In youth hostel hell

[AtSea1979]

What is this fresh hell? Go to a youth hostel they said, DC will love it.
Currently lay on a bunk bed, in a room with only two bunk beds and a cupboard. Cost as much as a 3-4* star hotel for this dump.
I miss having a kettle in the room, the kitchen is in a different building so I’ve gone to bed thirsty.
It’s so noisy, people are messing about and shouting and screaming, playing some sort of game that warrants lots of cheering every 30 seconds or so, not sure if they are outside or downstairs with the doors/windows open or what but it’s very loud.
AIBU to just get up and go home? 1 DC is asleep, the other doesn’t seem to be.

We stayed at the Restup at Elephant & Castle a few years ago. We had a cheap private room with a tiny private bathroom attached to it. It was clean and secure but m back was in bits after a night on the concrete bunk with only a tiny wafer of mattress between me and it.

But for £25 or so (can't remember exactly) in zone one, you can't go wrong.

We were just talking about the 'duty' you had to do the other day. We loved it! I also remember that we weren't allowed to get up until 7.30 (but not sure if that was my parents rule. We loved hostelling as kids. It's very odd that my sister now lives and works in a hostel we went to a lot!

It's a communal kitchen! You can still make a cuppa. They expect you to contribute to food stocks if you're using them too but there is often food and drink etc already there from previous hostellers.

Maybe Air BNB is more your friend.

Just sounds like regular hostel

My brother and I used to stay in Youth Hostels in the UK back in the 70s when we were young and loved it.

Now I just think of the Eli Roth films....

Youth hostels these days are priced for singles - family rooms are always around the same price as a basic hotel so have zero appeal. Are you going home today?

”There was lights out early and piano, song and folk dancing of an evening. Now they are cheapish places for party-goers and those hoping to get drunk and laid.“

Folk dancing of an evening round the piano? Blimey, I think I’d prefer partying and sex with a random than that.

I stayed in a few abroad. When I was 18. No problem.

But now? You are crazy. Drive home!

Well-off but tight PIL in their 70's once stayed in a Youth Hostel in the lakes because it was cheap. They went home early with D&V.

I remember staying at Coniston Coppermines Hostel in 1980 with some mates when I was 15 on a YH tour of the Lakes. Two girls in the female dorm didn't come back in time for the lock up curfew (11pm I think) so the warden called the police. The girls turned up in the morning after having been with some blokes they'd met partying all night - the warden chucked them out. It was strict in those days.

We stayed in a YHA in central London, it was cheaper than a hotel, one room for 4 of us, en suite, not much space but it's London! We had the hostel breakfast and lunch and dinner out or packed. I did find the hostel kitchen to put some fruit in the fridge but I wouldn't have fancied cooking in it.
I would not touch backpacker hostels with a barge pole, with or without kids. I might go to a dorm with DD when she's older but I'll be checking we are in a single sex room not single gender, thanks

Where is OP!!! Still driving home??!

£80! When visiting relatives at Christmas we stayed in a 2 room suite at the Marriott, price included access to the gym and pool. The cost was £85!

I loved staying in youth hostels in my 20s. I stayed at loads of great places for £5 per night.

Those days are long gone! Particularly as they now appear to be charging crazy prices!

Wonder what OP did ...

We're in one in WA at the moment, it's bloody fantastic. Like a hippy commune but with decent showers and air con

YHA's are great - I wonder how many people are thinking of backpacker hostels.

A chance to meet people from other countries / backgrounds. Children can roam freely.

Plus you get a self catering kitchen which really helps with socialising and keeping the costs down.

The locations in the country are fantastic.

I was almost raped in a youth hostel.

Horrific experience

Sandybanana - that's awful. I had an awful experience in a mixed dorm where I felt really threatened. Since then I have only ever chosen single sex rooms in YHA hostels but apparently they don't exist anymore so I won't be allowing DD to go hostelling

Single sex definitely do exist. I just checked at the wasdale hostel where I've stayed before, it's a fabulous old black and white building and the options is there.

@autumntimebrowns they are single gender and they allow anyone who says they are a woman to go into the women's dorm.

We have had some fantastic, cheap weekends away with the kids in YHAs - they are often in beautiful locations and have some incredible buildings. We have always found them to be really good value for a family, clean and well kept. I’d say in general the people staying in them have been families or older couples / groups of friends - weirdly enough there’s been a distinct lack of youth when we have been. I agree perhaps specific backpacker hostels would be more lively, noisy etc. but that’s not been my recent experience of the YHAs. Having said that they are definitely hostels not hotels - if you’re a camping kind of sort you’d probably like them.

Membership is really cheap and gets you a discount which you can easily make back in one or two stays. Plus you get an extra 10% discount if you travel with anyone under 26.

I don’t agree with their single gender policy however and that would definitely make me avoid a dorm room if I were ever travelling on my own.

they are single gender and they allow anyone who says they are a woman to go into the women's dorm

The policy

www.yha.org.uk/sites/default/files/uploads/Policies/Transgender%20Guest%20Equality%20Policy%20V3%20(OLV%20).pdf

£80??? Amazed that anyone would pay that for a hostel. PP paying £12, fair enough, but OP that's crazy. I didn't even like hostel when I was an actual youth, and would not dream of staying in one now.