I'm debating between two hostels recommended in the Provence book: HI-Camelias (within Nice) and Villa Saint Exupery (outside the city). Does anyone have any experience with either of these? I'm looking for a place to stay for my first few nights in the area, where I can meet people, etc. ... However, I am well (cough) beyond the age of drinking myself into oblivion and would rather avoid this crowd.
Suggestions?
There is a new Villa Saint Exupery hostel in the heart of Nice. See here.
While I have not stayed at an HI in Nice, my experience with most HI branded hostels is that they are generally well located, very quiet and don't seem to attract the beer pong crowd. Seems more older/mature travelers and small families favor HIs. What I don't care for is that HI hostels are usually lacking in the amenities and cool design a lot of the newer independent hostels have.
Before you book any hostel, read reviews on sites like Hostelworld.com, BugEurope, etc. Take note of what other guests had to say about noise levels, location, safety, cleanliness and amenities. Some of those sights also give you the age range of the reviewers - so you may want to pay close attention to what the reviewers say that are close to your own age and if they have had a good experience.
I guess that's the trouble: when I read the reviews they seem so contradictory! One person says it was quiet and nice, while the next person says that it was loud and they got bed bugs! (Can I just add: eww.) Even when I take into account the ages given by the travellers, I can't make sense of it.
Meg, My suggestion would be the HI-Camélias Hostel, as it will be much more convenient for walking to the sites in the old town, and it's also close to the train station. As someone else mentioned (confirmed by my own experience), HI-Hostels tend to attract more families and older travellers. I'm also a "mature traveller" and usually prefer HI-Hostels, although I haven't stayed at the property in Nice yet. They're quiet for the most part, except when there's a group of rowdy high school students staying there! The facilities tend to be somewhat consistent from one location to the next, as they have to meet the standards of the chain. As with any Hostel, one has to be a bit "flexible", but I'm sure you've dealt with that before. Happy travels!
If staying close to a week, look at renting an apt. Can be cheaper and quieter by far. For meeting people, cafe's, bars, etc. work well. Also, the square, close to the beach, with the people (not real of course) on poles that change colors is a great place to meet people. We rented an apt for 250 per week in Nice. Not sure I would recommend it. Owners do not respond to email, etc. and need to talk to them about a problem and they will not communicate, but there are hundreds more available. Look at Homelidays.com, choose English flag on right and go.
The all-time-great ETAP on Ave Californie (same spartan room, nothing special there) is one block back from the Med, but is higher than the buidlings across the street...thus you can look at the water from El Cheapo. That one runs about seventy-five bucks a night and there's always a mob of motor-mouths at breakfast.
Hi Meg, I looked at a room at these, before I decided on renting an apartment: http://www.nicehomesweethome.com/ http://www.villarima.com/index_en.htm The apt's owner is actually in Toronto. I worked it out to be quieter, better located and more cost-effective. http://www.vrbo.com/67714 I hope this helps.
Wow - thanks for all of the advice! Based on the recent experiences of a (real world - sorry cyber world!) friend, I've decided to stay a bit further out of town at the Exupery. I looked into an apt, but I want maximum flexibility. If Nice doesn't do it for me, I'll probably move on to Provence pretty fast. But thank you for all the ideas and responses. If the Exupery isn't up to snuff I'll definitely go down the hill and check out Camelias! (I'm hoping broader selection will be a perk of October travel....)
