Hotel or Hostel?

How old are you? Hostel can be cheap and fun when you are young. They usually have a light out time, front doors of many are closed early, you sleep in bunk beds, have a comunal bathroom, bring your own sleepingbag and a sleep sack (I made mine from a queen size sheet. It was fun and cheap when I was 20, but nowdays I prefer bed and breakfasts. You have your own bedroom and sheets, etc. provided by the house. Some bed and breakfasts have private bathrooms and some are shared with owner or another room. Breakfast in UK is usually a full breakfast - eggs, juice, cereal, toast, coffee or tea. It always seems we did not need to eat lunch after our big English breakfasts. You get to meet other interesting people who might be staying the same time as you are. The owners of the bed and breakfasts usually give you great ideas for things to see and do that you might have overlooked in their area.

I'm 24 and love staying in hostels when I travel. You'll find dozens in the cities you're going to, so you'll be able to find at least one that fits what you're looking for, whether you want to party all night or a quiet neighborhood hostel. Some have curfews, but I've found that more and more, especially in Britain, there is no curfew, and several have pubs or bars in the hostel.

Hostels are great if you're travelling alone - you'll meet people from all over the world. Most hostels have rooms with 4-8 beds, and several have rooms with single beds for a much higher price. Bathrooms and kitchens are normally shared, some offer a light breakfast, and most are very centrally located. Check out hostelworld.com and hostelz.com for ideas and reviews of hostels.

Some comments on Marie's comments. Most hostels do NOT allow sleeping bags. (They can harbor bed bugs.) You can bring your own sleep sack, if you wish. (See examples in the Travel Store on this site.) Or if the hostel doesn't provide one free, you can rent one for the night.

Rick has an article about hostels in his Travel Tips section on this site: www.ricksteves.com/plan/tips/1198hostels.htm.

I'm 35 and enjoy a little privacy. I think the B&B idea is going to work for me. What are your experiences with B&B's in terms of US$?

Thanks for the comments.

Well, I am 59 and enjoy hostels. However, I always get a private room with bath. The places I stay always furnish bedding and towels. Most also include breakfast. You just have to do some research and check reviews. There are different types of hostels in each area, ranging from complete party places to family oriented situations. Hostels are usually sparse in their furnishings.

In June 2007 I stayed in great hostel in Dublin. It was very well run with the dorms on the lower floors and singles and family rooms in the upper floors. It cost me less than half for similar lodging in a B&B or small hotel.

The advantages of a hostel are the cost and the ease of meeting people. The disadvantage is that if you don't do your homework, you can find yourself in a 12 person co-ed dorm being embarrassed by the noises in the next bunk. Most hostels are "closed" during the main part of the day, meaning you don't have access to your room. Just research & have fun!

Justin: You asked about hostel cost in terms of US dollars: if the cost is quoted in euros, as it will be on websites, multiply the cost in euros x 1.47.

Hey Justin, I'm 22 and traveled to europe a year ago for 5 weeks. I really enjoyed staying in hostels, I was traveling alone so it was a great way to meet people.

I never had to bring any sheets or a sleeping bag every hostel I stayed in provided those.

I would actually recommend a B&B in London, just beacuse if your flying into London you may have jet leg and may want your own room to crash, most single rooms in hostels in london are just as expensive as B&B's because as we all know london is expensive.

I would highly recomend a hostel in Edinburgh I found it alot of fun, I stayed at budget backpackers which was a blast, super clean, big, lounge with plasma screen tv and even free walking tours. They also have a great kitchen which saves alot by doing some of your own cooking.

I have never been to Dublin but have friends that have and just rave about the hostels there.

Check out www.hostelz.com for info and reviews, but book directly with the hostel to avoid fees.

Hi Justin- I am 38 and usually stay in hostels. They are a great way to meet people. With the TERRIBLE pound to dollar rate I would stay in a hostel. It will be more cost effective. I hope you enjoy your trip. -Kim

I stayed at the Royal Mile Backpackers hostel in Edinburgh a few years ago. http://www.royalmilebackpackers.com/. It was one of the best I stayed in during my four months in Europe.

The food was good, and the rooms were nice. I think there were a total of six beds in our room.

It's a great location, too. Right on High Street.

I stayed at a nice one in Dublin, too, but can't remember the name (I'll post it if I remember). It wasn't nearly as cosy as Royal Mile, but it was clean and nice.

In all the hostels I stayed in, I don't remember having to sleep in a sleeping bag at all. All the beds had sheets, either that were part of the package or rented for cheap.

