Very friendly staff. Good location. Again more like a homestay than a real hostel. Only disadvantage: only two room with relatively many beds. Internet is available for a relatively small fee.

On a whim, I chose this place over Baikaler Hostel which was the other hostel in central Irkutsk and I'm very happy with the decision. Downtown Hostel is conveniently 2 tram stops from the train station, and they pick you up on request in a pretty cool way -- a staff member Julia cycled down to meet me, put me on a tram, gave me the fare, told me where to alight, got back on her bike, met me at the relevant stop, and guided me to the hostel which was maybe 100m away from the stop.

The hostel is small with only 2 (spacious) dorm rooms. Very cosy, like someone's home. There's a shared bathroom/toilet, small TV area with couch and DVDs on request, a kitchen where you can prepare food and have free tea/coffee, and an internet room.

Everything's within walking distance. For food, there's a deli right across the road and Weiner's Cafe (which is really quiet and charming with good food and coffee) just 4 min down the street.

I'm not sure why a certain guidebook claims the area is seedy. That's hardly the case -- it's a really peaceful and tidy neighbourhood. The riverside esplanade is just 5 min walk away where you see families strolling around and you find fancy hotels, cafes and banks.

The staff are really friendly and nice in a breezy way with ready smiles all the time.