Banana Bungalow West Hollywood

The Location

The Fairfax District/Fairfax Village is an unbeatable location. The area has clubs, bookstores, shops and restaurants to discover, and all within walking distance of the hostel. Farmers Market/The Grove, CBS Network Studios, Melrose, Beverly and 3rd Street, the trendy shop filled streets. Whole Foods grocery store and a pharmacy are also within walking distance for cooking on your own of if you need personal items or prescriptions filled.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The dorm rooms are adequate but on the small size for the 6 bunk beds placed in a room. Rooms differ as one had storage lockers, luggage racks and closet bars, no hangers are provided. Suitcases, backpacks, personal items are scattered haphazardly in, under and around beds in rooms for lack of adequate storage. For three bunk beds there were only 1-2 ladders for each bed set, that made for some difficult climbing in the wee hours. Some rooms are air conditioned but stuffy. There is an odd layout of the rooms. Rooms are connected by a middle door, so two rooms each with 6 beds share a common front door. This makes for a lot of traffic. Some rooms sit on the patio side where a sliding glass door can be used to come and go. Each room has a bathroom. Bathrooms were also adequate but didn't have any ventilation. The bathrooms are cleaned regularly but are in need of an overhaul. In some paint is peeling and they look worn down.

Common Spaces

Within the hostel there are several areas to pass the time, watch TV upstairs, check email on your laptop, or catch some rays on the two outdoor patios. The staff sometimes plans events for guests within the hostel. Other activities are posted on a message board in the reception area for sightseeing trips and shuttle excursions around town. The common areas serve a double duty use to lounging and dining at different times of the day. Often there is free food for dinner, there is always breakfast and use of the kitchen. Check the fridges first before you buy food, they were packed to capacity, and need a cleaning.
If you arrive with a car there is parking below the building just for guests, a bonus in LA.

Summary

The best part of staying here is meeting people. Socializing is easy in a relaxed fun environment. Sometimes it's a party house but it never gets out of hand. The security sees to that as it tries to get people off to bed sometime after midnight. This doesn't mean you have to go to bed, it just quiets the place down so everyone who wants to sleep can without noise.
Warning: It has been reported that this hostel may be infested with bed bugs. If you stayed there, you should disinfect your clothing and all travel gear before moving to another hostel to avoid carrying bed bugs or their eggs with you and potentially spreading them to other hostels. Moderately hot water will kill them, and gear that can't be washed can be disinfected by putting it in a freezer for a few hours.

Warning: It has been reported that this hostel may be infested with bed bugs. If you stayed there, you should disinfect your clothing and all travel gear before moving to another hostel to avoid carrying bed bugs or their eggs with you and potentially spreading them to other hostels. Moderately hot water will kill them, and gear that can't be washed can be disinfected by putting it in a freezer for a few hours.

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