The Hostelz.com Review
Located just outside of the downtown core of Nice, Villa Saint Exupery -- a former monastery -- overlooks the town and the Mediterranean Sea. The building is gorgeous and very well kept -- very modern. The staff are helpful and provide maps of the city and surrounding area along with bus schedules and tips on how to get everywhere from Monaco to Cannes. The hostel advertises station pick-up which, in reality, means pick up from a bus stop closer to the hostel than the main train station. However, their 0800 free call number makes it easy to contact them for a lift and they are more than willing to bring you back to the bus stop at the conclusion of your stay.
Facilities include luggage storage, free internet access (with USB access on some computers for uploading photos), a lush outside patio, kitchen as well as cheap (and very good) meals and drinks every night. The large common area was once the chapel of the monastery. Consequently, it is large, but the sofas and tables in it make it welcoming. Dorm rooms are ensuite (toilet in one room, sink and shower in another) and are clean and modern. There are no lockers but in some of the rooms there is a large wardrobe in which some people can store bags.
The one downside to this hostel is its less-than-central location. It is not in the heart of the city and getting in to the train station or beach requires taking the bus or at least a twenty-minute walk (downhill to town, uphill back). However, the bus going to the beach/town centre does stop fairly close to the hostel. Location aside, it is a beautiful hostel -- very clean and friendly.
Facilities include luggage storage, free internet access (with USB access on some computers for uploading photos), a lush outside patio, kitchen as well as cheap (and very good) meals and drinks every night. The large common area was once the chapel of the monastery. Consequently, it is large, but the sofas and tables in it make it welcoming. Dorm rooms are ensuite (toilet in one room, sink and shower in another) and are clean and modern. There are no lockers but in some of the rooms there is a large wardrobe in which some people can store bags.
The one downside to this hostel is its less-than-central location. It is not in the heart of the city and getting in to the train station or beach requires taking the bus or at least a twenty-minute walk (downhill to town, uphill back). However, the bus going to the beach/town centre does stop fairly close to the hostel. Location aside, it is a beautiful hostel -- very clean and friendly.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
October 2006
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Villa Saint Exupery Gardens Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
Great place had a great time here. people were cool and facilities excellent. make sure you check out happy hour -- €1 beers! — Dave , NZ (2012-05-09) Far from the beaches, expensive, and not organized The hostel is meant to be the best hostel of France. We took one hour to arrive there, because it's up on top of mountains. We had no idea how to reach there by car. It's too far from the beaches, and the most surprising thing about this hostel is the price. It's more expensive than a hotel! They wanted to charge 40 euros per person for a room for three people! Unbelievable! I would definitely not recommend this hostel to people who don't want to lose their time and money. By the way, if you want camping there, you pay 12 euros for the space, which is not appropriate for camping, it was just a fast solution. Quite expensive considering that most hostels charge about 8 euros for camping! Go to a hotel and be happier. I also have to say that we online booked the hostel (via email) and they said they didn't get our bookings. Not organized! We were very disappointed and stayed in a hotel near the beach, for a lower price that they wanted to charge for a three-beds room. — Marcela , Brazil (2008-08-09) Wonderful! Possibly the best hostel I've ever stayed in. Spotless, huge guest kitchen with all the kitchen utensils you'll need. Showers cleaned regularly, comfortable beds, and friendly staff. All the cereal (fourteen types!), coffee, toast, and orange juice you can eat for breakfast. A bit of a trek from the centre of town but one of the staff gave us a ride when it was raining. Exceptional hostel! — Sonja , Canadian (2008-02-05) Enjoyed staying I stayed four days January 2008 and enjoyed all time I spent here. Food is great and cheap, employees are quite helpful, and any time of the day they greeted me full of smiles. Hope to stay again. — Gokhan Celik , Turkey (2008-01-26) Even with the steep walk, perfect! I stayed here five days in July 2007 on my way from Spain to Italy. Fantastic pizza and dinner chef, reasonable prices on drinks, huge common room with lots of computers, patio with garden. Very friendly and helpful staff. They also handed out maps with all the bus routes needed and places of interest in Nice. Clean. Kind of crowed rooms but ok. Our shower smelled like animal had died there, but several hot showers and plenty of sinks. Very, very steep walk up from last bus stop, but worth every step. They give you ride in to first bus stop. Would recommend it to anyone of any age. — Dinah , USA (2008-01-19) Excellent! I stayed at the Villa this month, and I highly recommend it! The