Hostels, any tips? experiences to share? |
 Apr 14 2006, 07:57 PM
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#1
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Fudge-Maker at Florean Fortescue's  Posts: 2,219 Joined: 6:22pm March 7, 2005 Location: nowhere exciting  |
I'm off to England this summer, and very possibly looking to stay in a youth hostel. I was wondering if anyone had any tips about staying in hostels, or any knowledge of good ones to stay in. Or just share your opinions, or experiences of staying in one, to help me get an idea of what it might be like!
I've done a bit of research online to get some general information, mostly looking in the London and Oxford areas. I've noticed some are 18+ and some are all ages (I'm 17), and I've heard both good and bad about hostels. My Spanish teacher stayed in them all the time in England and Spain when she was my age, and she said it's a great experience. Thanks in advance! 
-------------------- "Help help, I'm being repressed!"
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Apr 14 2006, 08:19 PM
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#2
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Being Eaten by the Pea Soup Posts: 19 Joined: 8:16pm April 11, 2006 Location: Vault 713   |
Hey, i've stayed in a few youth hostels around England, mostly on school trips etc - and most of them are nice clean (and importantly cheap) places. You want to look at joining the Youth Hostel Assosiation (http://www.yha.org.uk/) because they have some good advice and also you can get money off for some places/things like travel and attractions - it'd probably be worth your while!
There's always a chance to meet people and there tends to be a good atmosphere in most hostels - because of the kind of people that chose to stay - it's a very "europian" thing to do, so you'll meet people from all sorts of countries.. Where are you coming from and what sorts of things are you looking to do when you're here? might be able to offer you some more specific advice. |
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Apr 14 2006, 11:20 PM
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#3
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Fudge-Maker at Florean Fortescue's Posts: 2,219 Joined: 6:22pm March 7, 2005 Location: nowhere exciting |
QUOTE(Flight Of The Phoenix @ Apr 14 2006, 08:19 PM) [snapback]784474[/snapback] Where are you coming from and what sorts of things are you looking to do when you're here? might be able to offer you some more specific advice. Coming from Minnesota, USA. As for what I'm looking to do-- well, I'll be taking a 2 week study trip throughout England beforehand, so I'll have seen a lot of things already... so I don't have anything specific in mind... just basically check out the city, see some sites, wander around with a friend or two who live there-- sorry, that's so vague, not very helpful at all! But thanks for the link-- I'll have to join the YHA then. -------------------- "Help help, I'm being repressed!"
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Apr 16 2006, 11:50 AM
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#4
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Newest Housekeeper at The Leaky Cauldron Posts: 729 Joined: 10:06am August 31, 2005 Location: Just graduated from the Salem Witch Institute |
I'm not trying to hustle for the place I work, but STA Travel is a travel agency that caters specifically to people like you. We have tons of great hostels.
In London, I stayed in and quite enjoyed Wake Up! London and International Students House. When are you going? How long are you staying? Will you only be in London and Oxford? You should get a Britrail pass, too. Listen, the World Cup is in Germany from June 9th-July 15th, so all transatlantic travel is booking up, and accomodation is sparse. People are actually flying into and staying in London, flying over to Germany just for the day of the game they're to see, and then flying back to London. So you should get on it!!!! PM me if you have any questions. This is my area of expertise.
-------------------- You may not like him, but you can't deny: Dumbledore's got style!
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Apr 16 2006, 12:10 PM
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#5
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Fudge-Maker at Florean Fortescue's Posts: 2,234 Joined: 5:21am January 28, 2005 Location: Cardiff, UK |
yep all good advice so far. Youth Hoistels in the UK are usually basic, and you have to be out of your rooms by 10 each day for cleaning. Prices are good though
-------------------- The Email of the species is more deadly than the mail- Stephen Fry
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Apr 16 2006, 01:22 PM
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#6
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Leaky's Resident Bibliophile Posts: 8,279 Joined: 5:01pm April 18, 2005 Location: Finding Neverland. |
What exactly are Youth Hostels? (At first I thought S_S365 spelled 'hotels' wrong! Oops!
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-------------------- "I know who Harry Potter is. I just don't know who the other two are. Himmie and Roland?"
