Family membership to Youth Hostel Association reduced to £10. Would you make use of this offer and have you used family rooms in one of the hostels

[pellmell]

Sorry can't do links but copied the following from moneysavingsexpert.com top tips....................

Reduced Cost Membership

The Youth Hostel Association (YHA) is offering annual membership for for £5 per person or £10 for a family. It normally costs £16 (individual), £23 (family), or £10 (under 26).

Membership saves you paying the non-member supplement of £3 per person per night all at YHA hostels across the UK, as well as those run by its international umbrella organisation, Hostelling International.

As hostels can offer massive savings over hotel prices in the first place, this represents a brill saving.

But aren?t all hostels really grim?

No! These days it?s not all chores and cold showers, hostels are most usually clean and friendly, often with free internet access and breakfast.

Plus don?t think you?re automatically staying in a dorm bunk; many offer single, twin and double rooms. The YHA also has some rather glam new properties including converted castles and churches.

[pellmell]

Oops, probably in the wrong topic.

Anyone???

[scrambled]

I've staed in YHA Beer in a family room and it was FAB! not grim at all. We loved it! Plus used Tesco clubcard vouches, so actually went for freeeee!!!!

[Marina]

We are longstanding members of YHA and think they are great. Good for them for responding to the credit crunch by REDUCING their prices

[policywonk]

I've stayed in YHs out-of-season. They are basic but perfectly nice, and the locations are often fantastic - we were at one recently that was right on Lulworth Cove in Dorset.

[Habbibu]

Ooh - just posting to mark this thread - forgot all about YHA.

[ivykaty44]

Bristol hostel is great, lots to do with dc in bristol aswell - so I shall be looking into this

[Flibbertyjibbet]

I used to YHA a lot when i was young and skint. I gave up on them when I realised I always used to take my mattress into the corridor to sleep as there was usually a snorer in any dorm I was in.
Then when I met dp I didn't see the point in going away with a boyfriend to sleep in separate dorms.
However I have recently heard good things about hostels - smaller rooms, family rooms, better facilities and no 'chores'.
So I had been meaning to investigate them for next summer.
So thanks for the link I shall have a look and its also reminded me to register for emails with MoneySavingExpert.

[Ready4anotherCoffee]

We think they are fab, esp now they have family rooms and cleaners! Thanks for this as I was about to renew my membership!

Can reccommend YHA Littlehampton

[roisin]

We use YHAs a lot. I love the friendliness of the hostels and the local knowledge of the staff. We love that you can walk from the door, and if you get soaked have proper facilities to get warm and dry when you get back. You can also do as much or as little self-catering as you want. Food is generally good, especially the breakfasts.

We book a family room. (The boys are 9 and 10). But YHAs give us the flexibility that when they are older and don't want to share with us any more, there's an easy (and cheap) alternative.

In the past couple of months we have had a night at Langdales, a night at Ennerdale and a night at Borrowdale. Next month we are having two nights at Buttermere, and I'm just trying to book somewhere for September.

[roisin]

Ennerdale was absolutely gorgeous: my favourite yet. See my thread here.

We are keen walkers and wildlife/bird-watchers and YHA locations are often ideal for this: even for seeing wildlife from the windows of the hostel.

[hercules1]

Can I ask if they are booked up heavily in advance ie am I likely to get somewhere now for the summer hols?

[Fimbo]

It says family membership is £22.95 on the YHA website - no sign of the £10 anywhere, although just under £23 is till good.

[Marina]

Littlehampton, Arundel, Hartington Hall in Derbyshire
Have never done any of the Lakes Hostels roisin, was always able to stay with parents when they lived there
I hear the one just outside Keswick (near road up to Watendlath) has just been done up

[roisin]

They do get booked up hercules if you want a family room. We have a free weekend in September and our 1st, 2nd, and 3rd choices of location are all booked.

But you can still find slots, it depends on how flexible you are and where you want to go.

[roisin]

Marina, the boys go to the Derwentwater one you mention for their yr5 residential. So we have been avoiding it until ds2 goes next year!

We live in Cumbria, so obviously don't need to stay in a YHA. But with Tesco vouchers it's "free", and it means we can do a short walk on the Friday night. We have to get up for breakfast on Saturday and then it's so easy to walk from the door. That's why we do it.

Dh is trying to persuade me to go the Glenridding one in September and do Helvellyn, but I don't really fancy Striding Edge ... so I'm prevaricating.

[Madlentileater]

there are some fantastic hostels, and fmily rooms are fine. Tehy vaey abit, I have to say, eg some have driven me mad by ot having enough storage space in the rooms, but made p for by fab locations and interesting buildings. Also consider 'escape to..' which used to be rent a hostel- from oct-march I think you can book a whole hostel, it doesn't take many families to fill the smaller ones, we have done this for years and dcs love it.

[roisin]

I'd love to do a rent-a-hostel thing for a big family/friends get-together. But I think most of my family/friends would turn their noses up at YHAs!

[Madlentileater]

some of the smaller ones are only 24 beds or so- you must know that many people willing to try something new! Actually the group we go with evolved from a PTA group.

[nkf]

I've stayed in a couple. They're fine. Not glamorous at all but they're the same sort of price as b&bs and b&bs are horrible.

[bluefox]

You are never alone in a youth hostel. There is always someone to talk to. I now have a need to spend a night at my favourite - Black Sail.

[roisin]

Black Sail had to close last month because they ran out of water!

[roisin]

Ha ha!

We are planning to spend a fortnight in Scotland in 2009. Probably a week on Skye and a week touring. I was looking at YHAs and found this one: Glen Affric

The website says "Please note a compass and a map are required for navigating to the hostel."

"There is no vehicle access to the hostel. This hostel is in a very remote location with the nearest road access approx 7.5 miles away. We recommend you bring map and compass and appropriate outdoor clothing. Allow a minimum of 3.5 hours for the walk into our hostel. The nearest road access is from A831 Cannich or A87 Cluanie Inn."

"Be environmentally aware - please take your rubbish away with you. There are no shopping facilities nearby, so it is essential to bring supplies with you. In addition, due to the remoteness of the hostel there are no laundry facilities and guests are required to bring their own sleeping bag."

We like remote, but that's a bit much!

[pellmell]

How to grab the cheap membership

Simply call 01629 592700 and quote ?SUMMER BLITZ 08?. The offer?s valid for new members only, and expires 31 July 2008.

Sorry should have included the above in my op.
We have joined now (£10 family membership) and fancy a stay in york where we married 10 years ago
Some of the places look amazing.

[roisin]

York YHA is amazing. The breakfast is fantastic.

You can walk to the city centre along a footpath by the canal (watch out for cyclists though!) We told the kids it was half a mile, but actually it's more like a mile, and that's just to the edge of town.

It might not be much fun in the rain, but we had lovely weather and it was gorgeous.

It's very handy for the National Railway Museum/York Eye too if that's your sort of thing.

I went with my boys and Wedgiesmum from mn and her two children; we shared a 6-bed room. We all had a great time.

[PortAndLemon]

roisin -- you could always go up another way (i.e. not by Striding Edge). I think we used Glenridding as a base YH when I went up Helvellyn with friends, and we definitely didn't do Striding Edge (I don't get on well with heights, so would have remembered...)