Mumsnet Talk

I agree MM. We went through a phase where ds2 was regularly waking about about 2 hrs before any of the rest of us.

At a Premier Inn, you all end up waking up.

But at a YHA I just instructed him when he was awake, he could go through to the lounge in his PJs and a sweatshirt and do a jigsaw, read a book, play on his DS, etc.

We go a lot and value:
- the communal areas: nice to have somewhere big enough for kids to do a jigsaw, play a board game, us to have a wine when they are in bed
- the locations: often amazing
- self catering: easy to make own meals, store food for picnics
- the drying rooms in some: nice not to have to take wet and muddy and/or sandy gear back to your bedroom

That said, for some holidays, the Premier Inn and so on work better. We mix and match really depending on the reason for the trip.

I've just spent a week in Brecon for under £60 I made my own breakfast,the drying room for my wet kayaking kit was great and I met some lovely people. Take ear plugs and eye mask if sleeping in a dorm.

We're staying in one by mt snowdon, it's costing over £100 for one night for all four of us, no breakfast but have en suite

Only bloody staying there because it's in stagger walking distance of the wedding we're attending......the other night Will be spent in a travelodge

I agree they are too expensive now.

Oh, also they quite often have games rooms with table football, pool etc.

What Kim said.

If the kids meet other kids to play with that totally makes the trip for them. A few years back DS1 (aged about 4) fell totally in love with the warden because he was so fascinated by not being able to tell if she was a girl or boy. When we went on a walk and found a nest of chocolate eggs at the top of a mountain (there's a special bird that lays them when the kids need motivating....) he saved his chocolate egg to give her. You don't get that at Premier Inn.

When we went when dd was very tiny and a Velcro baby, loads of people came and offered to hold her so dh and I could eat our meal in peace. She got passed round the dining room by cooing old ladies and men, it was lovely. Another time there was a bunch of lovely teens on a school trip who played games with our kids.

They are working on improving the food; I've never had a bad meal in a hostel and there are some where it is excellent. Had the best trout ever in a Youth Hostel.

Kids would also say the bunk beds are a highlight.

(DH and I don't get out much so the company of other adults is a bonus. If you want to spend time with your children, Premier Inn may be better.)

They have really crappy energy saving lightbulbs though. You need to take a headtorch if you want to read in the lounge.

Not sure if it's because it's become middle class Wallinson, just people having higher expectations for YH prices.
I used to do the back packing, hitching, staying in dorms many, many years ago and it was all part of the of travelling, lots of fun and meeting like minded people at the same time.
But when I worked them and ran a couple for many years, so many people were starting to request small rooms, they didn't want to share with other people, and that was all nationalities.
I do think it's a shame.

But all of the people that you meet there are middle class now! Boring! I can remember staying in them when you got proper oddballs who were going around Europe on a wing and a prayer - you know, yer actual bona fide travellers, people who made nettle tea out of nettles they'd picked up on their hikes, or who cooked roadkill in the kitchen, or who had magic potions from remote Eastern European villages that cured tummy bugs in one dose. I just think it's a shame that in pitching themselves as being for the Centre Parcs crowd, they've priced so many people out of staying in them and lost a lot of what made them properly special in the process.

Travel lodges and Premier inns are soulless.

It's great fun meeting new people or relaxing in the lounge. Children can be free range in a hostel. Great locations - and the people you meet are very interesting.

It's a great experience.

Fabulous locations - usually walks and wildlife from the door.
We've stayed in some amazing buildings.
Family rooms usually quite spacious and fun.
If you use Tesco Vouchers it's super cheap! :-)
You also get to meet some fascinating and interesting people from all over the world.

If you just want a bed for the night, yeah stick with Premier Inn or something.

But the YHA experience is much more than that.

It has many of the benefits of camping, without the drawbacks!

Doesn't feel like I'm missing an awful lot - though I agree the buildings are better located and more charming than the Travelodges.... but even so...

I much preferred them when they were cheap and cheerful crashpads and didn't mind doing chores in the least. They were still family friendly back in the day as well - they always had family rooms. I think they've lost a lot of the atmosphere they used to have.

No communal showers
No chores

You do get family rooms and a self catering kitchen which saves money.

It's also very family friendly - DS happily runs round meeting new people in a safe environment with like minded people.

Love them

Too expensive for a family, but great of several singletons are meeting up!!

I think the location is about the only thing they've got going for them now. They are much more expensive than they used to be, and I don't enjoy 'hanging out' in the communal areas any more than I would do in the lounge of a B&B - it just isn't relaxing. Sure, the facilities are better than years ago and you don't have to do chores any more, but I've found that for not much more money you can get a little self-catering flat where you can use the kitchen without having other people around (and using the pans you want) and sit and watch what you want on telly in a lounge by yourself with the kids in bed.

Chores went out years and years ago.
You can also have alcohol now too, which was a no no when I first worked in them.
We had to confiscate it when we found it 25 years ago .

You don't do chores any more. And you get fresh bed linen now, though you have to make your own bed up. The advantage over Travelodges is generally location - there are hostels in some lovely places and the buildings are often very charming, though scruffy. Not cheap though, I agree.

We've youth hostelled in London as a family of six. It worked out much cheaper than hotel accommodation. The self catering was also easier with 4 little kids and it was nice to have somewhere family friendly to hang out in the evenings.

Not alot!

All those chores before you leave in the morning as well. Unless that doesn't happen anymore. It was some years ago. Spent most of the time laughing my head off at the other people, and clock watching til it was time to go.

I worked for the youth hostels for years and the only advantage I can see is the self catering facilities.
If you're staying in a family room with kids for a few days eating out all the time really mounts up.
It's also a nice way of meeting people.
Apart from that, I do think they're in danger of pricing themselves out of the market.

Did it years ago, when I was single and broke and prepared to sleep in a dorm and use a communal shower....

So interested to see YHA come up when I used booking.com. A night in a hostel (triple room, as under 5s aren't allowed in dorms) is £52. I assume it is basic. It seems to compare pretty badly with a night in the Premier Inn (from £39) and the Travelodge (around £25).

Breakfast is extra - a fiver for adults and £3 for under 10s. That actually feels pretty pricey - considering the Premier Inn is £13.50 for 2 adults and a child...

I remember the public spaces in hostels as being pretty down-at-heel... though I suppose they have drying rooms... but then on the other hand, don't you have to do a chore?

So how come a hostel is more expensive than a budget hotel? I must be missing something, right?