"No, Grandma, Ron and Hermione." |
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Apr 16 2006, 02:22 PM
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#7
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Newest Housekeeper at The Leaky Cauldron Posts: 729 Joined: 10:06am August 31, 2005 Location: Just graduated from the Salem Witch Institute |
QUOTE(MonieLou @ Apr 16 2006, 06:22 PM) [snapback]787107[/snapback] What exactly are Youth Hostels? (At first I thought S_S365 spelled 'hotels' wrong! Oops! )Hostels are very, very basic accommodation. Often, it's just a bed in a dorm--which is a big room that you are sharing with anywhere from three to twenty-five other people. You will have to share bathrooms and showers with everyone else as well (not at the same time, but the stalls will all be together, like a woman's room or a men's room but with shower stalls as well). Most hostels provide sheets and towels, but you have to ask for them when you check in, and some places don't have them at all. I stayed in Wake Up! London last year when I went to visit a friend. She came in from Cranleigh (a suburb about two hours outside of London) and we had a private room with bathroom. It was clean and simple--and cheap, which is the main idea of hostels. So you don't always have to share a room with strangers, but that's generally why people stay at hostels--so they can travel as cheaply as possible. Hostels will have places where you can lock up your bags, and a kitchen where you can store and cook your own food. Many (like Wake Up!) include breakfast. There is usually a small bar, a laundry room, and an internet cafe. Basically, it's like a college dorm for traveller's. -------------------- You may not like him, but you can't deny: Dumbledore's got style!
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 Apr 16 2006, 03:44 PM
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#8
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Being Eaten by the Pea Soup Posts: 37 Joined: 7:01pm April 9, 2006 |
I'm going to England this summer also to see my grandpa.
-------------------- [i] I Love Orlando bloom!
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Apr 16 2006, 03:51 PM
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Just Through the Brick Wall Posts: 17 Joined: 12:14am December 15, 2005 |
i never went to england but i hosteled-it in australia. i would say to stick to the yha hostels or hi (hostelling international) hostels, as they are pretty standard and no unforseen surprises, like unclean kitchens with things growing and creatures dwelling. if you wanted more on specifics, lonely planet makes awesome tour books that you can get specifics on where to stay and reviews or ratings on those places. that's what i did, and it was fantastic!
-------------------- Proud Memberof PCAA: Acceptance Is The First Step To Recovery
Proud Member of M.A.F.I.A Proud Member of S.Q.U.E.E. |
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Apr 16 2006, 07:30 PM
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#10
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Fudge-Maker at Florean Fortescue's Posts: 2,219 Joined: 6:22pm March 7, 2005 Location: nowhere exciting |
Thanks for all the info, everyone!
QUOTE(canarycream @ Apr 16 2006, 11:50 AM) [snapback]786985[/snapback] In London, I stayed in and quite enjoyed Wake Up! London and International Students House. When are you going? How long are you staying? Will you only be in London and Oxford? You should get a Britrail pass, too. I just looked up Britrail passes online-- it would be nice to have one, but they're expensive! A pass for 8 days is $300, and 15 days is $450! As for when-- June 24 would be the first day I'd be on my own. I'd like to stay for maybe 2 weeks. I'd imagine I'd only be in London and Oxford-- but I'm not quite sure. QUOTE(canarycream @ Apr 16 2006, 11:50 AM) [snapback]786985[/snapback] Listen, the World Cup is in Germany from June 9th-July 15th, so all transatlantic travel is booking up, and accomodation is sparse. People are actually flying into and staying in London, flying over to Germany just for the day of the game they're to see, and then flying back to London. So you should get on it!!!! oh, I forgot about the World Cup! ack, I shall get on it! I'll definitely look into Wake Up! London-- looks like a good one, quite cheap too. I checked the site-- it says the reception is open 24 hours, so I'm assuming the doors are open 24 hours too? I was wondering if there's anyone around my age-- technically still a minor-- that stayed alone in a hostel. The hard part is going to be convincing my parents I can make it, so I'm doing this research beforehand, and saving money, to show I'm serious about it. I have a friend over there who I'd spend some time with, but I think mostly it'll just be me. -------------------- "Help help, I'm being repressed!"
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