Clown and Bard

i stayed at the clown and bard hostel in prague during the summer of 06. the hostel is large - comprised of three floors and an attic. i stayed in the attic, which was a 36 person dorm room. they were all bunk beds - with the exception of two lofts on the ends - and everyone had their own locker. there were separate bathrooms for guys and gals, but there were no shower stalls atleast not for the guys - so if thats a problem for you, then you may not want to stay here.

of course, with this many people in one room, it can be a little loud at times. as long as you go into it with the understanding that everyone is doing their own thing, and as such has their own schedule, you will have a blast. i popped in some earplugs or my ipod, and i had no trouble sleeping. the staff at this place is very friendly and helpful, and the type of people it seems to attract are definitely up for a good time.

breakfast is included and served daily at the bar in the basement of the hostel - it's a fairly typical hostel breakfast, tea/coffee/toast/hard boiled eggs/cereal - but its definitely worth attending. best of all, this hostel knows what kind of guests it caters to - breakfast on the weekdays was serverd from 10-1, and on the weekends from 11-2 - definitely appreciated after struggling to make it to some 7-9am breakfasts at other hostels i stayed at during my trip.

this hostel is very cheap, and as long as you are open minded and up for a good time - thats exactly what you'll have.

one note about reservations: take them with a grain of salt, whoever has the money, gets the bed. we were only able to reserve one night - but when we showed up and told him it had said online there were beds availible for the next few nights - no questions were asked and we paid for four nights upfront and had no issues retaining our beds for the duration of our stay.

you are also able to extend your stay each morning if you so choose depending on which room you are staying in.. very good for flexible travelers like myself.

The atmosphere is laid-back, yet friendly and very conducive to making new friends. I stayed in this hostel alone..this was about 6 months ago, and I still keep in regular contact with my roomate. The entire hostel is large, with many variations of rooms, all clean enough (and I am actually picky when it comes to germs). Okay the best part is definitely the bar in the basement. Everyone hangs out in this bohemian, Czech pub-- people from all over the world looking to put down some pilsner (and maybe a flaming absinthe!) and meet fellow travelers. It is cheap, someething like $10 or $15 a night. There is free internet access and friendly reception. Yes Yes yes I loved it there, mostly for the people and the bar!