Lamartine Chelsea

"My husband and I went at the beginning of January so there was almost no one at the hostel, very quiet, we had the whole floor to ourselves. There are 5 floors with a narrow stairway, no elevator. One thing I have to give them is the cleanliness, quite spotless. Every day the staff was cleaning the bathrooms. The location is good, a few minutes from the subway or bus, close to Madison Square Garden. We got one towel each. There are two kitchens and they are very clean, there are some basic things available. Also you can leave your luggage while waiting to check in or if you checked out. Cons: Hallways always smelled like marijuana, no toiletries, nothing to wipe your hands with, there's no heating per say, there's a radiator, I always had to warm up with a hot shower before bedtime but during the night I was warm. There's an AC unit that could be loud for some people, I had earplugs so I was fine. Rooms are tiny, we only had two small backpacks so no problem for us. The biggest issue is no front desk. When we arrived luckily the owner let us in immediately (there's a key code), told us there was an extra blanket which was a lie, and when we were leaving we got locked out (left our baggage inside for the day and the key code was discontinued) but he also let us in immediately. If we had other issues, not sure if we would be able to get in touch. Can be stressful. If you're looking for budget friendly and aren't picky, this place is perfect."

"Room was clean and bed was comfortable. Location was also very good. Only issues I had were on my first night here, I got locked in the communal bathroom on my floor because the door knob on the inside was missing. I called the hostel but no response. I had to wait in there until I got someone walking by to let me out. The faucet for the shower on the 4th floor was also broken/detached. Also, the light in that bathroom kept turning off when I was showering. I didn’t have that issue in the shower on the third floor though."

"all in all you get a lot for your money, and this place is fairly inexpensive as far as NYC goes. it's in a great central location, walking distance to anything youd need and close to transit - only blocks from penn station. very convenient. the rooms are tiny but all you need, and there's a full kitchen and bathroom on each floor, so you have ample access to all you'd need. gives it the nice home-y feeling and makes eating on a budget easy. place is older but well kept and kept clean. during our stay, everyone was quiet, never were the bathrooms or kitchens full or soiled. the one hangup (and this could really make or break your stay) there is no desk to check in. just a man who lives and works for these rental studios. there's a phone number and email address listed to reach him, but you never will. the phone goes right to voicemail and he never responds to email. you have to get lucky to actually catch him in person at your check in time. we lucked out, other renters let us in the front door, and after waiting 20 minutes the attendant showed up and checked us in. I heard of other tennants having to wait hours into the evening. be ware of this and try to make contact with the hotel before arriving in new york!"

"I stayed in this place for a weekend with a friend. Glad it was only two nights. I do not recommend anyone stay here unless you're looking for the absolute bare minimum for the "cheapest" place in downtown NYC, which will still run you at least $150/night. Honestly I've stayed in cheaper places in bigger cities with better accommodations than this place. Pros: -Clean enough; Nothing was grimy and I never saw a pest. -Has A/C -Fantastic location (You're going to get city noise - shouting, sirens, horns, etc. - so if that bothers you get a place outside the city) Cons: -Hidden fees when you arrive -The "front desk" is a shabby kitchen with the only amenity being a single vending machine. -Room was not clean when we got there on time at 3pm. We had to wait another 40m until our room was ready -Sheets are bare bones. They did not fit on the mattress and there was a single sheet and a tiny "blanket" that barely covered one person -The bathrooms are shared, and there is no soap, shampoo, towels, or paper towels provided in the bathrooms -You are provided a single towel per person -There was a fire alarm that was beeping the entire time we stayed. We asked the doorman MULTIPLE times to fix it but he never did -The door code never worked. We had to ring in every time and never knew if we were going to be able to let in when we came back. We were constantly opening the door for people on our way out or waiting with a group of people to be let in. -After we first arrived, we never saw the doorman again, and he rarely picked up the phone. We had to leave voicemails. There was no way to communicate with anyone in the place beyond that."