11 November 2012

Hostel: Absolute Hostel, Paris

Assalamualaikum. Bonjour.

Ngeh mood super rajin for the time being. This was the second hostel I stayed at during my solo adventure last June. Though I stayed there for a night only, I have to say that I am fully satisfied with their service. And also the room/hostels condition. 

I chose Absolute Paris because of it's location. Through the Hostelbookers' website, I saw many good reviews the hostel received from its previous guests. And that played a big part in my decision making as well. This hostel is barely 5 mins walking distance from the Republique Metro station. And yeah, it's so easy to locate this hostel. 

As I've mentioned here; I left everything I've printed about my Paris trip in London. Because of that, I got lost...and didn't make it to the meeting point for my day-trip to Versailles. My plan was to check in at the hostel after getting back from the day-trip. Since I didn't get to join the trip, I decided to go to the hostel instead because it's the only place in Paris that I was sure of the location. The direction from the metro station to the hostel is at the back of my head. Up to this moment, I still remember vividly. 

Thanks to my weird habit! I got 'to see' the real picture on how to reach the hostel through the street view  by Google Maps. One of the many advantages of people who enjoyed daydreaming like moi. Ngek. I usually do the street view just to have that bit of an excitement in advance. Orang bilang, ambil feel! Dang!!! Enough with too long an intro already. 
Here's the direction to Absolute Hostel. 
Note: First three images below are NOT mine.
Out from the Republique station, this is the view I first saw. The picture wasn't mine. It was drizzling when I reached there, thus I didn't take any picture. Or maybe because I wasn't in the mood to. The weather was a bit gloomy; as if it understood the feeling I had at that moment. Aku sesat; sebal ok! 
Anyways, from the station...I walked straight & left the monument behind.
From the direction in the website, I shall see the Habitat store on my right side. In the live street view map, this is what I should expect. (picture above)
But when I reached near the Habitat store, this was what lied before my eyes. Roads under construction, few were blocked with Pas D'Entrée signs. From the picture that I took (picture above), there was a community service event ongoing. Hot drink & food were served for the homeless.
 I walked straight...until I saw this. Exactly as has been described in their website.
The hostel entrance is next to the coffee shop. Refer to the arrow.
The entrance!
The reception.
The hostel provides three computers at the reception area for the guests. For free! They also have free wifi internet. I can access the free service from my room; super fast connection I must say. Password is different for each floor & I received my password upon checking in. Oh, that's Han in the picture. A friendly Chinese lady who is currently studying in London. I met her at the metro station...and we went to Versailles together. Little did we know that we're staying at the same hostel & in the same room! What a coincident!
 Mine was Room No. 37 - Third Floor.
There's two bunk beds in the room when I entered. The lower bed next to the window was already occupied so I settled with the one next to the wall. Unlike the dorm I stayed at in London, this room is more or less look like a hotel room to me. Except for the bunk beds of course. The upper bed belongs to Han; my new friend. She stayed there for two nights; she was in Paris doing a research for her final year thesis.

Narrow. Typical room in Paris. That door leads to the bathroom. Attached bathroom ya, no sharing sama bilik lain. Ngeh. And the entrance door is on the right; next to the bathroom.
Shower area pun memang super kecil. Lucky the debab moi can still shower comfortably.
View from my room. Immediately my tummy played the dangdut song upon spotting the kebab cafe! Dasar perut tembolok!
I noticed the alphabetical arrangement of the keyboard is somehow different from ours. Sudah serupa orang belajar menaip aku guna keyboard tu ya.
I thank Allah for my smooth journey throughout this trip. Hostels I stayed at were never too far from halal cafes. They were like everywhere. Pasal tu balik Malaysia, I successfully gained few more kg-s. Daging jak kan ditelan. 
Syukur. For 29 , breakfast is included. The kitchen is situated at the basement level. It's a small kitchen. Lima meja jak disediakan. Tapi super cramped if all tables were occupied. 

Told u...breakfast aku memang meriah. Kalau boleh semua yang dihidang aku sapu. Ni pun gelas jus aku excluded ya. I left immediately after I finished my breakfast...the claustrophobic moi can't stay long under such confined space. Sesak nafas. 
I hop on the HoHo bus at a stop near the hostel. And pengembaraan jelajah Paris for halfday pun bermula. Petang tu departed for Amsterdam via Thalys pula. Hence akan menyusul Amsterdam Hostel nanti. Au revoir!

eryantierdabdulkarim

No comments: