Hektor Design Hostel in Tartu
✅ Good value for money with rooms described as clean and spacious ✅ Self-service check-in and check-out praised for ease and convenience ✅ Free parking in a gated area on the hotel grounds ✅ Facilities include a fitness centre, sauna, laundry, and a shared kitchen ✅ Helpful and friendly personnel noted in some reviews ✅ Blackout curtains and sufficiently heated rooms add to comfort ❌ Noise issues due to proximity to a club, highway, and train track with thin walls and inability to close windows because of ventilation problems ❌ Cramped bathrooms with small sinks and poor shower design leading to flooding ❌ Management described as incompetent with rules not enforced and poor response to guest complaints ❌ Small beds and minimalistic rooms may feel very basic or minimal ❌ Accessibility ramps are very steep and door keypad systems can be complicated ❌ Shared spaces can be affected by disruptive tenants and cleanliness concerns
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Description
Hektor Design Hostel in Tartu offers a range of room types from Run of House to various Suites and Apartments, including family and single options. Operating as a 5-star rated property with an 8.6/10 overall score, it provides many amenities such as 24-hour front desk, free bike rentals, a fitness centre, sauna, bar, and on-site restaurant. The hostel features non-smoking rooms, facilities for disabled guests, and free parking in a gated area. Rooms are noted for minimalistic design and generally clean conditions, though some guests mention small beds and cramped bathrooms. Self-service check-in is available. The building is situated near busy streets and a railway, which contributes to noise levels. The hostel offers a shared kitchen, laundry services, and meeting facilities, making it suitable for both short and longer stays, although some reviews highlight challenges with noise, ventilation, and management enforcement of rules.
Location
Hektor Design Hostel is located at Riia 26 in Tartu, Estonia. It is approximately 319 meters from the Oskar Luts Home Museum, though currently closed in June. The Linnaujula beach is about 2.34 kilometers away for those interested in outdoor activities. Several well-rated restaurants are within walking distance: KarriTehas (80 m, rated 9/10), Lusikas OÜ (146 m, 8/10), and LunchTime & Catering OÜ (157 m, 8/10). The hostel is close to the city center with the railway station also within walking distance, providing convenient access to transport.
Tips
- Expect noise inside the rooms due to nearby traffic and nightlife; bringing earplugs could help.
- Use the free bike rental to explore the city and nearby attractions like the Oskar Luts Home Museum.
- If you require accessibility assistance, inquire ahead about the steep ramps and door keypad system.
Policies and conditions
- Pets are allowed on request. Charges may be applicable.
- No parking available.
- WiFi is available in all areas and is free of charge.
- Children of any age are allowed.
Children up to and including 3 years old stay for free when using an available cot.
Children up to and including 3 years old stay for free when using an existing bed.
No extra beds are available.
Any type of extra bed or child's cot/crib is upon request and needs to be confirmed by management. - Check in time: 14:00. Check out time: 12:00.
Services and facilities
- 24-hour reception
- Elevator/lift
- Currency exchange
- Smoke-free property
- Heating
- Newspapers
- Terrace
- All Spaces Non-Smoking (public and private)
- Upper floors accessible by elevator
- Non-smoking rooms
- Family room
- Linens
- Toiletries
- Accessibility features
- Laundry
- Safe-deposit box
- Luggage storage
- Bar
- Diet menu (on request)
- Common kitchen
- Restaurant
- Snack bar
- Packed Lunches
- Bottled water (at extra charge)
- Free Wi-Fi
- Russian
- English
- Library
- Bike rental
- Parking
- Beach/pool towels
- Fax and copy machine
- Meeting and presentation facilities
- Conference Hall
- Cycling
- Fitness facilities
- Sauna
- Playroom
- Family/Kid Friendly
- Pets allowed
The nearest beach is located on the distance of 2340 m. It takes 35 minutes To the beach!
Hotel virtual tour
Video: Hektor Design Hostel - Tartu, Estonia
Map
Reviews
If you ever want to lose your sanity and say goodbye to any sense of peace or quiet, this is the place. You will be crammed in with ignorant and clueless tenants, often foreigners who seem unable or unwilling to grasp even the most basic rules of living with others. Concepts like respecting silence, maintaining cleanliness, or simply not disturbing people around them appear to be foreign ideas.
Raising these issues is pointless. Management is incompetent, and the tenants you confront react like hostile children, playing the victim and blaming everyone around them for their own shortcomings.
Management, for its part, does not care in the slightest. Rules are written down but never enforced. Any promises made during the agreement or written into the contract are nothing more than fairy tales, nice-sounding words that collapse the moment problems actually arise. What you get in reality is noise, chaos, and a complete lack of accountability from those who should be responsible. Do not expect assistance with your inquiries. Even the simplest requests are ignored, forgotten, or delayed, just to be told "unlucky".
The building is wedged between a club, a highway and a train track, subjecting it to almost constant, unavoidable noise. Ventilation is minimal to nonexistent. Shared spaces and their contents are functional but in questionable condition, largely due to the behavior of certain foreign tenants and that is not only my own opinion, but also the managements. Walls and doors are thin. Rooms are adequate only if you accept extreme minimalism. Beds are very small, even for shorter individuals. The bathroom is cramped and smells odd no matter what you do there. The floor there is poorly designed, prone to flooding the entire bathroom when showering.
As one person put it, it’s “about one step up from a prison cell.”
Another thing worth noting is the so-called 4-5 star reviews. Most of them come from shallow, blind tourists who care more about parroting clichés or external details than describing the actual experience. If you look past the meaningless lines like “the city is so nice” which have nothing to do with the hotel itself, you quickly see that this place has nothing to boast about.
Look at 2-3 star reviews to actually see proper reviews and the reality of this place.
Pay a bit more elsewhere, and you’ll get a far better experience, both short-term and long-term. Would not recommend to anyone.
🔸️ Value for money
🔸️ Easy, self-serviced check-in / check-out
🔸️ Large, spacious room
🔸️ Comfort bed
🔸️ Kitchenette in room
🔸️ Good shower
🔸️ Sufficiently heated room
🔸️ Black out curtains
🔸️ Well-equipped with laundry & gym, shared kitchen
🔸️ Free parking in open lots in a gated area on the hotel grounds
🔸️ Close by the city
Some things that could be better
🔸️ Cold floors
🔸️ Common room closed by 9pm
🔸️ Yellowish lighting in room
POIs near hotel
Cafe and Restaurants near hotel
Frequently asked questions about Hektor Design Hostel
What types of rooms are available at Hektor Design Hostel?
Room types include Run of House, Standard rooms (single, double, triple, quadruple, family), Suites (single and double), and Apartments with options of 1 bedroom and double apartments.
Does Hektor Design Hostel offer parking facilities?
Yes, free parking is available in open lots within a gated area on the hotel grounds.
Is the hostel suitable for guests with disabilities?
The hostel provides facilities for disabled guests, although some reviews mention steep accessibility ramps that may be challenging.
How noisy is the Hektor Design Hostel given its location?
The hostel is located between a club, a highway, and a train track, leading to almost constant noise. Thin walls and lack of ventilation contribute to noise inside rooms.
Are there food options at or near the hostel?
The hostel has an on-site restaurant and bar. Nearby restaurants include KarriTehas (80 m), Lusikas OÜ (146 m), and LunchTime & Catering OÜ (157 m).

























































