Staying at the Freehand for my first solo trip was incredible. The employees were best in class - so delightful to interact with, very helpful with directions and figuring out the train system, and just overall great people.
Everything was clean and most everything was as expected.
Be prepared that the rooms are very small. That's probably obvious to most folks , but just a reminder that you wont have much room to layout your luggage. I opened mine only to grab things as to be respectful of my hostel-mates. (rooms are smaller than what's in the photos - but you do end up getting used to it quickly!)
I didn't realize there was a shower inside my actual room - a very pleasant and welcomed surprise!
Bring your own lock for the locker if you'd like to stow valuables. (***By the way, Freehand, a light in or near the lockers would be extremely helpful as it was almost impossible to see inside without a phone light - I personally was going in and out of this A LOT since I was truly just using it as some extra storage space, so every time it was a bit of a struggle)
My other small complaint would be that there was nowhere quiet to hangout. There was always at least 1 hostel-mate in my room and after a day of walking all around the city exploring in the cold, I just wanted a spot to regroup, call my family to check-in, read a book, etc. (The bar area can be pretty loud - at one point they were BLASTING some old school rap song and every other word was a curse word. This was early in the day. I had to leave.)
Ok back to positive things... The drinks at the bar area were fantastic. (I recommend the marg!)
Getting in and out was easy. They were not at all stingy with towels and linens. The bed setup was EXCELLENT. There was a little shelf built into the bed, a charger, and a reading light! as well as a curtain for privacy.
Can't speak to the laundry/gym situation but I'm pretty sure they have it on the bottom floor somewhere!
The few cons I shared were not at all deal breakers (just wanted to share that insight in case it matters!)
For the price, the Freehand is an exceptional value. Thank you, Freehand, for having me! Hope to be back soon.