I’ve been thinking of getting a lifetime membership in Hostelling International. Using it once per year would be cheaper than annual membership. I had fun staying in hostels in Europe. All I want is a bed, and access to a toilet and a shower. And meeting fellow travellers is a bonus.
But I’ve talked to people who insist on staying at the nicest hotel they can afford. One guy at work is a musician in his spare time who travels a lot. He says when he goes someplace (not necessarily for gigs) he often never leaves the hotel. I thought to myself, ‘What’s the point?’ A friend stayed at a hostel in Hawaii a couple of years ago and had a great time. He was perplexed as to why people would stay at a massive beachside hotel, and hang out at the pool instead of going into the ocean. My dad always wanted a Cadillac, while I’ve always liked sports cars. He said that’s why they make Cadillacs and Porsches. Different strokes for different folks.
If you see a spouse, and especially kids, in your travelling future, the hostel might not seem like such a good idea. But if you expect to continue to travel alone or in same-sex groups, you’d probably be more likely to enjoy it.
I can’t imagine never leaving the hotel in Hawaii (except maybe if it was Princeville Resort on Kauai, mmmm) but sometimes it is nice to have a refuge to come back to after a day exploring. Spry Spouse and I splurged on nice hotels in DC and NY, because after a day of the crowds, museums, etc. it was just nice to retreat someplace pleasant, quiet and clean.
Dedicated hosteller here, but I can certainly understand why people would want a room to themselves or a private bath when they travel. What I don’t really understand are hotels in the several-hundred-dollars-a-night range, unless the hotel is in a truly stunning historic building or something.
I like hostels that have private rooms. That way, you can be alone when you want to. I prefer hostels over hotels in general because of the social aspects of the hostel and the price. When a fellow doper and I went to Hawaii this past summer we met lots of fascinating people in the hostels who told us of out of the ways places, tricks for traveling, and the best restaurants in the cities we were visiting. I paid $20 a night at the hostel which enabled me to spend my vacation money on much better things.
I’m not a very social person and I have some medical issues that makes me really value my privacy, so I’m a hotel guy all the way. Never leaving it is just asinine, though; I’m more of a “come in to crash as late as possible, get up as soon as breakfast is served” person.
If I’m paying: hostel but with a private room not a dorm. Often great fun to hang out in. Even if I can afford a better place, if I’m travelling for myself I prefer hostels.
If my company’s paying: 5 star or I go on strike.
I’ve had vacations where I stay in $10/night hostels, and those where I stay at $500/night hotels. They’re both good, for different reasons.
A lot of where I stay is based on why I’m traveling. If I’m going on an all-out tour of a foreign country, I’d stay in a hostel if that’s all I could afford - I’m going to be out doing things most of the day, it really doesn’t matter where I sleep at night.
If, on the other hand, I’m looking for a week of relaxation and comfort, hell yeah I’m looking at the resort thing. I want to hang out by the pool, have drinks brought to me, and book a couple massages. I’m looking for relaxation and pampering, not seeing the sights.
I really can’t bring myself to spending 100s of $$$s on a room that I’m presumably only going to see the inside of a few hours each day. I do enjoy a private room, though, and places like the Marriott Residence Inn, which go for $150 or less a night, and include a kitchen. That’s about as “upscale” as I want to go, though, and only for a one-day, possibly two-day stay. I really don’t see the point of getting any fancier than this.
When I’m paying for hotels myself, and can’t write it off as a business expense, I like to keep it in the $50-$75/night range (lower if possible). It just seems like a waste of money to me otherwise. There ain’t nothing wrong with a Motel 6 or Super 8.
I’ve been in hostels that could easily suit for a family with kids and others that could not. Personally I’d rather spend my money on good food, or entertainment than where I’m going to sleep and leave my suitcase. YMMV, as always, but I want to see the place and the people who live there, not the hotel and the tourists who came there. If I want a spa experience, I can get that at home.
I went to NYC last month, and stayed at the upper west side YMCA, very basic, perfect location, affordable, met all my needs for an admitedly whirlwind trip packed full of activities. On the other hand, I know a hostel just outside of SF built on light house property which is a destination in it’s own right, sitting on a cliff with ocean views, fireplaces, and a steady stream of interesting travellers, it could support a B&B at 5x the price. Everybodies cooking in the same kitchen, and each guest has some little nothing chore to help keep prices down, but has the effect of increasing the interaction of people, I’ve had long conversations with people from other countries that I otherwise wouldn’t have met.
When I travel anywhere, I end up staying in a hotel. We stay in a lot of hotels when going to visit people because we often don’t have anyone to watch our puppy so we need to take her along. Yeah, expensive hotels are ridiculous, but you can usually find something within driving distance of the city you’re visiting that is down about $39 some a night plus we end up paying a $10 deposit for the dog.
When I travel down to play guitar, I stay with friends where I can. Especially when going to places near here (within a few hours) if I can’t drive back that night, I will call up an old friend and sleep on their couch. If I’m going far enough away to need a hotel to stay at, I pick a hotel because I like my privacy before a show, and right afterwards.
Hostels can be absolutely wonderful or staggeringly bad. Many have on-line ratings, and I would not stay at a poorly rated one. Good places to meet young people who want to drink and party. Cheap, often centrally located, fun, often the best sources of tourist factfinding. Can be filthy, loud, usually have poor bedding, often inconsiderate and messy people. Hostels encompass many of my very best and worst travel experiences.
Hotels are more expensive, can be more lonely and less social, tend to have better food, tend to be safer and more predictable. Don’t have to worry about forgetting your earplugs and having drunken people wake you up ten times in the wee hours while they putz their way to the bathroom. On-line ratings, again, still important. I’d rather have sex in a hotel than a hostel, so why I’m travelling would be an important factor. Hotels are quiet, it’s hard to read, work or study in a hostel.
I wouldn’t and don’t hesitate to mix good hotels and hostels in the same vacation. It makes a good contrast and you meet many more people.
I want to lay in my room in my underwear, eating peanuts and drinking beer. I want a bar in the same building. I don’t want to have to worry about my gear getting stolen. I don’t like the kind of people that stay at hostels.
I spend 2-3 months a year living in hotels. I know what I like.
I’ve stayed in a number of B+Bs in the states (most of them were at least OK, some were REALLY nice). I tend to do hotels most of the time, though … have my set chains in the States, and look for “hip” hotels overseas.
Depends. When I traveled myself, I had no problem with hostels. Stayed in some good ones and some bad ones, but they were cheap and served their purpose. Since I have been married, the wife and I tried some but actually found that using Priceline and Hotwire often did us better. The tab would end up being the same or $10 more for two people but we had a little more privacy in the evenings and less hassle with having to stay out for most of the day.
But if you are on your own, I definitely would go hostels. Most I have stayed in had a reasonably friendly staff who could help with directions in English. Not so in many lower quality hotels. I am reasonably anti-social, but having the social option if I am bored isn’t bad when I travel alone.
One of the guys I work with is the ultra-deluxe kind of guy. Four Seasons Jackson Hole, One & Only Resort, Wynn Las Vegas. I can’t understand it since I don’t spend much time in my room on vacation. I guess you get a little extra room, but I have never been able to justify it.
There’s one in Nashville, but they don’t advertise heavily (or even have a sign out), because they want real travellers and don’t want to attract the local riff-raff.
