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Reviews of Barabas - Hostel

3 out of 5
Barabas - Hostel
Löwengraben, 18, Lucerne

Reviews

8.2

Very good

Rating 10 - Excellent. 80 out of 209 reviews" "
Rating 8 - Good. 91 out of 209 reviews" "
Rating 6 - Okay. 22 out of 209 reviews" "
Rating 4 - Poor. 8 out of 209 reviews" "
Rating 2 - Terrible. 8 out of 209 reviews" "

9.0/10

Cleanliness

8.8/10

Staff & service

7.4/10

Amenities

8.2/10

Property conditions & facilities

8.6/10

Eco-friendliness

Reviews

10/10 Excellent

Vomo

Travelled with family, Travelled with family and small children, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
This is a great place to stay for artsy enthusiasts.
Stayed 1 night in Mar 2024

10/10 Excellent

Alex

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Barabas Hostel was well-located and clean. The room was small and styled very similar to a prison, but this is prominently advertised and a core feature of the experience. Free coffee and tea was available 24/7 and there was a lounge area available for everyone to use. The front desk was attentive and very helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2024

10/10 Excellent

Jeannette

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Cool former prison that's clean w helpful staff!!
My friend and I really enjoyed our stay. Our room was clean and in good condition. I loved reading about the history of the building and see artwork from a former prisoner in the common room. No breakfast during the winter, but there was coffee and tea downstairs. The staff was very friendly and helpful as well. Great place!
Stayed 2 nights in Jan 2024
Response from Hotel Barabas on 25 Feb 2024
Dear JeannetteThank you for your review and the five stars!We are really happy you had a great stay at our Hotel Barabas . :-)Best regardsTeam Barabas

10/10 Excellent

John

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great affordable option in a convenient location in the old town.
Stayed 1 night in Dec 2023
Response from Hotel Barabas on 6 Jan 2024
Dear JohnThank you for taking the time to write us such a nice review.We hope to welcome you another time at our hotel behind bars!Best regardsTeam Barabas

8/10 Good

kimberly

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staff is wonderful helpful clean hotel close to everything
Stayed 1 night in Sep 2023

10/10 Excellent

Robert

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2023

8/10 Good

Jenny

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Staying in a jail cell was more cramped than a normal hotel room but made for a fun experience Shower and toilet were very clean and worked well. Linen was changed daily. Staff were very helpful and pleasant
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Pratik

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was really like a prison!
This hotel makes you feel that you are in prison ! No air conditioner and there was a small table fan which was making noise whole night ! Person sleeping on the top of bunk bed can not get any air. Washroom wall was semi transparent, so it was uncomfortable using it. Overall, it was not a pleasant experience. Very tiny rooms. Shower, although individual but was outside.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Jay

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Property conditions & facilities
Clean. Good staff. Poor in provisions. No tv. No refrigerater. Austere. Small beds. I would not return. For nearly $200 with breakfast, one pays much for little.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2023

10/10 Excellent

Danielle

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very unique experience at the Barabus Hotel. I enjoyed the charm of the place and seeing the prison details of the building. We had great service, great breakfast, and really responsive staff. The location couldnt be better for exploring the old town in lucerne, Barabus is near everything.
Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2023

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Stayed 1 night in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Aixin

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Ian

Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Alexander

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Quality lodging and quality people!! Staff were generous with their knowledge and assistance and just all around great people! Toilets were very clean and air conditioned, and they even change your towels daily! Very convenient walk from the train station Room was slightly warm and stuffy but one really can’t complain
Stayed 2 nights in Jun 2023
Response from Barabas on 17 Jun 2023
Dear Alexander Thank you for your great praise to our house we would be happy to welcome you again soon. Best regards Team Barabas

10/10 Excellent

samantha

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great stay inside an old prison. Walking distance to everything. Right across from a coop grocery store. Rooms were clean. Rooms got a bit stuffy but a fan was provided.
Stayed 3 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Isabella

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It was super easy to find, staff was amazing and gave us tips on things to do. Rooms were clean and a bit hot since it’s summer, but the fan provided really helped.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Simona

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
This hotel has a perfect location, it is very clean, the girl at the reception was super nice and the breakfast was great!
Stayed 6 nights in May 2023
Response from Barabas on 17 Jun 2023
Dear Simona Thank you for your kind words to our team and our hotel. We are happy that you felt comfortable with us. Best regards Team Barabas

10/10 Excellent

Leonardo

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Would stay again. Good place. Safe and clean.
Stayed 3 nights in May 2023
Response from Barabas on 17 Jun 2023
Dear Leonardo Thank you for your review we would be happy to welcome you again. Kind regards Team Barabas

8/10 Good

Kiran

Stayed 2 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Vivek

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It's really one of a kind - it is a former prison turned into a hotel. Quirky but charming. Please be aware that since it used to be a prison some amenities are a bit lacking but the superb staff and location more than make up for that. Recommend it most highly.

