check out the reviews at bugeurope.com

Man, I did.

Its just that Paris seems like such a mixed bag when it comes to hostels. All of them seem to have one huge flaw. Whether its no curtains on the showers, zero security, filth, no socialization etc.

When I read reviews of hostels in other cities in Europe I actually zero in on a couple that seem nearly perfect…or at least as close to perfect when it comes to hostels. Good security, clean, and fun.

Paris? Its way harder to decide.

I haven’t stayed here, but it was recommended on another board. Also note the price – about 14 Euros per night!

http://www.bugeurope…

Then again, TripAdvisor is pretty negative:
http://www.tripadvis…

I think Le Village has had pretty good reviews. Although it is a little further out, maybe it’s worth it.

Or consider splurging on a hotel for Paris. There are some options that are fairly reasonable – see http://www.eurocheap… and many posts on this board.

I’ve stayed at the Young and Happy hostel in the Latin Quarter a couple times and I found it to be safe and social but not a huge party. I think it’s a good mix and I liked the location as well.

Thanks you guys.

Le Village definitely sounds like one of the better ones.

Young and Happy seems great in the sense thats its located in an ideal spot. The lockout is brutal though. Was there a safe place to leave your backpack? Like could you use a bike lock to attach it to something in your room, or in the baggage area while you went out in the day time?

I think I’m going to decide between Young and Happy..and Jules Ferry.

quote:

Young and Happy seems great in the sense thats its located in an ideal spot. The lockout is brutal though. Was there a safe place to leave your backpack? Like could you use a bike lock to attach it to something in your room, or in the baggage area while you went out in the day time?

You could wrap the lock around the bedpost if you like, and they also had a luggage storage area if you want (but this was mainly for people who were checking out that day).

I just threw my bag under my bed (as did everyone else).

The lockout does suck though. Is it 1am or 2am? I can’t remember. I didn’t hit the nightlife so much in Paris as I would spend all day walking around the city, we would usually just go to a local cafe for a drink or hang out at the hostel at night – we were pretty wiped by that time.

Do Young and Happy take credit cards?

I stayed at 3 Ducks and loved it. It is run down and feels a little dirty but if you can look past that (you’re bound to come across dirty hostels, better get used to it) its really a great place to meet people. It is a party hostel, but I found the rooms to be far enough away from the courtyard and bar that it wasn’t a problem sleeping. I heard of no one having security problems. There is always the option of staying somewhere nearby and hanging out at 3 Ducks to pick up travel companions, if you don’t like it there. There’s a couple of decent cheap hotels 2 minutes walk away (lost my reservation one night, oops)

a month ago, i stayed at the BVJ Quartier Latin. Good security, but i didn’t really meet anyone. Socially not a great place. Also, the bathroom situation made me switch to a private room, 35 euros a night. I wouldn’t go back there. I also checked out one of the MIJE places. also not a great bathroom situation. I wouldn’t stay there either. I’ve heard good things about some hostel with a view of Sacre Coeur. Happy Travels.

renagel, what is the bathroom situation that you refer to?

there are toilets in Paris hostels. Not sure if this applies to hotels as well, but the 2 hostels i’ve stayed at had toilets in a room by themselves. I was going to stay in a room for 10 people. There is one key for each room. You leave your room, lock your door (unless there is someoneelse inside) go to the toilet, do your business, then (because there is no sink where the toilet is, go back to your room, unlock your door, and wash your hands in the sink in your room. I’ve been in hostels in Canada, the USA, London, Enland but everywhere else i’ve had the "normal" toilet has a sink nearby i.e. in the same room situation. This french situation is something i find gross.

User_name, did you decide on Young and Happy? I had my mind set on that too, but I kept trying to fax my information, but the fax was always busy!!! If you did decide, how did you reserve? I do not want to send my info through e-mail. Let me know.

Maybe you can try the Hotel Sainte Marie…It’s a very cheap hotel in Paris and I read really good threads about it…www.hotelsaintemarie.com! Staff seems to be helpful…

Check out Maison Internationale des Jeunes
0143719921
4 Titon
off of rue Montreuil
Metro 8 – Faid herbe Chaligny

Just a metro stop or two from the Bastille.
I have stayed here on two different trips to Paris. Planning to stay there again this month. DO make reservations though. I have also been turned away because they were too full.

Any of you have had/heard of experiences with the Woodstock Hostel in Paris? I am planning on staying there towards the end of Dec. Wanted to find out if I was getting into the right place. I too wanted to look at Hostels that had a good social scene, and security/cleanliness. Woodstock seemed to be the best of the lot in the MontMartre district. I don’t know…comments/suggestions about this Hostel would be really appreciated.

Thanks.

renagel, I didn’t see your response until now. I agree that situation is gross, but the St. Christopher’s Shepherd’s Bush hostel in London, otherwise a very good hostel, has that too. You could wash your hands in the shower, but not the most appealing proposition.

Just a one-time occurrence but still wanted to share:

Guard your euros from the desk staff at Aloha Hostel! DO NOT put down money on rooms if you are unsure that you will be staying on a particular night (i.e. pay day by day, not in advance). The charming front desk guy "Seff" convinced us on a Thursday to put down money for Friday and Saturday nights because he said they always fill up. We said "But we can’t be sure when our ride to the country will be set up, we may not be able to stay those 2 nights." He said if we decided not to stay we would get our money back. He was just so cute and sweet that we passed him our 64 euros.

We ended up not staying Friday and Saturday and are STILL trying to work with the manager (Corinne) to get our 64 euros back. We confirmed that they DID fill up Friday and Saturday (even more reason to refund our money, eh?). For days after returning from the country we were bounced back and forth from one receptionist to the next—all claiming they had no power to refund our money EVEN THOUGH it was their staff who advised us to put down money that we could get back. (Yet they all agreed that we should get our money back because they had filled up on those two nights.) The run-around is really frustrating and Corinne is revelling in making this difficult—no doubt hoping we will give up, which I won’t do.

The hostel was fine—except lugging a massive pack up the endless winding narrow staircase sucks. They have a hostel kitty. I loved her.