VIBE -
My boyfriend and I recently stayed at the Arpacay Hostel in Prague. The hostel is lovely - set over 2 large, old buildings across the road from eachother. The building we were in is partially residential, so it isn't a 'party hostel' if this is the vibe you're after.

LOCATION -
The hostel is about 5 minutes tram ride from the shopping district Andel and 10 minutes tram ride to the Charles Bridge and Old Town Square. It's a 15 minute tram ride to Prague Castle.

The area itself isn't too bad, however the local train station was dodgy at night and we'd reccomend avoiding it, especially as a female or single traveller. Instead, there is a tram (number 6) that stops literally outside of the hostel and goes to Andel (2 stops). We reccomend taking this tram to Andel, which is a safe and populated area, and switching trams here to any of the tram lines you wish to take. Andel is en-route to the Charles Bridge and Old Town and by switching trams at Andel you'll avoid having to take a tram from the dodgy train station!

CLEANLINESS AND COMFORT -
We stayed in a private room on the top floor which was clean, spacious and comfortable. The bathrooms are clean and there was a bathroom for every 2 or 3 rooms, which had a separate toilet aswell. Towels and linen were provided which was great.

FACILITIES -
There was a communal area to chill out in front of the TV or read on our level. There are also 3 computers with free high-speed Internet connections on them which was great. The hostel also does laundry for you, which is fabulous as it means you don't have to waste time sitting in a laundromat when you could be sightseeing. From memory, it cost about 5 crowns for a load (wash and dry). The rooms also had fans and large open windows which were great for the heat.

The hostel serves a huge breakfast (included in the price) of breads, cereal, juice, meats and cheese which is incredibly filling!

SAFETY -
The reception area is manned from about 7 or 8am - 11pm and the staff are great - very helpful and friendly. There's a fridge with drinks, hot chocolate and snacks available from reception if you need anything.

The hostel itself seemed safe - a set of keys for the building, for the level you're on and for your room. We never felt in danger.

SO..
We'd recommend the hostel. We had a great experience here with no hassles and enjoyed our time in absolutely magnificent Prague!

For £7.50 a night the place was a palace. Vibrant coloured walls, FREE breakfast, free internet, clean rooms, towels and linen provided, good views and very attractive female staff ;o)
The best hostel i've ever stayed in.
Only problem was that our key broke in the door and we slept in the dining room as no overnight staff available. They say the doors are fine, but in Prague every door is 10 inches thick and here the knobs are about 2 millimetres from the frame so you can't twist it.

Moral of the story: Stay here, but use key carefully.

After reading the reviews about Arpacay, we were thinking of staying somewhere else in Prague, but now I am glad we did not. This hostel is absolutely fine. We did not have any safety concerns at all. We used common sense, kept our money belts and passports safe, did not leave our ipods laying about the room and had no problems at all. We were in a private double room so I cannot comment on the scene in the shared rooms, but if you use the above tactic, I cannot see how you can go wrong. The hostel was clean, with free internet and bedding. The only tricky part is finding it at first from the train station. They have good directions - so follow them! When they say go out the exit (off the platform) with the handicap lift - DO IT! It will help you locate the handy red signs directing you over the tracks to the hostel. It is on a tram and train route, so while it is outside the city centre, it is easy to get to. The staff were ok - not super friendly, but not bad either. Although we asked how to get to Terezin (the concentration camp) and they had no idea. You'd think they would have been asked something like that before! The only really negative thing I have to say is the breakfast. Its included but unless you love dry bread or cornflakes, I don't think you'll be thrilled. The coffee is ok and there is cheese and ham too. It will fill you up. Overall, if you're a backpacker like we were, this place is fine. Just watch the tram you take home at night, as we got lost and the neighbourhood feels a little edgy at night!

During my 11 day stay in this hostel six seperate people were robbed on my floor, the losses included 4 Ipods and 2 fours. The hostel were very unhelpful and told us to go and find the police knowing that they would not speak english. Eventually they agreed to let the police come and do a report while they translated for us, some of these belongings were stolen straight from under peoples pillows while they were sleeping.