8/10 Good

Tushar

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
We had to get our room changed to a proper hotel room as we felt very claustrophobic in the Jail Themed room. The jail room have very little ventilation and was quite hot inside. The bathroom was small and the door was a bit fiddly too. People would really like to experience the jail atmosphere should be fine with this. I did read about the jail theme before booking and thought i would be ok but I would say the photos are much brighter and fancier than how actually the room was. We spoke to the manger and he was kind enough to move us to a different normal room (Japanese room) at an additional cost and that new room was excellent. Did not opt for the breakfast as there were loads of places to eat around the area The location of the hotel was great and central.

10/10 Excellent

Wen

Stayed 1 night in Sep 2022

2/10 Terrible

Hyun Jin

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
It was horrible literally. Room is so small and I cannot even take a shower properly. There is no air conditioning in the room, the only way to cool down is to open a small window on the top of the room. A tiny fan on the desk smells burnt when I turn it on.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Gail, Dublin

Stayed 1 night in Aug 2022

10/10 Excellent

Mee Hong

Stayed 2 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

MR T G

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, room comfort
My second stay
Cool rooms and corridors. Fun younger vibe. I'll be back.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Claudia

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Great location and staff. Cool place.
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022

8/10 Good

Randolpho, Spring Hill

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
It's a converted 19th century prison, and yet it's well apportioned. The only real complaint I had was that the hotel does not have air conditioning, and of course we visited in June. They provided a fan, however, which was great, but there were 4 of us in one room and only one fan, so some people had to swelter. That said, it's a fun experience to take the family, and of course Lucerne is a great town to explore!
Stayed 1 night in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Peter

Stayed 1 night in May 2022

4/10 Poor

Siang Hua

Stayed 1 night in May 2022

2/10 Terrible

Fernando

Travelled with family
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Small and expansive
Stayed 1 night in Apr 2022
Response from Team Barabas on 30 Apr 2022
Hello Fernando The rooms are small because the building is the former prison and the rooms are the size of the original cells. This is also written in the hotel description. Per person you have paid less than 50 francs for the night which is not much money in Swiss terms. Too bad you did not like the unique experience of sleeping in a prison. Hopefully you could enjoy the city of Lucerne. All the best and kind regards Team Barabas

6/10 Okay

ANTONETTE

Travelled with partner
Liked: Staff & service
Disliked: Amenities
Didn’t realize it was an actual jail cell. Too small window at top of high ceiling
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2021

8/10 Good

Jose, Toronto, Ontario

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Well located and like 5 blocks from train station. Clean and friendly people.
Stayed 3 nights in Sep 2020

2/10 Terrible

Florian

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, property conditions & facilities
Disliked: Staff & service
If you want to sleep don't go there!
We spend a night there. While the overall concept is really nice and well done our night end over as a nightmare. First of all we had to deal with the longer check in ever (we where the only one and we had pre book) despite this it took the lady 20 min to give me a key and to charge me for city tax and parking. Then she did not warned us about the overall surrending and therefore propose some alternative/solution. We could not sleep until 3 am because of the noise. Furthermore the room was so hot (because we could not open the window due to the noise) that we had a terrible night. Hotel was empty and I am sure a solution could have been found. Concept is funny (not for more than 1 night) but clearly don't go there in the summer to much noise from the street and too hot in the room.
Stayed 1 night in May 2020
Response from Team Barabas on 12 Jun 2020
Dear Florian Thank you very much for taking your time for this review, we do take our guest feedback serious. It is very unfortunate that you were disappointed by the process of our Check In. The lady who checked you in is still new and managed her first day alone at the reception after an induction period. Everyone has to learn it at some point, we thank you for your understanding. As Barabas is located in the center of the old town there is the small possibility that you have noise from the street. We always tell the guest to be quite in the corridors. We hope you still have made good experience in the city, since we are very central located. Have a great day!

10/10 Excellent

Kaitlyn

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 1 night in Feb 2020
Response from Your Barabas Team on 22 Feb 2020
Hi! Thank you for staying at Hotel Barabas in Lucerne! We are happy, that you enjoyed your time with us. It would be great to welcome you again at Barabas Lucerne. Kind regards,

8/10 Good

Elizabeth

Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Great location to old town and metro.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019
Response from Team Barabas on 3 Nov 2019
Hi Elizabeth! Thank you very much for taking you time to write us a review. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed your stay at Barabas. It would be a pleasure to welcome you again in Lucerne. Best regards Team Barabas

6/10 Okay

Lorena

Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

6/10 Okay

MCM, USA

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
A terrific location close to old town and a really friendly staff! The breakfast was completely uninspiring, though. Perhaps because this venue skews toward a younger crowd, there was A LOT OF NOISE in the halls at night. Doors slamming, people talking LOUDLY on phones (in their rooms, and in the halls). The room was a comfortable size and very clean with a comfy bed. The shower door leaked a LOT of water onto the floor.
Stayed 2 nights in Oct 2019
Response from Team Barabas on 20 Oct 2019
Hi there! Thank you for taking your time to write us a feedback. We appreciate that and it is nice to hear that you liked our location and our service. As Barabas is located in the center of the old town there is the small possibility that you have noise from the street. But we always tell the guest to be quite in the corridors. It would be a pleasure to host you again. Best regards Team Barabas

