SONDERIA Lazybones Hostel- Wenshu Temple Side, Chill Hostel with All-Day Brunch, Travel Agency in English & Local Bar Vibes

This was my first time at a hostel and what a refresher it was ! We were half way into a trip and it was the first time we could converse in English, rather than using google translate . Special thanks to Michael & Damon for all their help and recommendations (they literally saved a bunch of restaurants and attractions/must sees and do's for us in our google maps). If you stay here, don't miss out on blanket noodle soup (Rongrong Beida Pugaimian, 2 Jiefang Rd 2 Section, 城隍庙 Jinniu District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China, 610051), 2-4min walk (depending if you take the shortcut) from the accommodation - we are massive foodies and this place deserves a gourmet Michelin bib.. Don't book your tours elsewhere! Head straight to the hostel or message them and they have a list of tours with English speaking guides at a very affordable price. Shoutout to Mark for the Leshan Buddha and panda research base tour, his English is second to none and his knowledge and energy is amazing - this was the best tour we have had throughout our trip (very flexible guide). The rooms itself are quite basic , but it has all the essentials you need and more. Shampoo, body wash, slides, aircon and beds. Laundry is a godsend on level 3 ( $3-$4 AUD for a full load rather than per piece) and boyyyyyy... Did we do alot of laundry (it didn't go below 34 degrees Celcius). Daily towels are provided and they do quick work in tidying up the room Free coffee is available from 9am-10am, you'll be lucky if you have Michael making your coffee. He is a well trained barista. There are many other free activities provided by the hostel such as dumpling parties, hotpot parties and Sichuan opera performance. There is also a bar available ( we don't drink often anymore, so we didn't use this), but if you needed a late night snack, there's a lawson down the road that we used quite frequently.

The room was spacious and comfy. The cafe/bar in the lobby was cozy and had nice food and a lively atmosphere at night, with live music (the teo singers on Saturday night are so good!). The staff is also super friendly. Damon and Emi were always there to greet me, and Nicole was not only nice but also especially helpful -I had a couple of needs that she helped me solve perfectly and very fast. They have free events to get guests to hang out together every Monday and Wednesday. And they organise guided tourist activities at reasonable prices. And there is even a mini gym too!

The staff was fantastic and extremely helpful -they were knowledgeable, answered all my questions patiently and their English was good, which is not a given. The bed was comfy, with a big locker next to the bed. Loved the lively atmosphere at the bar, it made you feel like you're part of the city instead of just a hostel, with many tables both indoors and outdoors. The free morning coffee was very good and the hostel is walking distance from the wonderful Wenshu Monastery! The price for the hostel is the best I've had anywhere, probably, and you get great value for that despite any shortcomings.

We had a great time at the Sonderia Hostel. The staff is friendly and speaks great English. The locations is a bit far from metro stops (approx 10 min walk) but you are close to touristic areas and restaurants. The hostel can help you book activities such as the Sichuan Opra. The included breakfast option was okay, but to our disappointment mostly Western! The gym was also surprisingly nice, there were weights and some cardio machines. Great value for price and would come again.

The staff is incredibly friendly, Penny was always there if I had a question. All of her colleagues are just as nice. There is free coffee in the morning. We didn't try the food but it looked delicious. One thing the hostel can improve: every time a new person arrives in the room, the code for the room has to change. Typing in the number has a loud noise and can disturb sleep, the number changed 4 times for my two night stay. Also I wish the toilet in the room would've been cleaned more often. It is a hostel so you'll meet different people. Some think taking a shower at 2am in the morning is a good idea, some people are just not washing their clothes and you can smell them in the whole room or some people think chatting/having a call just in the hallway in the middle of the night is no problem. This has nothing to do with the hostel, I wish people would be more considerate. To end this note with a positive: the bar is very lively with outside visitors, the cocktails are super delicious, try their homemade whisky tea cocktail!