HI - Sanborn Park Hostel

Any hosteler interested in outdoor adventures, architecture or cultural history will find HI - Sanborn Park Hostel a hostel worth visiting. Located in the Santa Cruz mountains, the two-story, rustic log cabin was originally built in 1908 for an esoteric judge named Welch. The area alone itself dates back to the first inhabitants, the Costanoan/Ohlone tribes. But, sadly so, those days are gone and now it's a place for the average traveler of any age.

Getting to Hi-Sandborn is an adventure. And even though driving a car is not a hostelling tradition, you'll need one, if not a horse carriage, in order to get near and up the miles of mountain terrain that snakes itself into the woodlands. There's nothing like leaving a city of noise behind, and once you enter this woodland ecology of natural flora, fauna, shrubs, species, birds, and history, you might feel the mysticism in the mountains or the sanctity of peace -- this place is like a gift from the Gods.

But no signs tell you about the dangers of landscape where the roads leading to HI-Sanborn have blind turns. Once inside the first gate, follow a soon-to-narrow public road but only for a short while. And the farther you go the steeper and narrower the incline. The bus #27 will only run so far into Saratoga Village. And once you've seen a motorcycle turned upside down on the roadside, walking or biking is no longer novel.

Since HI-Sanborn is inside Skyline County Park, you can expect to share solitude with the general public and might feel kinship or an invasion -- it's a quick getaway for locals, who during the day turn into quasi-campers. You'll sometimes find either them or youth groups sitting outside under a circle of redwoods picnicking, taking lunch, or meeting.

Those who care about preservation will despair when noticing the cabin's deterioration and like HI-Santa Cruz, Sanborn could also use a gift of restoration. Although the hostel has a history of being saved once or twice from demolition, thanks go to the long-time manager, Sylvia, who along with the American Youth Hostel helped in getting HI-Sanborn on the National Historic Registry. One staff member said Sylvia is a wise and knowledgeable person dedicated to the life of the hostel. She has good economic sense and helps to keep the place running. Without her, it wouldn't be what it is. Staff at HI-Sanborn are not only knowledgeable but also as friendly, warm, and earthy as the hostel's atmosphere.

During the day and when the sun sets, a filter of sunlight shines through into the living room. It's in the back of the cabin, where a lot of unused space with sun chairs wait for you to nestle into. But when other hostellers are not around, you'll find the place is quiet and can be lonely with nothing to do. But it's the objects at HI-Sanborn that generate its liveliness -- a row of international flags try to warrant world solidarity and peace, a large social space in one room invites you to indulge with board games, a piano, and fireplace that might energize the somber mood that redwood ceilings create. And if you look at the man in the picture hanging on the wall in the Hellen Keller-type-of-room, and at the "photo book" that's in the living room, detailing aspects of the past, with those empty chairs, it might feel like ghosts.

Before you hit the sack you'll receive a sleeper -- a sheet mended as like a sleeping bag. The rooms are standard dormitory-style and sleep anywhere from four to six to a room. One room that sits off the kitchen has a sturdy set of twin-sized bunk beds. Whether the beds are comfy or not may depend on your back or fear of falling. But, two other beds in the same room are low-to-the-floor twin beds that greet at the feet. It might also end up being a favorite because this room offers a fireplace and a quaint library. On either side of this room, you'll find an exciting collection of classics, such as Mary Higgins Clark, Shakespeare, Steinbeck, and others. Access to rooms depend on the number of guests, and privacy varies and depends on what you hear or don't, and the proximity to the bathroom. Bathrooms sit either between rooms or right next to them, and although the rooms are kept neat and clean, bathroom housekeeping could use little improvement.

The well-organized, antiquated kitchen has signs on the outside of its mid 1900's-styled, white cabinetry that read "common food" or "no common food." Especially since hunting isn't allowed, bringing your own food is the only way you'll eat here. Stores are located in the Village and prices run high. But others leave recycled grub and that becomes yours. Though, the hostel's recycling is not like HI-Santa Cruz, they're trying. The kitchen is fully-equipped for cooking dinner or breakfast. Outside the cabin, a great open grill sits underneath the cluster of redwoods. But hostellers will need to prepare breakfast in enough time to leave because lock-out time begins at nine a.m. sharp (with check-in at five p.m. until ten-thirty p.m.). This is when nights at the hostel can be amusing, and true animals seem to party during the night and for some, it may feel like camp life where too much is going on.

Reviewed by Iye for Hostelz.com

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