8/10 Good

Guest

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
If there is at least one washing machine will be better
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from Team Barabas on 10 Nov 2019
Hi! Thank you for your feedback. There is a self-laundry place that opend a few weeks ago. It's open 7 days from 6-22. It is not far away from our hotel. If you come back ask reception for directions. Kind regards, Team Barabas Lucerne

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner, Travelled with group
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Nice affordable place in a great location. Staff is very friendly and helpful.
Stayed 1 night in Oct 2019
Response from Team Barabas on 9 Oct 2019
Hi there! We thank you for taking your time to write us a review. It is nice to hear that you liked your stay with us in the heart of Lucerne. Have a great day! Best regards Team Barabas

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Room was really different. Clean. Excellent staff. Great shower. Ideal central location, but just too noisy to get a good night's sleep.
Stayed 2 nights in Sep 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Staff very helpful and location is excellent. Rooms very small but I was aware that would be the case.
Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Team Barabas on 14 Sept 2019
Hello! We thank you so much for your review. It is nice to hear that you enjoyed our location and appreciated our service. We hope to welcome you again in the heart of Lucerne. Best regards Team Barabas

10/10 Excellent

Robin

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
As it was a prison it was more than I anticipated.
Stayed 3 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, amenities, property conditions & facilities
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019

2/10 Terrible

Atanu

Travelled with family
Disliked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Not at all a good place, especially for families
Dont ever think if you want to stay here with your family. I understand this was a previous prison converted into hotel. But they could have converted few more things along with that. Pros : Very good location, very near to hotel and other attractions Cons: 1. Rooms are super tiny, around 70-80 sq ft. Now fit two bunker beds in that, and you dont have any space to walk. 2. Rooms are super hot, no AC, just one tiny table fan. Kids had a bad night 3. The shower is located outside the room.. seriously? 4. It really appeared we are in a prison, I thought it will be prison themed.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Team Barabas on 1 Sept 2019
Hi Atanu! Thank you for your stay with us at Barabas, the former prison of Lucerne. It is nice to hear that you did like our location in the heart of Lucerne. We are sorry for your misunderstanding of our concept. In the room description on Expedia it is written that the rooms have a size of 11m2. As the rooms are located in the former cells, they are small with a small window. It can be that the quadruple room have a shower outside the room, but it is private. Yes, unfortunately this summer is a hot summer in Switzerland. But most of the 3* hotels in Switzerland do not have any AC inside the room. But we hope that you could refresh you in the lake and did still enjoy the sightseeing in Lucerne. Have a great day! Best regards Team Barabas

10/10 Excellent

Verified traveller

Travelled with family, Travelled with partner
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities
Very clean, great location and the staff were friendly and informative.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Team Barabas on 2 Sept 2019
Hello! Thank you so much for taking your time to review our Hotel. We are happy to hear that you liked our location and service. It would be a pleasure to host you again in Lucerne! Best regards Team Barabas

4/10 Poor

james

Liked: Cleanliness
Disliked: Room comfort
Absolutely basic.
Absolutely basic. Cots, not beds. Felt like an inmate.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Team Barabas on 25 Aug 2019
Hi there! Thank you very much for your stay and for taking the time to review our former prison from 1862 :D Yes, we are a former prison, for most of our guest it is the reason why they stay with us. The rooms are thought to spend the night we recommend to spend time in our big chill out area with our games and your friends or family. We hope you still have made good experience in the city, since we are very central located. Kind regards Team Barabas

8/10 Good

Verified traveller

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019

10/10 Excellent

VICTOR, Denver Airport Location

Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service, property conditions & facilities, room comfort
Wonderful space and wonderful location.
Wonderful space and wonderful experience in this old prison. Great location.
Stayed 1 night in Aug 2019
Response from Team Barabas on 24 Aug 2019
Hi Victor! We thank you so much for taking your time to write us a review. We are really happy to hear that you appreciate our concept. It would be a pleasure to host you again in Lucerne. Have a great day! Kind regards Team Barabas

2/10 Terrible

Verified traveller

Travelled with family
Liked: Cleanliness, staff & service
Disliked: Amenities, property conditions & facilities
Room was small, claustrophobic, used to be a prison cell, no air conditioning, bar on small window. Window had plywood on it. Would not recommend anyone to stay there.
Stayed 2 nights in Aug 2019
Response from Team Barabas on 19 Aug 2019
Hi there! Thank you for your feedback about your stay. As we are located in a former prison, the rooms are small but the special setting and the common area of the Hotel should make up for the lack of size. Yes, most of the hotels in Switzerland have no air conditioner. But we provide a fan inside the room. We are sorry for your misunderstanding of our Barabas. We hope that you still had a good time in Lucerne, as we are located in the center of Lucerne. Have a great day! Best regards Team Barabas