Anyone know a good hostel in NICE??

[cellabella]

Hey everyone,
I'm going to Europe at the end of June and my cousin and I are having the hardest time finding a good, clean hostel in Nice. We heard that it's a good idea to book in advance, especially in the summer, so we've looked at some hostels like "Hotel Meyerbeer Beach" and then we read the reviews and bedbugs are definitely not something we want. We definitely need a place with AC for sure and just that it's clean and not so pricey. So if anyone has any ideas i would appreciate it so much, we wanna book it by Tuesday. thanks

[madamtrashheap]

cellebella, how about:

Hotel Paradis, Nice - www.hostelworld.com/availability.php/HotelHostelParadis-Nice-2558; very close to the beach and the Old Town (bars, restaurants, stuff!).
Villa St-Expurey, Nice - www.vsaint.com/?l=en&p=splash 22 Avenue Gravier, Nice tel [phone]; an old monastery, out of town a little, not great but cheap
You could also look at 2 star hotels if their prices suit. Check www.provenceweb.fr/e/alpmarit/nice/hotels/hotel2st.htm or www.fhr.fr/en/nice/fhrhotel-2489_3-comfort-hotel-azur-riviera-hotel.html for some places like Hotel Vendome (good location rates not bad), Hotel Carlyna (even better location, Euro68 for twin room in June, air con, basic rooms), Hotel Carnot (quaint old place) or Kyriad Nice Port (both on the port side of town and a long way from the station, but 10mins to beach and old town), Hotel Acanthe (close to Old Town, not far from station, basic but nice and has air con! Would be a good pick), Hotel Ibis Centre (halfway between the station and the beach), Hotel Lyonnais (quite close to train station, again not super-flash) .

Yes it is a good idea to book ahead as it gets pretty busy on the Cote d'Azur from May onwards. If you have no luck with the two above, can I suggest looking at hostels that are closer to the beach end of town than the train station - most of what you'll want to see/do is in this area and it helps to not have to trek 20mins up the main road after a day out. Hope the above help you in your search!

[julers]

madamtrashheap said:

Villa St-Expurey, Nice - www.vsaint.com/?l=en&p=splash 22 Avenue Gravier, Nice tel [phone]; an old monastery, out of town a little, not great but cheap

I just came back from a short weekend trip to Nice and I stayed at this hostel. It was about 22euros and included breakfast (mostly cereal and bread). The hostel itself is gorgeous with a lovely garden and it overlooks the city. The staff were all fab and helped us plan our days and offered good advice. The rooms were clean and most contained modern bathrooms en suite. They also have a bit of a restaurant that serves delicious pizzas for only 5 euros as well as 1euro beer and wine.

The downside is that "out of town a little" means that you must take a bus from town, and then hike up a massive hill of a street. Thankfully, the hostel offers free rides to and from the bus stop when you arrive and leave, so you don't have to haul your stuff up that hill. However, you have to scale the hill sans car every other time you come and go. Based on that experience alone, I would not stay there again. It's a shame really, because I really liked the hostel. Too bad it has such a poor location.