During my time in Romania this summer, I was based in Brasov for half of it. I stayed at Kismet Dao Hostel, which I really enjoyed! Here’s my full review of the hostel:

Location: Kismet Dao Hostel is in an excellent location for exploring Brasov. It’s a 10-minute walk to the Old Town, a 30-minute walk to the train station (there are buses that run nearby if you don’t want to walk), and it’s close to a big supermarket. I couldn’t have asked for a better base in Brasov.

Room: I stayed in both a 6-bed dorm room, and private room, for my 4 nights in Brasov. Both rooms were quite nice. The dorm room was large and spacious, and had lockers that were big enough for my big backpack. My private room was upstairs, which felt a bit more secluded, and was really nice as well. It had a fan (a lifesaver for Romania in summer!), a TV, and a small desk and clothes rail.

Price: I felt the price I paid was great for both my dorm room and my private room, considering how much Kismet Dao Hostel offered. My 6-bed dorm room was 14€ per night (£12.35 // $16.75). The private room was 30€ (£26.50 // $35.85) per night (divided by two people, only 15€ // £13.20 // $18 each!). This is again one of my favorite things about staying in hostels—if you’re traveling with another person, private rooms can sometimes be the same price (or even cheaper!) than beds in dorm rooms. Prices for other dorm rooms start at about £11.50 // 13€ // $15.50.

Bathrooms: The bathrooms were a bit strange being in the basement, and my only comment on the hostel is that there’s nowhere to change in private after your shower (so you have to get dressed in the shower). There are a few toilets on the main floor and a bathroom upstairs which were all perfectly fine.

Staff: All of the staff members I met were nice and super helpful with booking things and figuring out plans. They know loads about Brasov and Transylvania in general, and have great recommendations on things to do and see.

Common Areas: Kismet Dao has lots of common areas for hanging out. There’s a common room, a big (fully-equipped) kitchen with a large table, and I think there’s another common room downstairs. There’s also a huge backyard, and an outdoor patio with lots of seating.

Amenities: The hostel does a free basic breakfast, with cereals and toast. But one of the best parts of staying here is that they give you free coupons for drinks (beer/pop) for each night of your stay! I had no idea about this and it was definitely a nice surprise. They also have a signup for the castle tour most days. This was a great way to see a lot of Transylvania without renting a car. The wifi was a bit of a struggle in some areas on my laptop (which is old and struggles to connect regardless), but it always worked great in the room.

Security: There’s 24/7 reception at Kismet Dao, and you get into hostel by buzzing in at gate. I felt really safe here, since only hostel guests could get in. They had regular keys for our rooms, and the lockers in the dorm room was big enough to fit my backpack, which was a huge bonus. The immediate neighborhood feels a bit quiet and residential, and I never worried about my safety there.

Verdict: Would I return? Absolutely. Kismet Dao Hostel is a great place to base yourself in Brasov, for exploring the city and further afield in Transylvania. The prices are a great value for what you get, and the hostel itself definitely started to feel like home for me. I’d love to stay here again! You can visit their website here.

What do you like or dislike about hostels? Share your thoughts in the comments!

I was not compensated in any way by this hostel—my opinions are always my own.