|
Post by Jules80 on Mar 2, 2006 13:44:30 GMT -5
Beehive also has/had privates as well as one big dorm. The Colors hotel/hostel near the Vatican has both a dorm and private rooms, and it says it has a fully-equipped kitchen - www.colorshotel.com/ it does at that... however when i was there in september, the owner, steve, was saying that they were planning on getting rid of the dorm and making it just a budget hotel. and perhaps opening another place which would be just a hostel and all dorm rooms.
|
|
|
Post by Jules80 on Mar 2, 2006 12:53:35 GMT -5
i am about 99% certain that you are no longer allowed to use the beehive kitchen. they cook breakfast, prepare lunches, and light dinners... mostly during high tourist season.
|
|
|
Post by Jules80 on Mar 2, 2006 9:38:44 GMT -5
Okay thanks guys! Revised Hostel Plan: Rome: The Beehive Far away from the Campo de' Fiori where I was planning on walking to every morning to gather my picnic lunch, but the place looks really nice, American owners, cheap and really good reviews. Any suggestions on another market that is nearby? Florence: Archi Rossi? Haven't yet figured out how centrally located it is. That would be a big deciding factor. Venice: Ostello Santa Fosca I'm pretty definite on this one. Really centrally located, good price, the rooms look nice...anybody with more comments on this I'm open to more tips. Munich: Wombats Still looks like a great place! Paris: Le Village Like it still. But it seems like its far away from everything I want to see, might be an issue. Any markets nearby? Barcelona: Ithaca I like this one. I've also heard about some cheap pensions also around the Ramblas. Looking into that. Some were like the same price as a hostel bed. Cinque Terre:? Still don't know. I want to know how far away the little cities are from one another. And, which city is the one that is in all the pictures? You know, with all the colorful houses stacked close together and a little port underneath. It seems like they have that place pictured when talking about Vernazza, Riomaggiore, Manarola....they can't all be that place can they? Rome - if by market you mean grocery store, there's one about 10 min away tho i never went in. i highly recommendt he beehive packed lunches archi rossi... florence is tiny (at least the part your interested in) from archi rossi, train station is 5 min on foot and ponte vecchio is 15 max. the place is really small... so your close to everything. santa fosca. its clean and that's aobut it. the rooms are very basic. there is no kitchen. check in/out times are very odd. basically, make sure you don't arrive in venice before 4 pm (or you'll be toting your pack around... we arrived at 2 and did laundry ) and try and leave venice by about 1 pm. reception is completely closed from 12 -4 or 5... however once you have a room you can come and go as you please... its just getting the room in the first place. keep those recpetion hours in mind when you have to call for your reservation. le village. no its not especially central. however. you're at the foot of sacre coeur and all those other fun things. also there are 2 metro stations around the corner. essentially whereever you end up staying in paris, you have to take the metro at some point cause the place is enormous! there is also a grocery store across the street with loads of yummy cheese and bread! and wine of course! its a very social place but not a party place per se. oh and it just occured to me... if your bank is bank of america then you probably have no fees to take money out in some european banks. it is in partnership with my canadian bank and several european, asian, and australian banks. they have agreements between all the banks.
|
|
|
Post by Jules80 on Feb 22, 2006 23:31:00 GMT -5
archi rossi does take reservations but only on their website. you can't do it through hostel world or anything.
|
|
|
Post by Jules80 on Feb 3, 2006 22:11:18 GMT -5
rome : beehive gets a big thumbs up from me
florence: archi rossi also gets a big thumbs up from me
venice : santa fosca is clean but basic. it does have a strange reservation system. i was there in septmber. its actually 7 days in advance. and only call after 4 pm or something. their offices are clsoed in the afternoon. but it was really cheap for students... 17 euros. so well worth it for me. but no breakfast and no common area. there's a grocery store very near so we just bought oj and croissants for breakfast.
paris: le village. its social but not party.
jules
|
|
|
Post by Jules80 on Feb 2, 2006 22:58:47 GMT -5
well first of all, you seem to be trying to see a little too much. many places you are only there a day. and many more only 2. rome in particular, you definately need more than 2 days! not to mention all the time spent travelling between places! you might want to cut out a few cities and spend more time in some places or you're going to feel like you're living on a train. in terms of your places to stay i mostly stayed in hostels. however, in Tours, we did stay in Hotel du Manoir which if memory serves was 48 euros with a private bath. it was very nice. also rome i would recommend the beehive. it has mostly double rooms with shared bathrooms and is wonderful! very clean very friendly. i highly recommend it.