I'm in my late 30s and spent many months last year travelling. Like you, I had never stayed in a hostel before, enjoy my privacy and don't really like sharing a bathroom and waiting for a free shower in the morning. Hostels can be hit or miss in Europe, but they are cheap if you don't mind sharing a room and a good way to meet people if you want to be social. I would not bother trying to book a single in a hostel - you can usually find a single in a guesthouse or B&B for not much more money.

Look into university accommodations if going during May/June. I've stayed at Trinity College dorms in Dublin, Northumberland House at London School of Economics and Queen's University in Belfast. I got a single room w/ private bath at each and 2 places served a full breakfast. Advantages are price is generally between that of a hostel room and a B&B, but you get laundry facilities on site (you won't find that at most B&Bs) and some offer internet access.

Justin, I often "mix" my accomodations while travelling, and stay in Hotels, Hostels or B&B's. The two big advantages of a Hostel are inexpensive rooms and the opportunity to meet other travellers (which is nice if one is travelling alone).

However, the cheap beds come at a cost. Guests are usually housed in Dorm rooms (some co-ed, some with one gender only). There can be 4,6,8 or more beds in a room. Most newer Hostels have a shared bathroom for each Dorm room. Some provide cafeteria style breakfasts.

Most Hostels provide a sleep sheet and blanket with the room. The "chain" Hostels (HI / YHA) are a bit more consistent between various cities, in terms of the type and quality of facilities. Some Hostels have a "lockout" during the day, where guests are not allowed in so the rooms can be cleaned.

You might enjoy staying in at least one Hostel (Edinburgh) just to see if you like that form of travel.

Happy travels!

Thank you all so much. I am learning a lot from you all about traveling\lodging. I appreciate it greatly.
All the best to you,
Justin Cummings

I've mixed accomodations also.

I like hostels as long as they are clean and quiet. The hostels I avoid are the ones with the party reputation, they are usually both loud and dirty. I don't mind losing privacy by sleeping in a dorm bed and showering in a comunal bath but I don't like losing sleep also.

I like pensions/zimmers/B&B's too. They are essentially like going to a relative's home and staying in their guestroom. Expect to use a bathroom down the hall.

I tend toward lower star rating hotels as long as they are clean and quiet. Stars relate to services offered by the hotel and I don't care about room service, laundry, concierge, bell boys, fitness rooms, TVs, etc. I'm going to be out anyway. I'm perfectly happy without an en suite bath. I don't know of a good way to seperate the nice one star hotels from the flea-bags other than to rely on travel guides or local recommendations (maybe that would be a good discussion topic).

Hostels can really differ between countries.

Scandinavian hostels in particular are reputed to be VERY nice, and often have single rooms. And have a mix of ages. But they can be more expensive.

I stayed in a hostel on the Isle of Skye, which was pleasant though the showers could have used some improvements (better drains, a bench and/or hook to hang things to keep them dry) and it was a bit noisy from the pub (the only one in town) next door.

I've heard great things about Castle Rock and Backpacker's Budget hostel here in Edinburgh, though the latter could be noisy in the summer. Another inexpensive option is the Univ. of Edinburgh's B&B the Kenneth Mackenzie Suites, which is a nice, but not expensive step up from a hostel (http://www.edinburghfirst.com/accommodation/cateredaccommodation.asp)

B&B is different - that's generally single room of your own with your own or shared bathroom. A step up from a hostel and a great way to go in the UK.

Kate

My one hostel experience ruined the concept for all time with me- way too much noise, and some of my roomates were filthy. My experience probably was not typical, so don't let me sour you on hostels.

I prefer small hotels and B&Bs (which roughly correspond to "guesthouses" or "pensions" on the continent). The owners are usually very friendly. Although I did meet some interesting people at the hostel (and some I'd rather forget), I personally find the more subdued atmosphere of B&Bs a better environment to strike up a conversation, although others may reasonabley disagree, depending on their own personalities.

As for cost, it depends on the location, but hostels probably always cost less than a B&B. However, European B&Bs also tend to be less expensive than their American counterparts (once again, depending on location...). I have stayed in some very comfortable establishments for as little as 65 euro per night. You probably won't find that price in the UK, though.

The main advantage of staying in a hostel is price. The second advantage is getting to meet people. If you want some element of both hostel and hotel, stay in a private room at a hostel. You will probably still be sharing the toilet and shower, but I don't mind that. It is probably a good idea to reserve in advance, but I have been able to find private hostel rooms on the spot. Of course, the private room costs more than the dorm room.