Berlin is one of the cheapest European capitals. Famous for its rich history, culture and party scene, the city attracts many young people to visit. As a person who absolutely adores taking solo trips here and there, I prefer using Couchsurfing when it comes to accommodation because as picky as I am, I usually have a hard time finding a hostel I feel that's worth its price. Therefore, when I couldn't find someone I felt comfortable to stay with and needed to pay out of my own pocket this time in Berlin, I spent lots of time comparing what those hostels have to offer, and I was quite happy to have chosen the Cat's Pajamas Hostel for my stay the end of July 2014.
柏林是歐洲最便宜的首都之一，它著名的歷史、文化、以及近乎24小時不打烊的 party 讓這個城市吸引了許多年輕人造訪，也自然也有數不清的便宜青年旅館。睡別人沙發時畢竟是受人恩惠無法挑剔，但若是要自掏腰包我便得斤斤計較了。回到 M 家，我花了一些時間比較青年旅館的價錢和品質，最後選擇了 Cat's Pajamas Hostel 入住，這是2014年七月。
In the 1920s, "Cats Pajamas" was used to describe someone or something that is great, incredible or special which usually indicating stylishness or innovation since pajamas were a relatively new fashion back then, and the term "cat" was being used to describe the outgoing and unconventional jazz-age flappers. Therefore, just like its name, the Cat's Pajamas Hostel really stands out for its tasteful interior decoration that's basically comparable to a nice hotel in which is quite rare for its category. The hostel combines its modern, industrial look with nice wooden furnitures that creates a homey feeling. The colorful paintings on the walls of each floor gives the place a nice touch of energy.
在1920年代，「Cats Pajamas」（貓的睡衣）通常被用來形容某人（事）是特別的、有風格的、或有創意的，因為在1920年代，睡衣（Pajamas）算是種新的流行，而貓（Cat）則是形容在爵士樂時代留著鮑伯短髮、穿著及膝背心洋裝、化著妝的潮流女性，也因此不難想像這間青年旅館雖然並非以接待女性為主，卻十分對女孩的口味，我也遇到許多一個人旅行的女生來這邊投宿。工業風格的設計搭配著溫暖的原木傢俱色調，這間青年旅館在裝潢上所下的功夫可以比擬高級旅館，色彩豐富的壁畫也替室內空間增添了不少活力。
The dining area has a fully equipped open kitchen, and the lobby has a chill atmosphere with some comfortable space to lounge around. During my stay in Berlin, I spent a lot of time in the hostel because it was very quiet for me to work and rest. I was also very impressed how often the staff were cleaning the kitchen all the time. The hostel is not only hip, but also clean, quiet, and relax.
餐廳及開放式廚房的部分則應有盡有。令人印象深刻的是他們的員工非常用心的維持公共區域的整潔，大廳的氣氛也讓人感到放鬆，可以安心的穿著睡衣四處亂躺，在柏林時我還蠻常待在這裡的，因為它安靜的氛圍讓我可以專注的工作寫字。
The dining area has a fully equipped open kitchen, and the lobby has a chill atmosphere with some comfortable space to lounge around. During my stay in Berlin, I spent a lot of time in the hostel because it was very quiet for me to work and rest. I was also very impressed how often the staff were cleaning the kitchen all the time. The hostel is not only hip, but also clean, quiet, and relax.
餐廳及開放式廚房的部分則應有盡有。令人印象深刻的是他們的員工非常用心的維持公共區域的整潔，大廳的氣氛也讓人感到放鬆，可以安心的穿著睡衣四處亂躺，在柏林時我還蠻常待在這裡的，因為它安靜的氛圍讓我可以專注的工作寫字。
The hostel is located in the beautiful Kreuzberg and Neukölln area. Kreuzberg literally means "cross mountain." The area used to be the poorest area of west Berlin in the late 70s, and it became the center where Berlin's new cultural renaissance held place after the unification. It's where nomad artists, hippies, alcoholics and punks gather. At the same time, many immigrants chose to plant their roots here, and Turkish has the most population. Therefore, the area is also called "Little Istanbul."
這間青旅位於美麗的 Kreuzberg 及 Neukölln 地區。Kreuzberg 字面的意思是「十字架山」，在1970年代後期曾是西柏林最窮的區之一，在東西德統一了之後則成了柏林的新文化復興的中心，是流浪藝術家、嬉皮、酒鬼、龐克等人物的群聚地，同時也有著高比例的外來移民在此落地生根，其中又以土耳其裔為最大宗，也因此有了「小伊斯坦堡」的名號。
Source: HostelWorld
I booked my space very last minute on a weekday. Since I was on a spontaneous schedule, I booked it one night at a time, and I happened to stay at the hostel for 4 consecutive nights. I've thought about switching to another hostel, but I just didn't think I could find a better one in terms of cleanness, comfortability, convenience, and budget. I've stayed in their 8, 6, and 4 female dorms, and every bed gets its own power plug, reading light as well as a personal storage space. Therefore, although I was sharing room with other people, I still felt a sense of privacy, and I like the layout of every room I've stayed in.
