We are staying one night in a hostel in Heidelberg and getting a family room (it was one of the only places the hostel came out ahead for the 6 of us!)
Is it slightly safer having a family room than a shared room (I don't mean personal safety so much as luggage safety.) I'm assuming we would need to take precautions more similar to what we would take in a hotel or B&B than in a more open hostel environment. Thoughts? (Just trying to figure out if I need to take locks, etc.)
If it's the HI hostel system, you'll have a room and a key. Should be pretty much like any other basic hotel in terms of security, but don't leave passports, cash, high-end valuables in the room - those should be in your money belts anyway.
I've stayed at the Heidelberg HI hostel. It's probably been nicely renovated by now but is quite a way from the old town area and the castle.
Don't know how long you'll be there but having stayed in a lot of hostels and also in a lot of vacation rentals, I'd be tempted by the latter. There are a good number of scenic towns on the Neckar River outside bustling Heidelberg where you could get a place with a kitchen and lots of room for as few as two or three days. Bad Wimpfen is lovely. Mosbach is nice. Hirschhorn is also nice and has its own castle/hotel. A small-town rental is almost a no-brainer if you have a car - just shuttle in to see H'berg.
Places like this one in Mosbach can sometimes handle 6 and can be had very inexpensively - 44 Euros per night plus a 5-Euro charge per person over four:
Thank you! That's what I was wondering (I never leave valuables in hotel rooms, but I don't want to worry about locking up shampoo and underwear. lol) We are only staying the night our first night in country on our way south to n. Italy. We will drive there but take the bus to town for an evening visit. I have heard mixed reviews on how far that bus ride is.
I haven't stayed in a hostel since I went on a school trip to Nancy, France in the 5th grade- so this is newish to me!
I know what you mean about hostels not being a particularly good deal for families. While under 20 Euros for a single is a good deal, when traveling with six you can often find a lot of good alternatives for under 120 Euros (at least during shoulder and low season).
Family rooms are like hotel rooms, you will have a lock and key for your room. Unlike hotel rooms, they will be more like sleeping over in a kids room with a collection of single beds. Usually a family room will have a dedicated bath room.
At Vondelpark hostel in Amsterdam, my family of five stayed in a room with six beds. They said they would try to keep it as a family room but when we arrived there was already a sixth person in the room.
We stayed at institute San Sebastian in Salzburg. They had planned on giving us adjoining three-bed rooms for our family. Each had a locking door. Outside the two doors was a bathroom in a small hallway with another locking door that seperated the two rooms and bathroom from the rest of the building. Unfortunately, when we arrived one of the rooms was occupied even though it had been reserved for us. We only found out after they gave us keys to both rooms. We could easily have taken anything of value in the occupied room if we were dishonest.
Even if they don't mess up your room at the hostel, they might still accidentally give a key to another person. I would keep my stuff locked up just in case. Bring one or two gym-type locks and keep your valuables locked up when you aren't physically present.
On the other side, we stayed in a great room with eight beds and a view at Burg Stahleck (the Rhine Blick room). They blocked the room off for just our family and didn't send in any surprise visitors.
Hi Cate, we stayed at 5 different Hi Hostels with a family of 4 this past summer. In each, we asked for a Private room. We were Very Happy with the accomodations in Holland; Haarlem, Heemskerk,Zeeburg(amsterdam) and Vondelpark (amsterdam), But the hostel in Strasbourg was disgusting. It was Filthy, smelled of urine, lights didnt work,and a list of other problems.
Regarding the Hostels in Holland, although the price did get expensive (private rooms cost more) it included a hearty breakfast, nice facilites, private washroom and We Felt Safe. We did not bring locks with us, but it's a great idea.
My wife and I have stayed in over 20 hostels all over the world and never concerned about safety. I always take locks and lock my luggage when I leave, just as I would do here in the US. The same locks I use when flying.
Of course it is safer to have a room without others assigned to it.
