Well, although I don't have much to compare it to as it was my first hostel EVER, I thought this hostel was perfect. It was located in a dorm building of Columbia College (the first 4-6 floors or so).
It is located right in the middle of downtown, walking distance to food, shopping, parks, and anything else you could need.
There are different sized rooms, but I was in a female dorm with 14 beds. I had a small mix up with my bed, but it was nothing to fuss over. The front desk was pretty helpful...didn't always know answers, but tried and would look them up for you. (Plus they let me shower after I'd already checked out and had been caught in the rain
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The only real downside to the room was that there were not enough lockers to accommodate the number of beds. I think there were 10 lockers and 14 beds. Luckily though, I arrived early enough to get one. After you checkout, you can leave your bag for $2. There's a lil shop downstairs for essentials but it's overpriced as there are tons of drugstores within walking distance.
The best thing in my opinion about this hostel was the kitchen and dining room. The kitchen was HUGE: 3 stoves, 2 microwaves, 2 GIGANTIC fridges, and a big walkin pantry with about 30+ cubbies for storing food. The dining room was on the 2nd floor overlooking the corner of Wabash and Congress and it was a fun place to people watch while you eat.
Internet was available for $2 per 20 minutes and the hostel offered nightly activities such as pub crawls, blues clubs, zoo outings, etc.
I loved my first hostel experience and would definitely stay at this hostel again!!
Here are a few pics, not the best but I tried!
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