The Hostelz.com Review
Banana Bungalow Hollywood (also known as the Vibe Hotel & Hostel) is a privately run hostel that offers the best value spot in Hollywood, and arguably Los Angeles. We say value not only because the price is pretty reasonable, but primarily because of the quality of the establishment. This hostel is well-located -- close to supermarkets, underground stations, local buses, and Hollywood attractions. We didn't hear any negative comments in conversations with other guests.
The management are friendly and show a genuine interest in the comfort of their guests. The Vibe employs a full-time cleaning staff, who work every day. Changes of linen and additional pillows are available upon request.
The Vibe is a motel that has been converted into a hostel so the dorms have a maximum of eight beds (four bunks), and all include private bathrooms and kitchens. Linen, towels, and a full compliment of cutlery and crockery are available in all rooms. There are laundry facilities and plenty of parking spots within the complex. Other great features include cable TV in every room, free high-speed internet provided through five consoles, free coffee available all day, and free barbecue dinner on Saturday nights.
The management are friendly and show a genuine interest in the comfort of their guests. The Vibe employs a full-time cleaning staff, who work every day. Changes of linen and additional pillows are available upon request.
The Vibe is a motel that has been converted into a hostel so the dorms have a maximum of eight beds (four bunks), and all include private bathrooms and kitchens. Linen, towels, and a full compliment of cutlery and crockery are available in all rooms. There are laundry facilities and plenty of parking spots within the complex. Other great features include cable TV in every room, free high-speed internet provided through five consoles, free coffee available all day, and free barbecue dinner on Saturday nights.
— Exclusive Hostelz.com Review
January 2007
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Banana Bungalow Hollywood Reviews from the WebHostelz.com Guest Reviews
The worst hostel in the world that is not hostel but club. they are so crazy. they held party everyday from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. who can sleep? and i waited to check in for four hours. (i arrived at there 12) and on their website we can check their tours. but actually they dont have tours. also, i wasnt provided pillow and blanket. and one room had fourteen people and only two bathrooms. they use drugs. these are true. — japanese , japan (2008-12-18) The rooms have en-suites -- that's pretty good! It's like a little budget hotel for the price of a hostel. You really can't complain! Bathrooms in each room, a nice, large communal courtyard where everyone sits and chats, and free breakfasts. Only issue I had was that I had to check out super early (about 5 a.m.) and was told the security guard would let me out of the gate. After wandering around for ten minutes, freaking that I'd miss my shuttle, I found him asleep on a couch in the TV room -- not much of a security guard! It all worked out in the end. — Elissa , Australia (2008-12-18) Fun Place! Wow, this place was great. I extended my stay in L.A. just to spend more time here. I met so many cool people from around the world it was amazing. The staff was very friendly and helpful especially Mo the boss. There are a lot of fun things to do at the banana hostel and in the neighborhood very close by. I really liked the kitchens in the dorms because I love to cook and everything was kept very clean considering how popular and busy this place is. They paid for my airport shuttle and I used the free internet, in the back is a tropical island garden area that was a lot of fun as they had free breakfast and dinners all the time. I got up and sang karaoke, which I've never done before, but had help from some real singers who were there. It was so much fun! There are some down points though, there are no phones in the rooms and I had to switch rooms because they are so booked up. If you are going to L.A. or Hollywood I think you should definitely check this place out. They also have a Hostel on the West side of Hollywood which I visited for one of their events, it was great too. I'm gonna miss all the friends I made. — Tracy Bellford , Aussie (2008-07-05) Pitiful I stayed at the Vibe for a week, I was amazed to find out that the staff deal in drugs and prostitution. The maintenance crew are creepy and I guess they have lived there for over a year, at least the two that I talked to. They were snorting cocaine in the open room that the guests are free to explore with a DJ system and a pool table. Be aware of the shady workers and the bedbugs that roam this place, the Vibe is shady. They also film pornos there from time to time, I saw a photo shoot of skanky women and even a midget roaming around trying to drum up some side clients hounding us to come back to our room for a fee, sick I mean sick. — Traveling Man , Ireland (2008-06-05) Dodgy Banana Bungalow is in the worst possible location. the outside of building doesnt even have the hostels name on the outside, which lead to my friends and i driving around for ages trying to locate it. eventually we found the west hollywood hostel and one word describes both