Retox Hostel @budapest
Retox Hostel @budapest

Retox Hostel @budapest

Retox2

The idea was to stay at the Retox Hostel for two nights in October 2019, but our flight got delayed, and we only had time for an All-You-Can-Drink-Cruise at night, a party in a cool nightclub I can’t remember the name of, and a pleasant chat with some guests in the benches of the Retox just before dawn. I think at least I got to have a taste of Budapest and I really liked it, which makes me want to go back again. 

I’d like to remember how it was that I discovered the Retox. I think it was in a hostel webpage, but I’m not sure if someone else told me about it before or something. Thing is, I was interested because of its low rates and a sort of disclaimer/warning thing that talked about not being surprised if you found other guests having sex, puking, etc in the shared bedrooms. Wouldn’t it be reasonable to check out a place like that?

There were also cool nightly activities and the reviews I read were mostly positive. Ok, I was sold. I booked two nights for me and Daniel, and later on told him about this place we were about to go in a few months…

Unfortunately, our flight from Stockholm was delayed and later postponed to the next day, so we missed this Jagerbomb domino activity I was looking forward to. What I didn’t know was that I would need that night off, because the party hostel that was to receive us was on a higher level than we were able to handle. You definitely need a fully functional liver for this kind of operation. 

It was easy to get there by bus and then just walking a couple of blocks. Once we were set up, we were introduced to some house rules and activities that we could enjoy. There’s a bar on the first floor. On a wall to its right, there’s a series of drinking games/stunts that were really bad ideas for just one night in Budapest, so we settled with beer and wine, while we got an idea of our surroundings.

Some people gathered around fast and told us about that night’s activity. We wouldn’t have enough time to do sightseeing and party, so the All-You-Can-Drink cruise through the Danube sounded right. Most of the guests were men, much younger than us, early twenties perhaps.

Later on, I remember we had a couple of beers in a bar frequented by old people who gazed at us suspiciously, then we ate some ramen-like soup nearby, and got back in time for the beginning of the cruise thingy.

Many people were already drunk and making out as we started walking towards the cruise ship. I don’t remember how many blocks was that, but it felt quite far away, even though I enjoyed the journey, as I was quite tipsy myself. I tried taking some pictures but they were all blurry.  

We enjoyed the city lights and the palaces on each side of the river, listening to music and meeting people from other countries while slowly moving through the majestic Danube. I remember a group of three Italian girls who didn’t speak much English and a conversation about having to kiss when the boat passed under a bridge. There were also a couple of other people we briefly met, as they came and went with the endless flow of beer, vodka, and wine. Shit got confusing fast.

The after-party memories are even less clear. I remember buying Gin Tonics with a group of Mexicans and stumbling on a table while looking for Daniel, which left me with a bruise in the stomach for weeks. I got to meet and hang out with some people until I eventually found my friend and started wobbling back to the hostel, where I started talking to some of the guests who were still hanging out and passed out shortly. Daniel had had enough.

One of them, a guy from New Zealand, was kind enough to bring me some pizza and beers, after I passed out and woke up again, so we could enjoy the last hours of that night. We all shared travel stories and had a nice time until we went to bed.

In the morning, we had to fly to Prague, so there was not much time to hang out. We had some sort of brunch in a restaurant nearby while possibly still wasted, walked a little around the neighborhood, and then went to the airport.

Budapest certainly deserves some extensive sightseeing, but we simply had not enough time and wanted to enjoy what the Retox had to offer. I’m planning on going back to the city soon, so I can have the chance of getting to know it properly.

Unfortunately, I recently learned the Retox Hostel closed after the pandemic started. There are many YouTube videos of people having a great time while at this place and you can see many guests keep it in a special place in their hearts after they leave, so hopefully it opens its doors once again for those of us who don’t give a fuck and just want a good time!  

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  1. Pingback: Stockholm 17.10.19 – Memories About Places

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