Wombats City Hostel Berlin is easily one of the most centrally located hostel in Berlin. Located only a short 10-minute walk from Alexanderplatz, the heart of Berlin, Wombats City Hostel Berlin's prime spot helped us save on transport costs.

Room

We stayed in a 6 Bed Mixed Dorm Ensuite in Wombats City Hostel Berlin. The bed came with a little shelve to put your belongings (which proved useful when I had to charge my camera), a nightlight and plug. This photo as taken as soon as we checked in and, as you can see, you'll need to insert the sheets yourself and remove them when you check out.


The room was spacious with a corner with a wooden table and chairs for socialising. The Italians whom we shared our room with used it for drinking although Wombats City Hostel Berlin explicitly banned drinking alcohol in the room LOL. We had no problem with that because they weren't creating a din anyway.


The lockers Wombats City Hostel Berlin provided were sufficient for each guest. Although the lockers were tall enough to fit a 24-inch luggage, they are not wide enough even for a 20-inch luggage. The hostel was, after all, designed for backpackers.

Toilet

Booking an ensuite room meant that six of the guests needed to share one toilet that is attached to the room. The toilet was clean although, expectedly, some of us needed to use the toilet at the same time (us washing up before bedtime and them, showering before they head out wtf #Asiannerds). We were fortunate that we shared the room with a group of gentlemanly Italian guys who insisted that we use the toilet first despite our protests that we girls would take longer to shower.

Common Area

Wombats City Hostel Berlin had a common area complete with beanbags and charging ports for its guests.


Wombats City Hostel Berlin also presented us with one drink voucher at their rooftop bar, WomBar, which had pretty darn amazing views.


WomBar is a rooftop bar situated above Wombats City Hostel Berlin that overlooks several houses, and Berliner Fernsehturm (Berlin TV Tower) — what more can I ask for?


We could leave our luggages at Wombats City Hostel Berlin before check in and after check out. The area is monitored by a CCTV and guests only have limited access to it (you need to register and be given a pin code to enter) so leaving our belongings there felt safe enough.

Service

Wombats City Hostel Berlin provided city maps curated by them featuring tourist attractions, local delights and tips on getting around Berlin. I loved their customised map!

Unfortunately, Wombats City Hostel Berlin's conceige put a damper on my love for the hostel. I accidentally booked the hostel for a day before I was due to arrive in Berlin. That was entirely my fault, I get it. What was unacceptable, however, was the front desk's attempt at tricking us to book a more expensive room.

The guy at the front desk told us that because we did not check in the day before (due to my mistake), the hostel had cancelled our booking entirely. Overnight, they sold out their 6 Bed Mixed Dorm Ensuite and were only left with private rooms (that are almost four times the price of a mixed dorm). He then convinced us to confirm the rooms immediately.

Fortunately, Cheryl was quick-thinking and told him if that's the case, we would stay in the private room for a night then move out when there are beds in the mixed dorm. The guy quickly responded that he'd check on the dates of availability for the dorm and immediately told us there were free beds in the dorm we intially booked.

Boo. Not cool.

Safety

The streets were quiet but seemed pretty safe to me.

Will I return to Wombats City Hostel Berlin?

Eh, maybe not. Although I had a great experience at Wombats City Hostel Berlin, the checkin experience left a bitter taste in my mouth. Wombats City Hostel Berlin would probably be my last few options the next time I go to Berlin solely because I felt that they were dishonest. Honesty is an important factor that I prioritise because how else would I feel safe in the hostel?

Wombats City Hostel Berlin

Address
Alte Schönhauser Str. 2, 10119 Berlin, Germany

Contact
bookberlin@wombats.eu  |  +49 (0)30 847 10820

Price
€20.60 (S$33) for a weekday night, €30 (S$48) for a weekend night

Booking
I made all of my Europe hostel bookings on Hostelworld as the platform allows us to only pay a deposit instead of the entire room price. I would have lost more money on my mistake booking otherwise.

Berlin is such a historically profound city that it both awes and terrifies me. Cheryl and I went on a free walking tour and it was mindblowing to see the juxtaposition of Berlin's most known landmarks — the SS Headquarters (Topography of Terror) and Berlin Cathedral were in such close proximity that you could be discussing war horrors or torturing a prisoner before sauntering over to pray to be a better person.




Adjacent to Berlin Cathedral is Lustgarten (literally, Pleasure Garden — see how close German is to English?). The unassuming park saw numerous rallies and protests during the years of Weimar Republic. Later, under Nazi Germany, Hitler held rallies attended by up to a million people in Lustgarten.

Right now I stand in the Holocaust Tower, located in the basement of Jewish Museum Berlin. Nestled in the darkest corner that’s fit only for one person, I allow words to flood me faster than I can write. The shadows from the nearby rustling trees dance right above me, creating shadows and blocking the only light source — the sun — as I reflect on the nature of human beings. The very species that I am.

The silence is almost deafening, shattered only by the occasional shuffling of feet and voices from outside that escaped through the tight door. A bespectacled, tall man of a different race stood opposite me in a familiar variant of Singapore’s senang diri position — with both arms behind his back, feet wide open — staring into the sky. He hasn’t moved for the last 10 minutes. Not even one bit.

How is it that we, as humans with full control of our emotions, can turn a blind eye to our actions, even when they carry tangible, terrible consequences? Starve us, and we turn crazy, desperate for food to satisfy our hunger. Cut us deep, and we bleed — a bright red, no different from the rest. Because we hurt no different from the rest.


I recall the sunset I caught the day before, surrounded by hundreds of people from different walks of life. How our cameras lifted to capture the same moment right before the sun sank beneath the horizon; I remember the sun hung so low that the sky bled red. Is that not the red we see when we bleed? Do we all not bleed the same blood, see the same sky, watch the same sunset? How is it that some are capable of such callousness none could have thought of?

How are we any different from the cruelty of the Holocaust if we never learn from their mistakes? How can we ignore the continuous atrocious that’s STILL going on in the world today? Because it doesn’t concern us? Because we don’t see it? Because out of sight, out of mind?

After a while, it seems evident that we are all the same. Still the same.

We only fight for what concerns us.

-

Written on 8 May 2018, 3pm at Holocaust Tower, Jewish Museum Berlin. My unpremeditated visit to Jewish Museum Berlin ended seeing it rise on my list of favourite museums in the world. I would recommend this to everyone, especially on your last day in Berlin, after you’ve taken a look at the other historical sites. The Holocaust Tower was an amazing place to reflect solemnly on the atrocities that happened in Berlin, and beyond.

Jewish Museum Berlin

Address: Lindenstraße 9-14, 10969 Berlin, Germany
Opening Hours: 10am to 8pm

On a side note, I should really start penning down my thoughts more frequently.