Berkeley YMCA Residence

Mis-information/communication during the application process for housing, and Covid UN-friendly habits. Ask them 3x what the rent is because they will change it. Kind staff, but a waste of time procedurally.

Very nice place, if you're on a budget (who isn't). Staff work very hard here to keep bathrooms and lobby area tidy. Front desk lady Maria is amazing, as well as evening guy Joel. Much appreciated. Many nice people here. Enjoy the central downtown location, one block from Berkeley BART station.

Good gym, friendly staff, great workout!

I've never stayed in a worse place. It was a last-minute solution offered to me because I couldn't get to my original accommodation until later than planned. Now I'm wondering who offers a hostel like this to a young woman traveling alone… If I had known the rooms and bathrooms were like this, I wouldn't have accepted the "offer." Broken furniture and bedding, an unhygienic shower. So unhygienic, in fact, that I decided not to shower there at all. The hostel seems to be known for housing many "difficult" guests. I repeatedly heard a woman shouting from her room at night, for example. It was quite frightening at times.

Bed bugs, bed bugs and more BED BUGS ! I told staff abt it immediately and they said they'd wash and spray the room while I was out. OK. I suppose they did 🤷🏾‍♀️. But it didn't get rid of the bed bugs. I asked for new linens and the linens they gave me had dead bed bugs in them. I went to stay here in between leases and I'm afraid that I'll bring bed bugs to my new place. The bites are psychological torture that have me afraid to sleep. Also the first night I was there. They didn't have a key for the room, not just a key FOR ME, a key to the room period, not even for themselves. They opened it with a master key and didn't show me that the door knob, when the hard to use handles are in a certain posknow, lock the door behind you so I got locked out and there ZERO overnight staff of any kind, so I spend the first night out in the lobby. Do. Not. Stay there !!@

It's a great price. Get individual rooms, like a hotel, and shared bathrooms and kitchen. Very close to resturaunts and BART station.