Bonneveine AJ Hostel

Sub-standard, expecially if you're male
Men's bathrooms were a disgrace. Not a toilet seat to be found. They were clearly intended to be there but were broken and never replaced. In general, they were filthy. If someone uses the shower next to you, the water immediately gets cold. I was traveling with three female companions. Their room actually resembled a room (and included a shower!), not a narrow corridor with beds packed in either side. In particular, the three beds laid end-to-end in the men's room meant that the poor soul in the middle was sure to have someone's sweaty feet at their head for the night. Not a pleasant situation. It seems that standards here are distinctly lower if you happen to be male. Prices remain the same though! No refrigeration/cooking facilities for the guests. You must buy your meals from the hostel if you want to eat there. Not really in the spirit of hosteling. Breakfast is included, however if you don't pay sufficient homage to the waiter/god-like figure handing out the bread, you may starve.

The youth hostel is simple but good and cheap. about twenty-five minutes with bus and Metro to the city center (single ticket for 1.70 Euro or buy a three-day-ticket for 10 Euros). really close to the beach. closes the doors at 1 a.m. (but opens again at 6 a.m. rooms were simple but clean (double rooms with tab, table, chair. shared bathroom was ok (but the water didn't get really warm. breakfast included but very simple (baguette, small package of yam, banana, coffee, juice) and only till 8:45. you can get lunch (prices were ok). a bar where you got beer. we meet really nice people from all over the world!

I didn't have the best experience here compare with other HI places i've stayed at throughout Europe. It's a fair way out of town taking like twenty minutes or more by public transport (a metro then a bus) or about an hour's walk from the central train station. There are no lockers in the rooms (only the single access ones for €1.50 in the foyer) and the there is no kitchen. We read breakfast was good on other reviews but really the only thing that is good is the fact that it's novel the way it is set out for everyone. If you're keen on pigging out at breakfast and making the most of it, like myself, you will be disappointed as servings are strictly controlled and it's not self service so you have to ask the single person who ran it all for extra stuff if you want it. Other than that the bathrooms were ok (lights for the entire bathroom were on a timer though so you could be in the middle of a shower and have the lights suddenly turn off!). There are a few nice common areas to sit around but generally anything outside wasn't too pleasant. I asked about the possibility of doing some walking in the area (there's some great big rocky hills behind the hostel that look cool) but upon asking I was just fobbed off and told to figure it out myself and visit the tourist center in town. As I said overall this place will do, but I don't think it's as nice as other HIs around France and Europe and based upon what there is to do in Marseille, i'd only recommend visiting the train station as you transfer through to Aix en Provence or Nice.

Great modern, friendly, big hostel, with a young feel. This was well run and friendly and SO close to the beach! It's great location as the bus stop is a five-minute walk from the hostel and there are good direct buses into town. I met loads of cool people here and I would definitely recommend it to people travelling on their own or in groups. They have a friendly bar with music and you can buy pizzas from a small pizza restaurant five minutes from the hostel. I'll be going back this September! My visit last year was also in September and it was packed! (It was booked solid for Saturday night so I was pleased I booked in advance).

There are only two hostels in Marseilles, and I went to both (you can read my review of the other on hostelz.com as well – it's trash). This hostel is fantastic. Yes, the location is out of the way, but you're two minutes from a beautiful beach — so relax on the beach, and when you're done, take the ten to twenty minute bus into town and explore — it's not hard. I also wish there were a hostel in the city center but there isn't, and I'm not going to stay at a 50 euro a night hotel where I meet nobody. Anyway, regarding this hostel: Pros: 1) Huge nice common room / bar 2) Huge nice patio 3) Very close to beach 4) You can do laundry here (not free, but convenient) 5) Rooms are just normal dorm rooms, not huge with 10 beds or anything 6) Good vibe, nice people, nice staff — you can stash your luggage Cons: 1) Far away from city, but so is the other hostel and this one is WAY better. That's about it man. In general, it's a nice place. Lonely Planet and Let's Go are WRONG about insisting the other hostel is better — there is just no comparison.

It's the best hostel I've ever been to (best breakfast). I wish I could get in touch with Mimi, and Cristof. This is Anderson, the Guy from Brazil who worked for an American Company and used to sit and draw in the bar.

The hostel is comfortable, large, and has a renovated interior. There is a bar near the lobby area -- great for meeting the other travelers. However, that's about all you'll be doing at night if you stay here. The only other worthwhile bar around this area (within walking distance) is down by the sea, I can't recall the name. That's about it for night activities here. Oh, there is a "Hippodrome" race track thing nearby, where the bus drops you off... Other than walking down to the sea to watch surfers and the sun go down, you'll probably just end up stuck in the hostel, especially in the evening as noted above. I almost forgot, there is an area by the beach with a great big skate park. I think it's world famous and used for championships, but I'm not certain. Really great graffiti tagged in these concrete pools and if you smoke grass (I don't) this would be the place to get some from the local skaters/bikers/stoners that seemingly live at this park (I came by this area around 2am or 3am after a bar and the place was still packed with bikers doing flips and 360s and whatever else they do). This is within walking distance of the hostel. OK, major problem with this hostel: LOCATION. It simply sucks if you want to explore the inside of Marseilles (the place this hostel is located at is a suburb out of the way, and so barren at that). Bus / metro system (which is hardly far-reaching [I think there are 8 stations total and only 2 lines..) stops somewhere around 10pm or 11pm. So if you are in the Marseilles center at night and miss the public transit, be prepared to pay a ton for a taxi ride back to the hostel, or figure something else out. And the hostel has a curfew at, I believe, either 1am or 2am. Again, the curfew and the lack of nighttime public transit really cuts your night activities in Marseilles to hardly anything. Even to get in to the Marseilles center during the day, it takes about 15-20 minutes. If I could do it again I would definitely find a hostel/cheap hotel IN THE CITY CENTER. Don't make my mistake. During the 3 days I had in Marseille, or rather one of Marseille's barren suburbs, I felt robbed of time I could have spent in the center because of the poor location of the hostel. The staff at this place was great though, and there is a really fine French girl working the main desk when I was there. Beer at the bar is cheap too. Rooms were clean, shower/bathroom too. If you go to Marseilles, definitely take a hiking trip along the large coastal cliffs called "Les Calanques". The boat trip from Marseilles port out to the couple islands not far off shore (passed island where Count of Monte Cristo resided) was worth the time, pretty cheap too, less than 10 Euro, I believe it was. I doubt I'll return to Marseilles, but if I ever did (highly unlikely as I'd rather go back to Nice), I wouldn't stay at this hostel. The location is a shame.