Private rooms at hostels

[pupkus7]

We're having a bit of a dilemma here...

My girlfriend doesn't want to sleep in hostels, on our trip to Italy, because she doesn't feel comfortable sleeping in the same room with other strangers. So now she's pushing to sleep in hotels instead...
But i'm worried that hotel rooms will be too pricey...

my question is this...
Do hostels offer private rooms to sleep in? If so, are they cheaper than staying at a hotel?
or better put... Is it worth paying for a private room at a hostel over just going to a hotel?

remember, it will just be my girlfriend and myself on this 3 week trip

[pupkus7]

..... by the way, we will be traveling in Early May 2006... i know the time of year has a big impact on prices

[Eagle]

pupkus7, yes, some Hostels do offer private rooms but these are quite popular and often get booked up fairly quickly. I haven't done a detailed analysis, but I suspect the cost of a private Hostel room would be close to that of a budget Hotel room in some cases.

My suggestion would be to look carefully at the lodging choices in each of your stops, and decide on a case-by-case basis whether a private Hostel room or budget Hotel room would the the best option for that location. The time of year that you're travelling is not the "busy season" but there are more and more people travelling during "shoulder seasons" so you might want to pre-book?

Since not all Hostels are co-ed, it's quite likely that you would be placed in separate Dorm rooms, so I can understand your girlfriend's concerns and the "dilemma".

If you want ideas for inexpensive / budget Hotel rooms, have a look at some European Guidebooks. My preference is the Rick Steves books but Lonely Planet, Let's Go, Frommers and others all have good suggestions. Generally speaking the costs of Hotel rooms where the guests share a bathroom on each floor or Hotels that don't have Elevators, will be less expensive than a "standard" tourist Hotel. This might be an acceptable compromise, having a Private Room at an affordable price?

Hope this is of some help.

[WillTravel]

pupkus7, I think it's reasonable that your girlfriend just wants to share a room with you rather than stay in a hostel dorm. But as mentioned, the private rooms are hard to get (I've failed several times in several cities trying more than six months in advance). I think smaller places might be easier (for example, Aarhus was easy). If you use the Hostel search at the bottom of the page here, you'll see other options than hostels, like B&Bs and budget hotels.

I've also used Priceline to get good deals in some cities (not all, though, and I recommend studying the betterbidding.com site to learn how to use Priceline). I've also gotten good deals with www.ryanairhotels.com and www.bookings.org and hotwire.com and booking directly.

In my opinion, finding cheap, good double rooms will mean that you have to plan your trip more than you otherwise would (if you were willing to take any old hostel dorm bed).

I think if you do your research, you'll probably have to pay 25-50% more total to have private rooms somewhere rather than dorm beds.

[pupkus7]

quick question... a single room is only for one person??? or are two people allowed to sleep in one bed?

[WillTravel]

A single room is only for one person, and usually such a room is so small and the bed so narrow that it is almost unthinkable to try to fit two people into it. And in a small establishment, it's not as if the other person will somehow be able to sneak past the front desk.

[pupkus7]

ok... this helped very much... thanks you guys!

[stanncie]

hi fellow miamian!!
i've just returned from europe about 3 weeks ago and my friend and I stayed at a private room only once. It was a bit cheaper that hotels in the are cuz we asked. The only reason though for you and your gf to stay at a hostel would be if you are interested in meeting other travelers??
If not, like others have stated you are better off just staying in budget hotels.
It's too bad your gf doesn't want to do the hostel thing , we met lots of couples in hostels and they seemed to have a good time but hey, to each's own. You wouldn't want your gf to be cranky during your trip

[pupkus7]

hehe... noooooo i don't want that AT ALL... thanx

[dumbdiety]

Hey look! Someone else from SoFla!
Not really adding anything to this discussion...just wanted to point that out...
Move along people, nothing to see here...

[dougj]

myself and my wife stayed in private rooms in both hostels and budget hotels for our entire trip...we paid between 45 and 67 euro a night.
where are you going in italy? I may be able to give you a couple of recommendations.
outside of the hostelworld network I also used venere.com and lastminute.com for booking.

[pupkus7]

we will be going to sorrento, rome, siena, florence, cinque terre area for 3 weeks in may...

[Eagle]

pupkus7, in Rome you might want to check out The Beehive Hostel. They have double rooms and are located close to Termini Station so this might be a good choice.

Lodgings in the Cinque Terre will depend on which of the towns you want to stay in? You might have a look at www.torrettas.com (B & B) in Manarola to see if this might work for you.

For Siena have a look at www.albergobernini.com (B & B) to see if it fits with your budget.

Hopefully some of the others will provide a few suggestions for Sorrento. Dustoffmom should have some good tips for Florence.

Hope this helps.

[Jackie]

pupkus, my bf and i were in italy (cinque terre, florence, and rome) this past may/june and we only stayed in double rooms. my bf was like your gf and wanted the privacy that comes with a private room. and trust me, after a long day of sightseeing, you'll want somewhere to relax on your own... not to mention, if you and your gf want to be "close" (wink wink, nudge nudge) during this 3 week trip, a private double is the way to go.

specifically, i found that La Torretta in Manarola (Cinque Terre) (as Eagle mentioned) was booked fully VERY quickly and far in advance because it's such a nice place and the prices are not bad. we ended up staying at Casa Capellini B&B which was very close by to La Torretta. www.casacapellini-5terre.it/index.htm
We had a double room w/private bath and a small terrace that looked out to the sea (GORGEOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!) we were very happy with the accommodation, although it did not offer any meals, just simply a room to rent, and it was close to the top of the road/hill, so there was a bit of a trek to get there, and there was no air conditioning (but where in CT is there?!). we paid 46 euro per night - can't really beat that !! here's a link to a pic of the view from the room -

community.webshots.com/myphotos?action=showPhoto&albumID=382806157&photoID=382806585&security=xrGnwv

in florence we were supposed to stay at locanda starlight, in a double w/ shared bath, but our reservations were mixed up. we ended staying across the street at locanda dei poeti, which was WONDERFUL. it was brand new, had air conditioning, and a private bath. we got our room for the same price as the starlight b/c the woman who owns the starlight is friends with lorenzo, who owns the poeti. however, the room we had usually runs at about 100 euro a night. he also had a room for 75 that had 2 single beds and a private bath. i hear that the beehive is great - just make sure to book far in advance! www.locandadeipoeti.com/index2.htm


in rome we stayed at kerouac b&b - double room with shared bath for 65 euro a night. the people who ran it were lovely, and it was very safe, but kind of run-down. i think you could probably find something better with a little research.

best of luck with all of your planning! feel free to PM/email me if you have any specific questions since we took a similar trip and i think we're probably around the same age!

[pupkus7]

*humbly bows to you all*
thanx you guys for all the advice...
i looked into alot of hostels in Cinque Terre and I'm gonna go with Jackie and Eagle's advice. La Torreta looks very decent and the price is great... I LOVE the views you can get there!

I also looked at many hostels in Rome... after hearing so much about The Beehive Hostel, i went to their site and checked it out... the private rooms seem super comfy and 35 euro p/person... not too too bad. We may end up staying there.... unless i find a better deal

I looked at Locande Dei Poeti... the site is under construction, but they have pictures on the page of the rooms and i have to agree, FAAAAAN..CY (at least in my book of standards)... 100 euro is kinda pricey for me, but i'm sure my gf would appreciate it if i put in a little extra so that we can have a nicer place to do some "winking & nudging".

so yea... again, thanx so much... and i'll keep posting when i get more details