I'm Lucy, 23 years old. Like to write reviews on places Ive traveled to and hotels Ive stayed at. If...
I'm Lucy, 23 years old. Like to write reviews on places Ive traveled to and hotels Ive stayed at. If you like the way Ive written a review please let me know, and if you don't feel free to constructively criticise as I would like to get better at it :-)
Member since:07.05.2007
Reviews:15
Members who trust:1
H.I Santa Monica is one of the best Youth Hostels I have stayed in, and if you're the hostelling type I'm sure you would agree. Unfortunately I was only able to stay for 3 nights as I had chosen to spend the rest of my Californian holiday elsewhere (H.I Fullerton to see a friend).
I travelled out of Los Angeles by bus and arrived at the bus station closest to HI Santa Monica. The directions on the website were very helpful and I found my way with ease to the Hostel. HI Santa Monica is a very large and modern building. It has obviously been decorated with "funky" colours to attract the younger (poorer) generation but is also suitable for families, maybe couples and any age group. The foyer was very clean and tidy, and cool in the Californian heat. Immediately I noticed a large map of Santa Monica on a table, a very large amount of information on trips, places of interest, sightseeing tours and general information around the area of Santa Monica. There were also payphones in the foyer, generally in use very often. The Hostel also use key cards for safety, which you need to enter anywhere after the reception.
I had been a little too keen to get to Santa Monica, I arrived 3 hours before my bed was ready. The staff were very friendly though and I checked my bag into their store and went to look around Santa Monica. To be fair, Santa Monica is a relatively small area so everywhere was within walking distance. Several blocks east of the hostel there was a supermarket, about 2 blocks west there was Ocean Avenue overlooking the ocean. Then about 1 minute walk south you come to the pier approach. Santa Monica pier is practically a town of it's own, hosting restaurants and many fast food outlets, clothing shops and stalls, arcade, toilets and even a funfair, and I mean a proper funfair including a roller coater and ferris wheel.
Back to the hostel, the rooms were a nice size but with several bunk beds in each so I didn't have complete privacy but it certainly made up for the amount of new people I met from all over the world. The rooms were clean and tidy with large lockers to keep my luggage safe. The lockers weren't particularly practical to live out of but I knew I wasn't expecting a wardrobe, chest of draws and dresser. I also believe they have family rooms, but I don't know much about these.
The washrooms were very clean. All the female showers and toilet cubicles on each floor were in one large room, showers were in cubicles behind shower curtains. This was ok, knowing it was female only. Each large washroom came with sinks and mirrors and generally 1 or 2 hair dryers (not the best standard of hair dryer but if you aren't able to carry one it might be a welcome sight!).
In HI Santa Monica there is also a very pretty open courtyard in the middle of the building. Here is where I met the most amount of people on my journey as many of the single travellers would gather around a table every evening, and every evening someone would leave and a new person would arrive. The courtyard was clean and tidy, with many plants, tables, rubbish bins and a cute fountain in the centre.
And just inside from the courtyard there is a cafe area where at certain times freshly made meals can be bought (when I was there I would buy a very large cup of delicious coffee for $1 every morning!). There are also vending machines and a very large kitchen with multiple working areas to prepare your own meals. Handy and cheap!
The H.I Santa Monica was a very welcome retreat in the middle of a beautiful bustling town, within public transport distance of Los Angeles, Malibu, Disney Land, Hollywood and walking distance of everywhere in Santa Monica, Venice beach and great entertainment venues. The location is fantastic, and I could happily spend a long time on holiday in the Hostel, and not bad price from around $26!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
very helpful by (100%):
