Youth hostel

And I shop in Sainsbury’s or Waitrose.

Oh, and my two sons have spent best part of 4 months each in hostels all round the world in the last 18 months and love them. Again, they both avoid the party hostels.

I like having access to the kitchen. They’re v good if you can get a family En Suite (eg in Monterey, California).
They can be great when there’s a big event in and hotel prices are v high (Gothenburg) or it’s a fairly small place with fewer hotels (Ferrara, Italy).
I’ve usually had own room but had a dorm in Ferrara that was €11 including breakfast.
I always consider them.

I use them most years, maybe 2-4 nights a year in them. Always in remote parts of the country, I would never stay in a city / party hostel. There's some in Scotland which, other than a tent, are the only accomodation and only accessible by foot. As a last minute booking, near hills and to meet lovely like minded people from around the world, they are brilliant.
Comparing them to a hotel is rather odd. They are totally different experiences, different price points and different markets.

Gosh, this sort of post makes me heart-sick for my mis-spent youth and all the weird and wonderful places I laid my head and people I met, just wandering around the world and not caring about what was going to happen beyond tomorrow!

Because it’s the same principle as why some people stay at a hostel rather then saving years for a hotel 😉

I'm planning on staying in one for a night later this year. I'll be solo and want to visit a couple of nearby places, and hostels tend to give excellent
advice about how to reach local attractions, or even organising transport to them themselves. I doubt I'll cook, and I imagine I'll get a private room with en-suite. I don't actually object particularly to a dorm, but it will be just when uni breaks up so it might be a bit rowdy! I'm 44. The hostel will come after I've stayed a week in a fancy room with a private pool, and just before I stay in a fancy room with a hot tub. In the middle will be a group tour where I'll be sharing a room with a total stranger in what I expect will be quite humble hotels, and my last day will be spent at a very exclusive spa before I fly home in business class. It's not always about saving money.

Ive stayed in many. Some are in beautiful locations where the only other option would be like a holiday cottage which would be too much for me on my own.

But basically the reason I stay in them is they have everything I need, especially if I book a private room. Why pay more when it wouldn't really add to my holiday (I'm only there to sleep anyway!)?

I could afford to stay elsewhere if I wanted to but my priority is seeing the place I'm visiting. I'd rather spend an extra £50 on an excursion than the hotel. I dont want to spend it on something I'm not going to see much of.

Most!

They can be in very interesting places where there isn't a hotel and must have private rooms

I've had some great times staying in youth hostels. The one in Verona in a former palazzo where were were given mattresses on the floor of a chapel, the one in Banff with blazing log fires and a friendly bar, the one in Chicago where I met a couple of women from Louisiana who had taken the bus up to attend a taping of Oprah, the former lifeboat station on Nantucket... there have been others, mostly with loads of character.

There were a couple of others which smelt of feet, but mostly I had excellent experiences.

I stayed in one in my student days, there was a big group of us and we had 2x dorm style rooms, it was fun and there was a socialising area downstairs.
I probably wouldn't stay in one now as I'd feel like I was too old for all that, but they're a good way for people on a tight budget to travel.

The private rooms with ensuite are brilliant for families.

We typically will use one in the lake district a couple of times a year.

The locations are excellent, with fully equipped kitchens, we love being able to have a hot chocolate bomb after a brisk walk on our first evening. The breakfast is excellent value for money. We can make up pack lunches, fill up flasks etc to take out on our hikes.

A simular arrangement, staying in a hotel, buying lunches, hot drinks etc would cost double.

There's no really downside.

Advantages

cheap and cheerful

they have a kitchen so you can do your own food

much friendlier than a hotel

Sone fantastic locations

Often community based Independent hostels rather than corporate giants

I have stayed in q youth hostel when my children were smaller..... really enjoyed it. Got an ensuite family room. Breakfast at the hostel then lunch out. Lovely place, nice bar/restaurant and we all made lot's of friends

Lots of good rural hostels in stunning locations.
cheap
you get a family en suite so no sharing with strangers.
They have kitchen facilities. Handy if you don’t like unhealthy eating out options or picky kids.
airB&Bs are killing rural communities and are morally wrong.

we stayed a couple of times in family rooms when we just needed a bed for the night and it was the closest plus cheap option available. It’s absolutely fine. I wouldn’t stay for a week though and of course I would rather stag in a 5 star hotel but it’s expensive.

@PerkyOchrePeer what supermarket do you shop if you don’t mind me asking?

Stated in a shared room with friends, was fine. Not keen on the shared bathrooms in the corridor but a good cheap option

Depends on the type of trip. I decided to take a couple of days in London in December and couldn't find a hotel that wasn't absolutely extortionate.

I was pretty much only going to be in the room for sleeping so fought fuck it and got a hostel.

For a trip where I'm actually likely to want to relax, then no, I wouldn't use a hostel.

I liked them when I was younger and travelling. Cheap, cheerful, fun in the evening, potential to meet hot foreign guys.

I'm old now and can't deal with the head torches and rustling carrier bags(in the dorms) but still occasionally use the refuge type ones in the mountains because nothing else is available that high up.

Hostels are great if you're doing outdoor activities because they tend to come with a drying room for waterproofs and bike sheds etc

It’s like anything else people do differently on their holidays. Some people love an all-inclusive resort; some people love a luxury hotel; some people love to wild camp; some people love to hostel-jump. Some people love to do all of these depending on where they’re going and what they’re feeling like; some people would never do anything but their one preference.

If you’re a solo traveller or group of friends who see your holiday as more of an adventure to see new places and meet new people, hostels can be great. They’re affordable if you only intend to use your accommodation for sleeping and showering, and you meet lots of likeminded people who you might be able to link up with for tours or your next destination.