locations -- dodgy. Rooms were filthy, staff unhelpful. — Danielle , Australian (2008-04-14) Loud and a bit shabby this hostel was very loud and a lot of partying was going on. the staff were really nice, but the kitchen staff were rude! breakfast is ridiculous. the whole thing seems a bit shabby -- dont believe the pictures! we had a good time in hollywood, but the hostel was not so great. we were in a mixed room and the 2 guys came home at about 5 am every night and started talking and laughing and making noise! the whole hostel is pretty loud -- they are playing loud music the whole day from 9 am to about 11 pm! if you wanna make party, this might be the right hostel for you, but if you are looking for a quiet, beautiful hostel, go somewhere else! — maria , austria (2007-11-07) The Best in L.A.! The Banana Bungalow Hollywood is by far the best hostel in Los Angeles. They have many free things and will treat you very nice. I couldn't believe they had a kitchen right in our dorm and cable TV! We played basketball, pool table, and many fun things. They have free internet and breakfast which is very good and they are close to the public subway and stores and bars of Hollywood. I would not let to pass the time anywhere else but here and with the great people that I met, most important the friends that I made will be forever. — Susana , Brazil (2007-07-26) I had the impression of this being a trendy and funky hotel in Hollywood. It was not, it was a rundown trailer park hotel with loud partying every single night. This place is definitely not for the upper class. There was a lot of screaming and yelling around the clock from foreign exchange students and hostile white boys yelling racial slurs. I would not recommend this place for anyone with class. — Roxy Edge , American (2007-04-09) Vibe Hostel made my experience in L.A. wonderful. At the age of thirty-seven and traveling by myself I found all the staff very friendly and couldn't do enough for me. Make sure you meet up with Vlad, he loves a Cuban cigar and after traveling the world was one of the friendliest and genuine characters I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. The rooms are lovely and most importantly clean (everyday). It is centrally located so it's only a short walk to Mann's picture theatre and a bus ride to anywhere! HBO TV and the hundreds of channels were an experience too! I would highly recommend it to anyone. The Bar-B-Que's are great and just like staying on a movie set! Thank you Vibe and Vlad. Will definitely see you again! — Barry Sloan - aussie (2006-12-14) I have stayed at this hostel off and on and it is one of the best places I have ever visited. Every member of the staff is friendly and go out of their way to ensure you have a pleasant stay. The rooms are kept immaculately clean and are cleaned daily and in a timely fashion. Most of the other guests are friendly and there is a definite community spirit. I would highly recommend the Vibe. — TravlGrl (2006-11-12) The hostel is under new management and has great people and a great party vibe. We stayed at many hostels in our tour of the U.S.A., and Vibe was where we had the best time. The location is awesome too! — Daniel (2006-09-14) How cool is this place?? My husband and I stayed here for one night and had a great time. We were greeted by the manager who was very friendly and upgraded to a private room as there had been a mess up with our booking in the dorm. The accomodation was very comfortable and spacious, complete with Austin Powers round bed!! We were also able to get a space in the car park which was great. However we did have to pay a $200 deposit on the room and the reception was not open till 12pm as specified. Overall I would recommend this place on novelty value alone! — Beth from Glasgow (2006-07-31) This hotel is ok but can get scary at times if you're staying any longer than a couple of days. Some very shady characters stay here. Police are called out there every weekend, sometimes more, because of guests fighting or management throwing tenants out. Private rooms are reasonably priced for what you get — dorms are best avoided. Also, this hotel is currently being renovated (and will be for some time, as less than half of the rooms are complete), so be prepared for lots of noise during the day. — Anonymous (2005-10-12) This place is not for the faint hearted. The people are friendly and it is definitely safe but the rooms are dirty, the kitchen is grimy and there are a few weird people there. If you are looking to experience LA and meet a few out of work actors then this is the place for you. But if you are not experienced in backpacking then I would suggest somewhere a little more mainstream. The photos are nothing like the real thing!!! — Anonymous (2005-10-03) I had such a blast here. The people were very friendly. I felt safe and I felt my things were safe when I went out. I used the Internet port all the time, and when I was not out taking care of business or partying the satellite cable gave me 200 channels to watch. Overall for the price it was excellent and I highly recommend it. Oh yeah it's close to the strip on Cahuenga where there are 6 bars and another 10 around the corner, with every kind of vibe you can ask for. Good luck, God bless and good traveling. Peace, Christeon. — Christeon Gordon (2005-08-02)