starting at about 8:30am there is a «buffet-​style» breakfast with bagels, English muffins, coffee and tea. There are also an array of spreads to choose from such as cream cheese and Nutella.
Transportation is available near and around the hostel, though as I have mentioned in other posts, public transit in Charleston is unreliable since they hardly ever show up on time. There is plenty of parking at the hostel, so many people either drove to the hostel or rented a car during their stay in Charleston. I felt crippled because I don’t drive and it seems that driving is almost necessary in Charleston. So if you are going to be using the public transit system, be warned that you will need a lot of patience.
I recommend this hostel because the rooms were good (specially liked the fan on each bed. Awesome!), the kitchens were great, the staff was friendly and professional, and it was usually filled with guests, so meeting people was not a problem. I see what other guests mean by the plastic on the beds being annoying, etc. But hey, you are paying under $ 30 a night. I have stayed in over 40 hostels during my travels, and these concerns were not a deal breaker. One thing that really frustrated me though was the weak WiFi signal that I got at the Cyprus room, though the internet in the main building was strong.