I plan on doing the hostel thing while backpacking Europe to save costs. But being 35 y.o., I'm past the party stage in life.
Does anyone know of any books or websites for mature hostelers. I'd just rather avoid the " I'm 18 and all I want to do is party and binge drink hostels"
I'd check the ratings on TripAdvisor for the hostel in question. Or even just to help you make a list of hostels more your style in each major city you plan to visit. Many hostels' websites give you a good feel for the place, showing you how much they cater to families and school groups, or how they love the young crowd, etc. Most hostels are great about reading/responding to email inquiries in English, so when in doubt, ask.
I interact with a lot of semester-abroad students and it seems that the larger the city, the more hostel choices you have. It also has been my experience that the less 'developed' a city looks, the more rowdy the hostels are likely to be. That's a very broad statement, but there you have it. I think most hostels in Western Europe will not be places where your roommate will be offering to teach you how to roll a joint at 3am. =) That said, many hostels also offer private rooms (how quiet they are depends on a number of factors).
We too are in the planning stages and looking for some quiter hostels (myself being 26 and my mom being 49). I've found the Beehive in Rome, which looks clean and quite (someone correct me if I'm wrong). When i search booking sites, lots of them have a "Fun Factor" rating. If the rating is low, I know it's quite, lame, and perfect for us! Another one I have found that looks quite and we plan to stay at is 7 Hostel in Sorrento, Italy. Couldn't find a lot in London, but we've decided to stay at an EasyHotel there. Tiny, clean rooms for 25 GBP/night - which couldn't be much more than a hostel bed. Like I said, I haven't actually been to these places (yet) but this is what we plan to do. Still looking for ones in Paris and Venice though....
A good place to start would be www.hostelz.com. It's recognized as having good and fair reviews.
When you read the reviews you can get a good feel for the place. I look for places that say clean, quiet or well run. I avoid places with glowing reviews that include words like party, awesome or dude.
A couple of my favorites are Burg Stahleck in Bacharach, Germany (on the Rhine) and Institute San Sebastian in Salzburg, Austria.
Vondelpark hostel in Amsterdam isn't bad (for Amsterdam), it excludes pot smoking inside but you have to walk through a cloud on the sidewalk outside.
In ITALY -- at the village Manorola (in the Cinque Terre) in Liguria at the Mediteranean Sea coast: the hostel Ostello 5-Terre is the kind of place that you want. Read about it in the book "Rick Steves' ITALY".
Will you be at the south coast of England ? On the isle of Wight, a small quiet hostel is in a quiet residential neighborhood in the small town Sandown. Sandown has a beach at the Sea coast. Transportation to Sandown from Portsmouth Harbor train station is quick and easy (ferry boat, and train on the island).The hostel is not mentioned in any of Rick Steves' books. I guess information on that hostel is at the Tourist Information office at Portsmouth Harbor. Portsmouth Harbor is a 90 minute train ride from London, or a 90 minute train ride from Bath. If you will travel in England, I recommend acquire the big MICHELIN map of GREAT BRITAIN & IRELAND (MICHELIN map # 713).
What time of year are you going? Off-season might be quieter.
See also:
http://www.small-hostels.com/
I know I am only 23 but I feel like when I go to Europe I don't want to spend most of my time partying or being drunk, nor do I want to be awaken by drunk people. Some great non-party hostels
Rome - Beehive, amazing and clean
Venice - Alloggi Gerotto Calderan, its a hotel with some dorm beds, and no bunks very nice
Lauterbrunnen - Valley hostel, if your idea of a party is a lively card game until 11pm this is the place for you!
Edinburgh - Budget Backpackers - had a good mix, you could choose to party or not
Prague - Miss Sophies - another hotel but with dorm rooms defiently for a mature crowd!
I have more if you need them, like the others have said read Trip advisor, also check to see, some hostels say they have a quiet time usually from 11pm - 6am which is nice!
Jen,
There's a very nice hostel in a wooded wooded lot adjoniing the park in Rothenburg.
Have fun!
B~
Check multiple hostel review sights. Others that are good, besides those mentioned above, are bugeurope.com and hostelworld.com. Some review websites include the age range of the person making the review. Read reviews by older travelers (30 to 60) to see what they have to say about the hostel atmosphere, and read the ones from younger travelers (18-24) to see if they keep mentioning stuff about what a great party scene it was at a particular hostel...then avoid that hostel.
YHA/Hostelling International is notorious for being the kind of place that older hostelers go to - they don't appeal to the young 'flashpacker' crowd.
Have you looked into other types of budget accommodation besides hostels? Convents and monasteries in Europe rent clean, barebones accommodation to tourists for really cheap. University housing during summer or holidays is fantastic - the University makes money by renting empty dorm rooms at a low cost to tourists (many of them offer private rooms with a twin or double bed, some even have private bathroom).
Even guest houses and B&Bs sometimes have a small single room, a room that doesn't have such a great view, or rooms that aren't booked and can be had cheaply at the last minute. Call them on the phone when you get to town and ask them to cut you a deal - never show up in person with your backpack or they'll try to charge you the regular rate.
Besides Rick Steves books on Europe, check accommodation listings in Rough Guide and Lonely Planet - both recommend budget places not typically found in RS guides.
I think you'll find a lot of your worries are unfounded anyways. I stayed in plenty of hostel dorm rooms with 18 year olds and found they often went to bed early because they don't have enough money to go out and experience the nightlife, so I wound up tip-toeing through the dorm at 2AM after drinking at the pub. That's the beauty of travelling in your mid-30s. You have a platinum card...they don't.
