YHA "post Covid"

[Queens Park Pete]

Hi- anyone have any experience of the new arrangements at YHA are working out- specifically bike sheds being open and lack of catering arrangements. In two minds about a trip next month? Couple of review complaining about £7 for a takeaway breakfast bap, other saying food was great.

[mercalia]

cant see the point at the moment. have to book at best a 2 person room cheapest is £29/night, no common room, no tv, no members kitchen, no bar. I was thinking of going to one of the few that allow camping, in early September as none of the above matters & do my own cooking

[Enigmadick]

Stayed in Conwy recently - private rooms only, no communal kitchen facilities or lounge and bacon baps and coffee pushed out of a hatch for breakfast but it certainly wasn't £7.

Can't speak on bike sheds as Conwy have closed theirs as it is next to the boiler room which is now considered to be a hazard. However the good folk did let us put them in their empty lounge.

PS For couples, Travelodges and Premier Inns in the less popular parts of the country can often be cheaper than hostels at the moment. Paid £23 for a room in Edinburgh last Monday and then £33 in Perth.

[matt2matt2002]

The ones I looked at up here in Scotland only let the whole hostel out.
£350/ night was a little bit over my monthly budget.

[nomisp]

Hi , The minimum price of £29 for a night in the hostel seems to be for a bed /room , alright if there are 2 of you ,it works out ok. Had a look at hostels that had camping available on site , many of these are not now available as hostel has gone over to "exclusive hire" only. Many sites now only seem to have camping if you stay in one of their pods / tents , only a couple of places I found would let you turn up with your own tent , Grinton lodge and Borrowdale . So I think it may be some time before i return to a hostel . I would really like to be able to support them in these times but not at those prices .

[nomisp]

Follow on from previous post , seems strange the i can book a midweek stay in august or just about any day in september for £15 per night but then goes up to £19 per night for October , seems a strange pricing strategy .

[Cyril Haearn]

'clever' pricing, try looking tomorrow, the prices may have gone down. Or up

[Queens Park Pete]

Stayed in Conwy recently - private rooms only, no communal kitchen facilities or lounge and bacon baps and coffee pushed out of a hatch for breakfast but it certainly wasn't £7.

Can't speak on bike sheds as Conwy have closed theirs as it is next to the boiler room which is now considered to be a hazard. However the good folk did let us put them in their empty lounge.

PS For couples, Travelodges and Premier Inns in the less popular parts of the country can often be cheaper than hostels at the moment. Paid £23 for a room in Edinburgh last Monday and then £33 in Perth.

That's all good advice- already looking at a Prem for Chester on route to Conwy. I think I may be using your book for routes unless you are a different Enigma! The YHA element of the trip is to support the organistion as much as anything!

[Queens Park Pete]

Hi , The minimum price of £29 for a night in the hostel seems to be for a bed /room , alright if there are 2 of you ,it works out ok. Had a look at hostels that had camping available on site , many of these are not now available as hostel has gone over to "exclusive hire" only. Many sites now only seem to have camping if you stay in one of their pods / tents , only a couple of places I found would let you turn up with your own tent , Grinton lodge and Borrowdale . So I think it may be some time before i return to a hostel . I would really like to be able to support them in these times but not at those prices .

Thanks for this. As you say £29 is a better deal for two! Conwy is doing en-suite for this price- but so is the Premier Inn and they will let me keep my bike safe and dry in my room!

[dondelion]

We're currently in YHA Alnwick. £60 per night for a double room with en suite! After 45 nights camping it seems worth it though. Nearly all the facilities are unavailable except laundry. No food available in house as they couldn't square it with the one way system they've implemented in the building. Bikes are stored in the currently disused classroom. We're going to cook in the courtyard/carpark later as the kitchen is closed.

[Queens Park Pete]

We're currently in YHA Alnwick. £60 per night for a double room with en suite! After 45 nights camping it seems worth it though. Nearly all the facilities are unavailable except laundry. No food available in house as they couldn't square it with the one way system they've implemented in the building. Bikes are stored in the currently disused classroom. We're going to cook in the courtyard/carpark later as the kitchen is closed.

Well, I suppose you might have been allowed to cook in a travelodge car park.....

[ElaineB]

Could this be the death of the YHA for single travellers? I don’t want to hire the whole hostel for one night at £££. The children are back at school and surely the hostels could open for responsible adults? The hostel I want to stay at is one of the hire the whole thing, why? The wardens are married and live on the premises, what’s to stop one of them putting a duvet cover on, putting out some cornflakes and leaving a spray in the shower room for people to spray around before/after use? Have the yha gone all ‘woke’, don’t they realise that the people who come to hostels are not generally members of the timid bunch? I spoke to a chap recently re bookings but all seemed very ‘woke’, sadly. I have no confidence that the yha will survive now, after my conversation what did I get in the post? My yha renewal for the next year! A bit like the CUK, they can go and whistle, if you can’t provide proper leadership, sadly people will jump ship. Of course we all understand this has been an incredible time all round but surely freezing in fear will not get you moving forward, what the yha need now is a blowtorch. When things are viewed as impossible, generally that is what they become. Wake up, woke yha before you lose more members.

[Jdsk]

What do you mean by "woke" in this context, please?

Thanks

Jonathan

[whoof]

Could this be the death of the YHA for single travellers? I don’t want to hire the whole hostel for one night at £££. The children are back at school and surely the hostels could open for responsible adults? The hostel I want to stay at is one of the hire the whole thing, why? The wardens are married and live on the premises, what’s to stop one of them putting a duvet cover on, putting out some cornflakes and leaving a spray in the shower room for people to spray around before/after use? Have the yha gone all ‘woke’, don’t they realise that the people who come to hostels are not generally members of the timid bunch? I spoke to a chap recently re bookings but all seemed very ‘woke’, sadly. I have no confidence that the yha will survive now, after my conversation what did I get in the post? My yha renewal for the next year! A bit like the CUK, they can go and whistle, if you can’t provide proper leadership, sadly people will jump ship. Of course we all understand this has been an incredible time all round but surely freezing in fear will not get you moving forward, what the yha neeYd now is a blowtorch. When things are viewed as impossible, generally that is what they become. Wake up, woke yha before you lose more members.

Perhaps if they got a bit more gammon on the board things might change.

[ElaineB]

To ‘be aware’, to wake up to what is going on. The yha need to be aware of what people need or want.