Hostel Cambridge YHA, Cambridge

Hostel Cambridge YHA is the only one situated in Cambridge, with a capacity of around a hundred beds, which makes it a medium-big size hostel. It's really a pity that it stands alone, taking into consideration how many tourists come to this beautiful university town, especially during middle and high season.

The Location

Cambridge YHA is located less than five minutes from the train station, and also the bus station and the coach stations are about ten minutes' walk from the hostel. There are supermarkets and pubs nearby, a sport centre with a big swimming pool a few minutes' walk away; overall, the position is good, and you don't even need to take a bus to enjoy the lively streets of the city centre. The vibrant market in Market Square, open everyday, is around twenty minutes' walk from the hostel, even if you don't walk very fast. For bike lovers, the hostel also offer secure bike lockers for the guests.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The rooms are ample enough for the people staying in them, they are cleaned everyday by the housekeeping staff, and they even have quite big lockers that can fit a backpack or a cabin suitcase (if you don't have a padlock, you can buy it at reception for few pounds). The beds are very comfy and they are provided with a reading light and also power sockets for charging electronic devices.

One important thing to mention, which surely is a nice touch for every guest, is the spotless basin provided with liquid soap and a mirror in the dorms. There are clean toilets and showers on every floor, that are not very big, especially the shower rooms; but they are good and warm enough to enjoy a nice shower after a busy day walking or riding the bike around Cambridge.

Common Spaces

The hostel comes with a nice-sized, well-equipped, self-catering kitchen; a lovely lounge with ten comfy leather armchairs and a sofa; not to mention the wooden benches and tables situated in front of the reception and cafe areas that are perfect for talking with guests from every part of the world.

The common spaces are all equipped with a good Wi-Fi connection, especially the lounge and the reception and cafe areas, which makes up for the poor internet connections present in the guests rooms.

Summary

Overall, this hostel is a very good place to sleep and enjoy the city attractions; it's good for not only big school groups and groups of friends, but also for the solo traveler who wants to make the most of his or her time in a greatly renowned university city like Cambridge, with the added possibility of making some friends with guests of different nationalities. Moreover, the staff are kind and helpful.

The only hostel in the town

there was only one chair and no wardrobes in 3-person room. 2 people have to share a double bed as well.

The worst hostel on my eurotrip

While the staff is nice, the people who stayed here were very mixed. I thought this was a youth hostel, but most of the people were much older. The hostel is old and a little dirty. The rooms themselves are old and there is little to no ventilation. The bunk beds creak and shake with every minuscule movement. And the roommates were the most unsocial, unfriendly people I have met in europe.

HI - YHA Cambridge Hostel isn't a really terrible place, but there are lots of little things that mount up to become major irritations and by the time you've paid for everything you could probably have gotten yourself a hotel room with breakfast!

The Location

Cambridge YHA is a five-minute walk from the main train station and ten into the city centre. The location is quite quiet, as the area is residential. Within two minutes there are shops, cafes, restaurants, and pubs.

Rooms and Bathrooms

The rooms are bit shabby, with paint-spattered curtains, scraped paintwork, and chipped veneers. Clothes-hanging areas are not tall enough and storage space is minimal. Reading lights are badly located. There are three separate toilets and two showers off the first-floor landing. There are no issues with cleanliness. The showers are tiny, wet rooms with a small section just inside the door where one would undress and dry; this area is a little cramped, making dressing after a shower a difficult task. Towels are not standard issue in YHA hostels in the UK. You can pay to hire one, but these towels are tiny and although they are clean, they could smell fresher.

Common Spaces

All the public spaces are tired looking, and while they're not really dirty, there's a general air of grubbiness that comes from age. The colours need revamping -- they are awful. The hostel has Wi-Fi access, for which you'll need to buy a card from reception. You can also use one of the computers belonging to the hostel; the cost is the same as for Wi-Fi -- they are in the room with the bar and the pool table, which might be a distraction. There's some comfortable seating in the computer room and more in the television lounge.

Daily specials as well as things like soups and sandwiches are listed on a board for those not wishing to self-cater. While the prices are not extortionate, they seem high for a hostel. The large, self-catering kitchen has plenty of mismatched and battered but perfectly serviceable cooking equipment. Only if the hostel was packed and every guest wanted to cook would these facilities be less than ideal.

There is a luggage storage area, but guests are advised not to leave anything of value unless they use a locker. The cost depends upon the size of locker used; the fee is nonrefundable. Items such as toothbrushes or shampoo can be bought from reception for extortionate prices. Guests are requested not to bring in their own alcohol, but local real ales as well as some other alcoholic drinks can be bought from the hostel.

Usually notices on the walls of hostels advertise fun events or useful services offered by the hostel; the notices here inform you of all the things you may not do (occasionally there are notices that do not read as overtly prohibitive, but actually are, because they imply some kind of unpleasant outcome if you do not do as youre requested).

Summary

This sort of establishment will quickly look a bit worn around the edges, but it wouldn't take too much effort to try to manage minor repairs. A high reception counter is oppressive -- they could drop the counter and instantly make the place look more welcoming. Also, the staff are not very welcoming.

Enjoyed my stay

I was there Christmas of '95, and stayed for about a month. The rooms and facilities were clean and the staff was excellent. The kitchen had all you needed to cook (it was self-serve then), and the furnishings were more than adequate. It is not a five-star hotel, but provided an excellent base from which to reconnoiter Cambridge.

Ok but not great by any means

I was surprised to read the "exclusive review." The lounge is large and comfortable, and there's a second lounge. There is no pool table (as of June 2008). Breakfast now comes with each night's stay. Our room was unclean with dirt on the floor. It had an en-suite, which needed an overhaul, but was tolerable. Dining area was quite clean but the cutlery was unclean and the glasses were filthy! There were no lockers for valuables. School/social groups were loud and annoying. The saving grace -- an excellent and very helpful chef who obviously enjoys what he does. I wouldn't stay here again.

I stayed here March of 2004 and met some great people (shout out to my friends from Trinadad and New Zealand!). We cooked for five different nationalities one night in the kitchen. The hostel itself was a little tired but clean with a good breakfast in the morning (get there early though!). I had some trouble finding it from the bus stop, but it wasn't a bad walk and located a reasonable distance from the sites. Good times -- nice city. Try a punt down the Cam!

This youth hostel is worse than poor -- I have never been to a dirtier and more disgusting place in my entire life. The staff was unfriendly -- it was the highlight of the day to be able to leave the hostel every morning.