I’ve spent another weekend in Tel Aviv, and this time, I spent it at Roger’s House Hostel. The hostel is situated in a beautiful Templar house, which dates back to 1929 and stands between the neighborhoods of Neve Tzedek and Florentine. I loved its inner design, especially the colorful Templar floor tiles. The first thing I saw when coming to the reception was the wall that was covered Birra Roger bottles, a beer brand made by the hostel, which has a very special taste. It’s the only hostel in Israel that makes its own beer.
When I started wandering around the hostel, I could find Roger everywhere. You need to come to the hostel to understand what I mean.
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Here’s a short video by Roger’s House Hostel that gives you a bit of the vibe:
Short summary of Roger’s House Hostel Tel Aviv
Location: 5 stars – It’s ideally located between the neighborhoods of Neve Tzedek and Florentine. It’s also located on a quiet street.
Cleanliness: 4 stars – Overall, it was pretty clean, but some places seemed like they needed a bit more cleaning, especially the showers. Still, even there, it was OK.
Staff: 5 stars – Friendly and welcoming.
Security: 5 stars – There was a buzzer at the front gate of the hostel, which means only reception could open it. There was also an entrance code to the dorm.
Facilities: 4 stars – The hostel is still being upgraded, so there are some facilities which need some improvement, but overall you have everything you need. There isn’t a bar, but the reception sells beers, amongst them Roger’s Birra.
Atmosphere: 5 stars – I loved the atmosphere. The hostel has a good vibe and offers excellent common areas for interactions between travelers. It seems like this hostel attracts mainly young travelers. And it really feels like a house!
Value for Money: 5 stars – The price of a bed in a dorm is relatively cheap, between 60 to 80 Shekels. So for this price, I believe the hostel is totally worth it!
Detailed review of Roger’s House Tel Aviv
Location
The hostel is located between the neighborhoods of Neve Tzedek and Florentine, which are both beautiful neighborhoods of Tel Aviv. In Florentine, you can spend hours looking at graffiti works. In Neve Tzedek, you can learn a bit about the history of Tel Aviv and enjoy the beautiful architecture. The hostel is also about a 10-to 15-minute walk from the beachside and a 15-minute walk from Old Jaffa. If you’re into markets, it’s also about a 10-minute walk from Levinsky Market and a 20-minute walk from Carmel Market. So, the hostel has a PERFECT location, about 15 minutes on foot from all the main attractions in Tel Aviv.
Common areas
There are nice common areas on every floor. There’s a nice front yard at the entrance of the hostel, with comfy places to sit and chat with fellow travelers. On the second floor, there’s also a nice indoor common area with sofas and books to read. If you’d like to breathe some air, there’s a small balcony overlooking the pretty Mesilla Park. The common area on the third floor is a bit dusty, so… nobody was really there.
The dormitory
The dorm is quite spacious. I stayed in a 10-bed female-only dorm, which had quite enough space for everything. I could easily walk between the beds and around the room without bumping into anything. The beds all have a curtain around them, which gives a lot of privacy. There’s also a small shelf, light, and USB plugs for each bed. And the bed is super comfortable – one of the most comfortable beds I’ve slept on in hostels. If you want the bottom bed, try getting to the hostel as early as possible because when you enter the dorm, you choose your own bed based on availability. There’s also great A/C!
There’s a connected locker room, which has a lot of space. The lockers have been refurbished recently. If you want to store something in a locker, bring your own lock because the hostel doesn’t provide a free one. If you forget to bring a lock, you can get one in their vendor machine for 20 ILS.
Want a digital combination lock?
Roger’s House Hostel sells only a regular lock with a key, so if you want a lock with a code, you will need to purchase it in advance.
Other than the dorm I stayed in, there’s also a HUGE dorm on the ground floor, which is called the OMG Dorm and has 30 beds in it! There are also many other dorms, which have an age restriction of 18-45, but if you prefer to stay in a private room, they are also available. The most unique private rooms are located in the hostel’s backyard. There, you can sleep in an Urban Caravan or a T3 camper 1985.
If you have a problem with climbing stairs, make sure to book a room on the ground floor of the hostel. The OMG Dorm is on the ground floor, and the private caravans are also down there, in the yard. There’s no elevator to the upper floors, but it’s not a long climb. The guest kitchen is on the second floor.
The bathroom
The dorm doesn’t have an en-suite bathroom. There’s a small female-only bathroom on the dorm floor, which has two showers and one toilet. The showers have curtains. There’s not much room to move around there, so I preferred to go downstairs to the shared bathroom on the second floor, which is open to both women and men. It has plenty of showers with lockable doors and plenty of toilets. There’s no soap, so make sure to bring your own. I’ve been told that the bathroom on the third floor will be upgraded soon, so… maybe it has already been upgraded.
Cleanliness
The hostel was pretty clean, and I even saw the cleaners working in the morning, but somehow, I felt it wasn’t clean enough. The common area on the third floor, for example, felt very dusty and stuffy to me, and the shower I used was a bit dirty. But, I guess it also depends on the people who use the shower.
Breakfast
No breakfast is served in the hostel. However, you do get “surprise” pancakes in the morning starting from 9:30 AM. Each guest can get two pancakes, but they’re pretty small, so don’t count on them for breakfast. Instead, you can use the fully equipped guest kitchen to make your own breakfast. There’s also free coffee and tea 24/7 and a water cooler.
More facilities and services
There’s free WiFi, which worked well during my entire stay. The hostel also provides bed linen, a blanket, and a towel for the shower. You can’t take the towel to the beach, though!
If you need to do laundry, there’s a laundry room next to the reception. Also, there’s a luggage storage room next to the reception, which you can use for free if you just want to leave your luggage for a few hours. If you’re going to leave it there for more than a day, you’ll need to pay. Remember that the luggage room is the same as the laundry room, so there’s free access to the room. Don’t leave your valuables there!
The staff
The staff members were very friendly. It seemed like they were mostly volunteers or people from abroad, so they had no problem with English. At check-in, they give you a tour of the hostel’s main facilities and show you to your room, which is nice. It also felt like there was always someone at the reception if needed.
Hostel activities
The hostel offers a pub crawl, a graffiti tour, and other activities. Because I stayed there on Shabbat, I joined the Shabbat Dinner, which costs 45 ILS. The menu of the Shabbat dinner is vegetarian and includes mainly shakshuka, but also burghul and a yummy salad. Usually, most families in Israel eat a non-vegetarian meal on Shabbat dinner, so don’t think we don’t eat meat on Shabbat. There was a short explanation about Shabbat at the beginning of the dinner. Actually, I, as an Israeli, was asked to explain about the Shabbat. When I explained about the challah, the special bread we eat on Shabbat, I was disappointed that there was no challah to show. That was my only disappointment. The meal was delicious, and the atmosphere was great. Read more about Shabbat here.
Conclusion
Roger’s House is a beautiful hostel in a quiet but very central area of Tel Aviv. The fact that it’s located in an old Templar house really gives it a different feel, mainly thanks to the fantastic colorful tiles all around the hostel. The place has great potential, and I’ve heard it will get upgraded soon. Overall, I enjoyed my stay here and recommend this place if you’re on a tight budget and want to stay in a hostel with a great vibe. It’s also great for those of you who are looking for a dorm that has some privacy, thanks to the curtains around each bed.
The review was written on July 2019. I’ve been invited to the hostel, but can assure you my review is loyal to my experience.
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Yours,
Lior
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