基於我完全不知道自己什麼時候會離開柏林，我都是當天才下樓詢問櫃檯當晚還有沒有床位，所以我每個晚上都在換房間，住過了它們的八人、六人、及四人女生宿舍。我當然不是沒有想過換旅館或搬去其他沙發主家，但 The Cats 的乾淨度、便利性、舒適度以及預算真的可以說是物超所值。不僅如此，每一個床位都有自己的插座還有個人儲物空間，所以雖然是和別人共用房間，房客依然各自保有一定程度的隱私性。
Cat's Pajamas is not one of those crazy party hostels, but you can still get beer, coffee, or whatever they have on the menu for cheap at the reception. They also serve delicious breakfast buffet with fresh yogurt, coffee, milk, salami, cereals, cheese, and bread for just 4 euros. There are also supermarkets nearby where you can get your groceries to save some money. The staff are ultra friendly and helpful.
The Cat's 不是瘋狂的 party hostel，但可以用不太貴的價錢在櫃檯買到啤酒（來德國怎麼能不喝啤酒呢？）、咖啡等等。除此之外，每天早上只要4歐便可以享用美味的早餐吃到飽，有新鮮 yogurt、咖啡、牛奶、cheese、德國麵包、穀片、salami（一種用鹽巴醃製風乾保存的香腸），當然如果想要更省一點，附近也有便宜超市讓你可以自己買菜回來料理。
The only downside is the higher floor your room is, the weaker wifi signal you get, but that will only be a problem if you are one of those people who cannot live without internet even for a second. Also, the room can get pretty warm in summer because the air conditioner weren't really working, but again, I am from a tropical island, so it was fine with me. In addition, I've noticed that if you want to borrow a hairdryer or get free clean linens and towel, you would need to pay extra in many other hostels, but that was not the case here, so I was really happy about that! There's also a laundry facility and bikes for rent! The friendly staff would provide attractions, transportation information you need in Berlin as well.
這間 hostel 唯一稱得上是缺點的事情大概就是住得樓層越高、wifi 的訊號越弱，但反正在房間就是睡覺，除非妳有網路成癮症，否則這應該是構不成什麼大問題的。房間裏沒有冷氣，所以在七月時還挺熱的，不過對來自熱帶島嶼的我還算是可以忍受。另外，我也發現許多青年旅館是沒有提供毛巾和吹風機，甚至連床單及被套都要另外付費，但到了 The Cat's 完全不用煩惱這方面的問題。旅館內也有付費使用的洗衣機及烘衣機設備和腳踏車租用的服務，親切友善的員工也會詳盡的提供在柏林所需要的觀光、交通資訊。
The only downside is the higher floor your room is, the weaker wifi signal you get, but that will only be a problem if you are one of those people who cannot live without internet even for a second. Also, the room can get pretty warm in summer because the air conditioner weren't really working, but again, I am from a tropical island, so it was fine with me. In addition, I've noticed that if you want to borrow a hairdryer or get free clean linens and towel, you would need to pay extra in many other hostels, but that was not the case here, so I was really happy about that! There's also a laundry facility and bikes for rent! The friendly staff would provide attractions, transportation information you need in Berlin as well.
這間 hostel 唯一稱得上是缺點的事情大概就是住得樓層越高、wifi 的訊號越弱，但反正在房間就是睡覺，除非妳有網路成癮症，否則這應該是構不成什麼大問題的。房間裏沒有冷氣，所以在七月時還挺熱的，不過對來自熱帶島嶼的我還算是可以忍受。另外，我也發現許多青年旅館是沒有提供毛巾和吹風機，甚至連床單及被套都要另外付費，但到了 The Cat's 完全不用煩惱這方面的問題。旅館內也有付費使用的洗衣機及烘衣機設備和腳踏車租用的服務，親切友善的員工也會詳盡的提供在柏林所需要的觀光、交通資訊。
The hostel is only 2 minutes walk away from the U-Bahn Hermannplatz station. I will definitely stay in the Cat's Pajamas Hostel again when I return to Berlin (if I can't find a good host) without a doubt!
這間青旅離地鐵U-Bahn Hermannplatz站步行僅需2分鐘。我下次如果回柏林沒有找到合適的沙發主的話，一定會優先選擇Cat's Pajamas Hostel作為我的落腳處！
Cat's Pajamas Hostel
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