Villa has an excellent location, very helpful, friendly staff, and very clean rooms. The value for the money is excellent also. Steve and Julia along with all of the staff were terrific! I was treated as if I were staying at a four-star hotel in Europe! The breakfast was really good, the evening meal was great, and my room was terrific! They will pick you up and give you a ride to the bus stop. If you are visiting Nice, Monaco, or the Rivera coast, this is the place to stay! Many thanks to all of the staff who made my stay a great one! — Mary....from Atlanta, Georgia USA , USA (2007-11-17) Would probably stay there again Good hostel. Pretty clean. Fantastic atmosphere, met great people here. The staff are really fun, relaxed, and helpful if you have a pretty standard question or problem. The bar is great. The breakfast is the best I've had at all the hostels I've stayed in over the past two months. Beds pretty comfy. Noisy hostel but bring earplugs and you won't have a problem. Hostel provides really fantastic tourist info on how to get to all the touristy and non touristy towns -- definitely visit Eze and have a drink at the Hotel Chevre D.or -- expensive drink but a definite highlight of my trip! Only a couple of things I didn't like -- when I put my clothes in for washing not all of it came back and the staff didn't really seem to care. Also when the cleaner was taking all the old sheets off the beds, he piled them onto my bed which was kinda gross, but oh well! The hostel is quite a trek away from everything but they have a shuttle bus in the morning and will also pick you up and drop you off at any time when you have luggage -- i didn't really find the distance a problem although the nice buses are a tad confusing. Overall a great place and apart from a few minor things (no hostel is perfect), I would definitely stay here again. — Anonymous , Australia (2007-09-22) Friendly, lively, young people's hostel Good place, very friendly, too far from centre of Nice however and not very welcoming to families. — andrew , british (2007-08-28) Fantastic, helpful, and friendly. Great stay here, everyone of the staff are not only friendly and helpful, but also great fun to be around. Bit of an aggravation to get into Old Nice as it is situated quite far away, but buses are cheap and frequent. Overall great stay, and i will most likely be back! — Mark Denieffe , Ireland (2007-06-20) This is the best hostel I have ever stayed in and I seriously mean it. The atmosphere is amazing and the staff and people are so friendly and great. The one apparent down side being the location is as far as I'm concerned is an asset, waking up to nothing more than light chatter from hostelers below and birdsong is the best way to wake up. The bus ride into town is easy and they give you lots of maps and info and if you ever get lost or need something you can call them toll free and they'll pick you up or help you out. The food is fantastic and for 6.50 euros is the cheapest and best meal you'll get in the city. The cook also makes a fantastic creme brulee which you should all try. They sell wine and beer and all sorts and a bottle of wine will only set you back 4 euros, for white red rose or sweet white. The chapel is fabulous and the outdoor eating area is equally great. If you're staying in Nice you should be staying here. — Jett Black , Canada (Living in Scotland) (2007-05-22) Visited in April 2007. Nice Hostel, Nice Staff, Great Bar, Cheap Drinks (1 Euro for beer, 4 Euro for wine), Dinner if you want it, Lots of PCs, Clean Rooms. A bit of a hike from Nice center, so you might end up spending a few nights at the hostel. But overall, a very nice setup. — Bruce , Australia (2007-05-15) Absolutely fabulous place to stay and truly is a villa. It's a slight distance away from the city but night buses more than take care of that. The staff are probably the friendliest I have ever come across and if you're looking to make friends this is the place to be. — Soumitro , Indian (2007-04-30) Without question the best hostel I have stayed in on this trip, and possibly the best ever. I am most impressed. — Beatrix Jenness , USA (2007-04-28) Great place to stay. Friendly and very helpful staff. Bar with cheap drinks. Offer food at night that tastes good and is cheap. Too far to walk from the beach or train station, but buses are cheap and convenient. Staff will also give info/advice on day trips from Nice. Cheap laundry service. We had a great time here! — Texas-girl , usa (2007-04-21) After backpacking throughout Europe, this hostel was amazing. Although far from the city, the hostel management does everything it can to get visitors too and from the downtown area. The rooms were incredibly clean, and the staff were the nicest I have met thus far in my travels. The rates are more than fair; dinner is a fair price and good. The hostel was a vacation from a vacation. I was sick, took a day to sleep in the room and rest -- and it was amazing. It felt more like a hotel than a hostel! I accidentally left my cell phone in a room, contacted the staff within a week, and luckily one of the owners was coming to London anyway and went out of her way to meet me at a coffee shop to give it back to me and we had a lovely conversation. I am recommending the hostel to all my friends. Just book enough ahead because it fills up fast. — Kelsea , USA (2007-04-10)