Youth hostel

[PerkyOchrePeer]

I found a thread on this title but it wasn't able to be commented on so I've made a new one

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.

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.

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

Most!

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.

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.

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

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!

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.

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.

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.

And I shop in Sainsbury’s or Waitrose.

Me too but we are talki g about youth hostels not supermarkets

Op perhaps you could explain what you believe is wrong with a a hostel ?

you are clear you wouldn't stay in one / which seems odd and without a reason it makes you sound "oh it's cheap and I'm a snob "

Agree with Second Star and Rooibos, great for travelling alone and self catering if you want. Now Im older, and snore slightly, I go for private rooms. Had an amazing hotel quality room on Papa Westray last year, and met some of the same people as I travelled round the islands.

I love youth hostels. But they are no longer a cheaper option for a family. Premier inn hotel is often cheaper sadly.

But I've stayed at some stunning locations in hostels and I like meeting other families/people. Totally different experience.

Youth hostel family rooms are great for young children as there is always a social area plus a kitchen. You can stay in expensive cities for much less than the price of a cheap hotel and the buildings are often quirky and interesting.

I often stay in youth hostels when there aren't any affordable hotels eg. last summer in Banff. The youth hostel was expensive at nearly 50 Euro a night but hotels were all over 200 Euros a night.
I've also stayed in them in Norway and on a couple of other occasions in Europe.
If I'm going somewhere where I am out hiking or sight-seeing all day then I personally feel it's a waste of money to pay for an expensive hotel room I'm not even going to be in. Not everywhere has a Premier Inn or Ibis or similar and sometimes I find the Ibis hotels are in impractical locations, further out from the centre.
I also value having a shared kitchen where I can make food and therefore save money on eating out all the time, which soon adds up to a lot of money. If I'm on a hiking trip like the one to Banff, it's really useful to be able to store food for lunch in the shared kitchen and make up a packed lunch in the morning.
I find the shared laundries useful too. Not all hotels offer this and you might have to pay quite a lot to have your clothes laundered rather than shoving it in a machine yourself which works out a lot cheaper.
Then there's meeting people. There's a nice sense of camaraderie in youth hostels. People don't even seem to mind that I'm ancient and I've met interesting people everywhere I've stayed.
In Banff last summer I think the three young people who were in the room with me thought "what the hell" at first, stuck in a room with some "old" woman (nearly 50) but actually once the ice was broken we got on really well and I was able to give two of them career advice as they were looking to get into the same area I am in. It was really interesting to hear their opinions on their country and also to learn about their backgrounds and their schooling.

Some people have clearly not been to a youth hostel recently.
There are still some very basic ones in remote places but most city or town ones aren't that cheap and have good facilities.
Most have decent restaurants and bars. Most people are sociable. Still have kitchens if you want to cook.
Most have private rooms with ensuites, no need for dorms. Standards can vary but they do state clearly what grade they are.
I used them a lot for a couple of years when my son was younger. The Brighton one is fabulous, we had an amazing room, a minutes walk from the pier. York was nice. Conway had fabulous views.

Because you said that you if couldn’t afford a hotel you would rather stay at home and save up money until you could afford a hotel.
Some people might say that they would rather starve and save for an independent farm shop then go to Sainsburys.
It’s not about Sainsbury’s at all, its a great place to shop, it’s about your logic.

I sometimes prefer hostels and the ones I use have big rooms in excellent locations.

Sometimes camping is best, sometimes hostels, sometimes hotels, sometimes self-catering.

We hostel. Always have. 35yrs+. Travelled round NZ, one night in a soulless motel where we spoke to nobody then in hostels where we met other travellers and got recommendations of places to visit.

When kids were small
Cost
Drying room/equipment storage
Easier to cater for kid with dietary restrictions

Now with teens
Cost
Drying room/equipment storage
Kids share our room in full sized beds
Self catering is an option which reduces food costs
Meeting other like minded people
Teens get access to games room etc and sometimes other kids. They get more independence than if they're in the room all the time were at the hostel
People can choose to go to bed at different times

Hotels require me and DD in one room and DH and ds in another. Kids won't share without us present to mediate (and teens so not appropriate).

I also hostel with friends, dorm rooms, meet other walkers/climbers. Good food.

It's like camping with heating!

Great for holidays with kids, as there is almost always another family with similar age children.

Family rooms, get breakfast in the hostel, but or make something quick and easy for tea - tortellini and garlic bread for example. Sorted.

I've stayed in several, in the UK and abroad (I can also afford nicer hotels or holiday cottages too so it's not necessarily a budget thing). Always get a private room rather than a dorm.

In rural parts of the UK they fill a really useful niche for those doing outdoor activities or just on a cheap countryside break but not wanting to camp. There usually isn't a Travelodge or other cheap hotel until the nearest town, and often if you're only passing through you don't want to rent a holiday cottage with a 3 or 5 night minimum stay. Rooms above pubs or b&bs are other available options but the YHA is often cheaper and just as comfortable, if not more so because they have facilities like boot rooms, self-catering kitchens, family rooms etc.

In European cities most hostels are more like small inexpensive hotels, yes there are dorms and they're more frequented by the yoof than a generic chain hotel but I find them perfectly comfortable and more individual/characterful than an Ibis or similar. Perfect for if you are just using the hotel as a base and somewhere to sleep. Yes air BnB is often a cost effective competitor these days but the ethics of that can be questionable and hostels are probably a little safer too as there's always staff around and they're often more central than cheap rental flats which may be further out...

Are you the person who only likes holidaying in Australia?