Jules
|
|
|
Post by Jules80 on Jan 30, 2006 13:43:57 GMT -5
i didn't stay in a single HI hostel (i think) so it wasn't really an issue. many seemed to be more on the ouskirts of towns. some reviews were also less positive and they tended to have more rules re: curfew and lockout.
i'd recommend the beehive in rome, ostello archi rossi in florence, and the village in paris. in venice i stayed in ostello santa fosca which was clean and cheap. single sex dorms. it was 17 euros a night but they ahve funny check in hours and stuff. there is also no common rooms or kitchen or anything. i would recommend it tho. as i said it is cheap, clean, and in the middle of venice. it just doesn't have the fabulous atmosphere and amenities that the other three i've recommended have.
|
|
|
Post by Jules80 on Jan 22, 2006 22:49:34 GMT -5
beehive in the dorm was 20 euros a night. in paris i stayed at Le Village in Montmartre. its near the metro which is good. i believe it was 21 or 22 euros a night. its very sociable. they have a big deck where everyone sits and chats and hangs out. very cool. good place to meet people. interlaken i was there on a day trip... i was staying with a friend in switzerland and she had a car so... we saw lots in not a lot of time.
|
|
|
Post by Jules80 on Aug 27, 2006 12:24:50 GMT -5
i felt fairly safe. however i was always with other people as i was travelling with a friend. its pretty close to a couple of metros so that was convenient.
Jules
|
|
|
Post by Jules80 on Jan 8, 2006 17:45:21 GMT -5
Paris I stayed in Le Village in Montmarte. Basic breakfast was included. Rooms were clean and reasonable. very social atmosphere. met some cool people. i would recommend it.
Jules
|
|
|
Camping
Dec 5, 2005 23:28:21 GMT -5
Post by Jules80 on Dec 5, 2005 23:28:21 GMT -5
camp grounds are, generally speaking, cheaper. however, they tend to be outside of cities. i couldn't tell you if they would be accessible by train or not (i assume you are plannign to travel by train as you posted a question about rail passes earlier) or even buses. you also have to factor in the additional expense of bus/metro/train to get to and from the camp ground every day. you might find the hassel and the fact that you have to pay for public transit not worth the few euros it might save you. like i said, i've never really looked into the option (a few came up when i was searching for hostels and they were cheaper and far away) but i think a more central hostel might be a better option. also depends on what you like... if you're up for a party scene you might prefer to be more central where you don't have to worry about the last bus out. unless of course you are driving... but i personally would not want to drive anywhere in france or italy... its insane! particularly when avoiding scooters in rome and florence! insane!
sorry for the rambly post...
jules
|
|
|
Post by Jules80 on Oct 6, 2005 21:21:05 GMT -5
in all the places i stayed, only 1 place had lockers and those had locks provided. so i never used the lock i bought. is this normal or was it just a coincidence that i never had lockers? jules
|
|
|
Post by Jules80 on Sept 17, 2005 9:53:52 GMT -5
in paris i stayed at le village a few weeks ago and loved it! great atmosphere for meeting ppl and it was in montmartre and near a metro. i believe it is an independent one. but i don't actually know. i go with whatever looks best.
|
|
|
Sienna!
Aug 21, 2005 7:21:27 GMT -5
Post by Jules80 on Aug 21, 2005 7:21:27 GMT -5
there is only one hostel from what i can gather (i'll be in siena in a few weeks) and apparently its a hole. my friend stayed there and said it was pretty gross and really far from town. all the reviews i've read online of it are horrible! anyways i'm going for the budget hotel (which doesn't really seem to be all the budget) cause i can't deal with disgusting places to sleep. apparently the hostel also has a really early curfew. anyhoo.... depending on when you are going, i can let you know how the place i'm going to stay is the name currently eludes me but all my stuff is packed at its early. jules
|
|
|
Post by Jules80 on Oct 14, 2005 7:49:04 GMT -5
i stayed at le village in paris... nice, clean and social. its in montmartre so not especially central but right near 2 metros.
|
|