I am writing this on our iPad using the Okehampton youth hostel's free wifi. Every time we stay at a youth hostel I have the same thoughts.
Pros
-all four of us can stay in the same room (very important with small children, and not common in British B&Bs which are set up two in a room)
-drying rooms! Can you imagine four people's wet bike gear spread all over a travelodge?
-locked bike sheds
-use of a communal kitchen, so nice for preparing a generous picnic
-location: they are always near good walking or biking
-tv/games room, perfect for exhausted little ones who have been urged a mile beyond endurance
Cons
-the smell! Like a boys locker room, yuck!
-the general shabbiness is a bit depressing
-sharing a kitchen is fine if everyone is clean and disciplined. When they are not is like a freshman dorm experience all over again (and not the good parts!)
-we always take an en-suite room because of the kids, and the showers are always terrible, hardly any water and none of it hot. A tepid trickle anyone?
My final thought is that youth hostels I stayed at in Germany 20 years ago where much cleaner. Probably a cultural thing. This is no put down of the Brits. I've never stayed in a US youth hostel but I would expect it to be much the same.
Odd bits:
-Ute, I packed trainers (also known as tennis shoes), cute ankle boots, and hiking boots
-over the past two days, I have biked 18 miles, and hiked the moors up to a bronze age hill fort and then over to a natural tor. I don't feel tired or sore! I think this exercise lark I've been on for the last five weeks has really paid off!
Sounds like you are having a lovely trip! I've never actually stayed in a youth hostel - I think you are brave for "roughing it"! LOL
ReplyDeleteI've never heard of a hostel, but it sounds interesting!
ReplyDeleteWhat a great family holiday!! It is wonderful to do things like this with the kids, I envy you walking through the marvellous English countryside, and wish so much I could do the same some day :) Although my kids are too old to be co-erced into things anymore; we used to have holidays just as you are describing and they are a fab bonding experience. You will look back on this as such an enjoyable time... smelly lodgings will be the bits you will all laugh about some day!
ReplyDeleteCouldn't agree more. We also use hostels, and the experience has changed for us slightly as we have grown a little older and have a little more pocket change than we used to... Though we have found several hostels here are quite decent- communal like youth hotels, but lacking that freshman dorm quality. Sometimes it does have a sort of freshman dorm section within the hostel, separate kitchen for families. Very interesting.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a lot of fun, even with the cons .... but spend a nice holiday with family and do all these activities together is well worth some discomfort. Having a lot of enjoyment!
ReplyDeleteThat brings back memories! A friend and I hostelled around Australia many years ago, and it was such an adventure - and I agree there is probably a cultural element with hostels and accommodation. Interesting about the number of people per room too: 2 seems too few in those B&Bs you refer to, but it was the norm when we visited Bali recently too!
ReplyDeleteI have stayed in a hostel exactly once, and I was already in my 30s! I had a flight out of Athens at 6 am, meaning I had to leave the hotel at 4 am, and I just couldn't stomach paying $150 for a few hours sleep. The Athens Backpackers had good reviews so I went for it. I ended up having a blast--it was very clean and the girls in my dorm room were lots of fun. We did ouzo shots on the roof with a view of the Parthenon and then went to dinner. I think, though, I should keep my hosteling to this one magical experience and not press my luck further!
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