Peijean T.
Yelp
I have always been wary of staying in a hostel because of urban legends about their cleanliness and safety, probably not helped because of the horror movie, Hostel, from a few years back.
But last weekend during Memorial Day I did a mini-tour of some San Diego hostels and was surprised how nice Hostelling International was when I stayed over night on Friday. I would definitely recommend it for individuals who want to save half off room and board, versus when you're traveling with someone and it's better to just split a proper hotel room.
Here's the lowdown:
Rules:
--18 and over. No age requirements otherwise; in fact there was a woman who was probably in her early 40s in our room although most are people 18-30.
--No curfew, so you can stay out late (and note that people sharing your room may as well), but quiet hours start at 11PM and it really does get quiet as people stop partying or hanging out in the common areas
--You must live at least 45 miles from San Diego County. Hostel does not allow local residents. Must show proof of your address.
--If you are not a member of Hostelling International you are charged a $3 fee on top of your rate
--If you need to cancel, you must do so by 6PM the night before if you don't want to be charged. If you booked during Comic-Con then there is a whole different policy requiring weeks' notice.
--Check-out at 11AM. You have to have all your stuff out of the room and then check out, unlike hotels where you can check out and then take your time to actually physically leave. You will be charged if you stay past 11AM versus hotels which give you some leniency.
Pros:
--Location: Right on Market Street across from Side Bar and Bang Bang. I was able to walk across the street to get a pizza slice from Ciro's and then it was only about two blocks to Omnia.
--Security: building seems extra secure over the other hostel I stayed in San Diego that weekend. You need to swipe your electronic keycard on the main lobby door, then there is a staff member 24 hours there to check your ID and papers to confirm you are a guest. You are not allowed to bring outside guests. From there, you have to swipe your card again to get into your actual assigned room.
--Activities: staying at a hostel isn't just about getting a bed to sleep; they have a few organized activities like free city tours and get togethers. Great way to meet people and be oriented with the city. For this reason I might do this hostel in another city since they have locations everywhere.
--International crowd: people who stay are usually young travelers from around the world. Ever been on a Contiki tour? It's kind of like that.
--Women-only, male-only, or mixed rooms. Definitely recommend getting a female only room if you're female.
--Quiet: We had a room facing a back alley, NOT Market Street, so I was surprised how quiet it was when it was time for bed.
--Facilities: modern and hiply decorated; game room and common kitchen with shared refrigerator (labels provided for your food)
--Bathrooms: there were single ones where you could lock them completely and also shared ones. Very clean and upgraded bathrooms that were as good as a 3-star hotel.
--HUGE lockers in the bedrooms, 1 for each bed, so plenty of room to store and lock your stuff securely. Bring your own lock or buy one at the front desk for $4.
--Free breakfast from 8-10AM! Also I think they do free dinner as well here.
Cons:
--Beds: there were three bunk beds for a total of six beds in our room. They were comfortable enough but the spring mattresses were not great as you would sink in a bit too much. Still, this wouldn't deter me from this place but it's worth noting.
--You have to make your own bed, which is hard on a top bunk. But that's hostel life...
--You will probably end up with a top bunk unless you get there early upon check-in (3PM) and provided someone isn't there already on a multi-day trip. But that's hostel life...
--It's a shared environment, so you will have to expect that people may come and go in/out of your room when you're trying to sleep, but if you didn't mind this you wouldn't even be staying at a hostel. Bring ear plugs and an eye mask for sure!
--Hostels are known for bedbugs, but I didn't see any when I was there. The bed posts did have BB circle traps as a precaution, but the traps looked dusty and needed refreshing with new silica/DE powder (a natural pesticide that is safe for humans to eat but dries out bugs). Still I would not let this deter you, but when you get home I advise you wash your clothes in hot water and hot dryer just in case.
--Not as cheap as you would think ($47 for me), although you're still saving compared to getting an entire hotel or motel room yourself where it's more like $90-100 a night.