Much has been written about the lack of affordable accommodation in Stockholm. And unfortunately, much of what has been written is very true. If you want a cheap place to stay at in Stockholm you need to book far in advance, can’t be too picky about the locations (and the kind of travelers you’ll meet at certain establishments), or forget about hostels altogether and turn to the likes of couchsurfing.

One hostel however, that always seems to have a room, or a bed, is The Red Boat (Den Röda Båten). This may be due to the fact that if you stayed there once, even if it was affordable, chances are you will not stay there again unless you really absolutely have to. And that’s exactly what happened to me this summer. I had spent 3 days on the Red Boat two years ago and swore “never again”, but this summer, forced by the circumstances (read: nothing else available in the greater Stockholm area) I found myself on the boat yet again. And this time it wasn’t as bad as I had remembered it.

The Red Boat Hotel and Hostel is actually two boats, but who’s counting? Mälaren (the red one) where the main reception and some rooms are located, and M/S Ran (the white one) with additional hotel and hostel rooms. In between the two, there is yet another boat – this one with a bar and a restaurant, which as I understand it, is not affiliated with the hotel at all. The bar with its fake palm trees, tacky marine theme, live music and magnificent views of Gamla Stan (Stockholm’s Old City) is quite agreeable and not a bad place to sip an outrageously expensive beer. When the weather’s nice, the views alone make you forget about the highway robbery prices. The service is quite nice and attentive, too.

And then you go back to your hostel cabin and the reality and the stench hit you. The reality, because the hostel cabins are painfully small. And the stench, because if you happen to have a cabin facing towards the street, your nose will be perfectly aligned with the exhaust pipes of the cars zooming there all night. Because the cabins don’t have any other ventilation, your choices are: keep the window open and breathe the fumes, or close the window and suffocate. So when booking your room, make sure you insist on a cabin facing the open water. The sewer smell coming from that side is hardly noticeable, especially in windy weather.

And did I mention that the cabins are small? I haven’t had the dubious pleasure of testing out the 10-bed dorm room, but the double, triple and quad cabins are just that – tiny closets on a boat, sometimes with an extra bed crammed in for extra profit. In the summer months, they can get rather damp and smelly. They’re also rather filthy. The same goes for the hostel bathroom – bring plastic flip flops to wear in the shower.

The boats don’t have any kitchen facilities for their hostel guests, and bringing and consuming food products in the rooms is not allowed. You can get breakfast on The Red Boat for 65SEK but why bother when you are in the middle of Stockholm and other options are nearby?

The hostel prices start at 450SEK per single room, 590SEK for a twin bunk, and 1040SEK for a 4-bed cabin. A bed in a 10-bunk cabin is 230SEK per night. Sheets (but not towels) are included in the price.

In short:
Pluses: the location is great and the prices are OK
Minuses: I understand it’s a boat and the cabins are tiny. What I don’t understand is the grime, gunk and general filth, especially on M/S Ran.

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