It is part of hostelling tradition to pass on experience to others so to this end I hope you find these opinions useful in choosing a place to stay.
Biarritz –
HI Hostel
This hostel is located in a nice area and the building itself is modern and
appealing, though sadly situated quite far from the town centre. The bus service
in Biarritz stops early so you’ll probably be able to bus into town but
it’ll be a 30-40 minute walk back later on in the evening. There was a
basic selection of items for breakfast (bread, cereal, jam, hot chocolate) of
a reasonable quality. The beds were comfortable and the rooms felt secure, each
bed had it’s own cupboard though they were not lockable.
Paris – MIJE
Le Fauconnier
Hidden down a back-street with no obvious signs it may be difficult to find
this hostel but if you do – it’s worth it. The building dates back
to the seventeenth century which gives the place a particular rustic charm some
rooms are multi-levelled with spiral staircases between the upper and lower
tiers. The food is very basic and not especially fresh but it gets you by, security
seems adequate. The beds vary in quality, most are the of basic iron bunk-bed
variety though some are little more than an inch-thick mattress on the floor.
Those with dust allergy or asthma may have to watch out a the rooms seem very
dusty leaving me with a sore thought when I woke up in the morning. The area
where this hostel excelled was in customer service, when we checked in we were
served promptly and efficiently by a guy who seemed enthusiastic about helping.
Vieux Lyon –
HI Hostel
Before I start the review I feel obliged to point out that THIS HOSTEL IS HALF-WAY
UP A VERY BIG HILL. Whilst reading the guidebook I failed to notice this and
almost killed myself hauling my rucksack up to the hostel, you can also get
the funicular railway up to Minimes and walk down but it takes about the same
amount of time. The hostel itself is fairly large, has several floors but no
lifts (adding insult to injury), the building is modern and facilities are more
than adequate. Breakfast was good, the produce seemed to be pretty fresh –
a welcome change from other places. Security was OK though there did seem to
be a larger amount of longer-term residents around the place, one guy we met
had night-job so must have been there for a while. The beds were very basic
iron bunks and the rooms were pretty hot, easily solved by opening a skylight.
Luxembourg – HI Hostel
From one extreme to the other, this hostel is at the bottom of a big hill, we
got a taxi from the station but I would imagine it could be fairly difficult
to find. One of the first noticeable things was security, there are no locks
on the dormitory doors – instead there are cupboards inside the rooms
which can be locked with a padlock, we used our own but they were also available
at reception. The food was OK, the usual mediocre quality but a good selection
of items were available. The beds and pillows were probably the most comfortable
of all the hostels we stayed in and everywhere was clean.
Brussels –
CHAB Vincent Van Gogh
This was a bit of an odd hostel with people coming and going at odd hours of
the morning, there was also quite a lot of noise both from the street and from
within the hostel. Breakfast was fairly average, though there did seem to be
quite a lot of strange people hanging around – we never could work out
a reason why. Security is adequate, in fact the dodgy card-locks mean that it
is difficult even for guests to get into their own buildings, the beds were
iron bunks and were again average. The location was a little unimpressive, there
was little of interest in the area but that could be said about most of Brussels
as well.
Best Hostel - MIJE
Le Fauconnier, Paris.
Mainly down to it’s welcoming staff and it’s great location this
place was the best out of the five we stayed in.
Most Welcoming Town/City
- Luxembourg
From the beginning the taxi driver, the hostel receptionist, the barmaid in
The Tube – everyone was nice and friendly.
Most Attractive
Town/City – Bruges (Monaco close 2nd)
Every street and building we saw in Bruges was lovely, the streets were cobbled
too, everything was nice. Monaco gets the very close 2nd place here as everywhere
was immaculate and clean and the outlook to the sea was fantastic.
Best Bar –
The Tube, Luxembourg
A wonderful themed bar with a great atmosphere and it serves Bofferding!
Best Restaurant
– La Rose Blanche, Grand Place, Brussels
The only place we went to twice and even had the same meal again, Barrie’s
traditional Flemish stew and my Chilli Burger.
Most Scenic Area
– The Alps
Absolutely breathtaking, Grenoble
Best Pizza (Ash)
– Four Cheese, Il Sorrentino, Paris.
Best
Pizza (Barrie) – Seafood Mix, Giovany’s, Lyon.
Best
Beer – Chimay Blue, Grand Place, Brussels