Customer Reviews

Hostels U.S.A.

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The authors update maybe 5-10% of the hostels, and with a 'Party Index' you can tell where their focus is. The best thing for hostels is online, www.hostelz.com with honest reviews by independent travelers and lots of comments.

As a prospective backpacker, I picked up this book hoping to find cheap lodgings along the way. What I found was an excellent resource, with accurate, witty (though sometimes too clever) assessments of the hostelling scene at each of the places reviewed. Though this guide isn't as comprehensive as others, I found it was the only one I ever really bothered to look at. After all, arriving in each new city, I wanted to know what I was going to be getting myself into before I checked in.

Though I've considered lightening my pack by getting rid of everything from my underwear to other budget lodgings books, this is one weight I'll gladly carry.

This book is a must have for travelers looking for cheap lodgings. This book offers fabulous advice on everything from cheap eats to local sights. Cannot begin to say enough great stuff about this book!

I brought a copy of Hostels USA with me last year during my cross country road trip. This hostel guide was my travel bible. I found the information in it to be current and accurate. Out of the 35 hostels that I stayed in during my trip, only 5 or 6 of them were not listed in Hostels USA. But there were more hostels listed in Hostel USA than there were listed in the "other" hostel guidebook that I brought with me. Hostels USA was my "life saver" many times! I highly recommend it.

The title is correct in stating that this book is opinionated. If you have opinions similar to the authors, this book will be of great help. Personally, I don't agree.
There is a hostel close to me which I visit occasionally. It's out in the woods, the middle of nowhere. It's great for quiet and solitude, and is surrounded by hiking trails. It was given 2.5 stars out of 5, because the house-parents are too strict (I've never found this to be the case. In fact, one didn't mind at all about an accidental mess, just as long as it was cleaned up.) and because "there's nothing to do". There seems to be an emphasis on "partying" which is something I have never expected at a hostel.
The factual information is accurate, and for that this book is useful. I just think there are better choices in a hostel guide.

Seven months ago I decided to hop in my car and take off across the country...All I had was a duffel bag in the back seat and this book...You can't find a better guide to North American hostels. Most of their recommendations were right on. I just hope they come out with a 2001 version soon...

"Hostels U.S.A." is a comprehensive and immensely-helpful guide to over 300 hostels in the U.S. and some of Canada.

Evan Halper and Paul Karr not only write candid appraisals on each accommodation, they give prices, star-ratings, addresses (including email!), number of private rooms, and apropos icons (Attractive Natural Setting, Good for Business Travelers, Romantic Private Rooms, etc).

At the start of the guide, the writers explain to us what exactly a hostel is (no, it's not a hospice or a drunk tank).

And in the back of the book, Halper and Karr put the hostels into enormously-practical groupings--e.g., Best Beach Hostels, Great Value Hostels, Best Hostels for Skiers, and Most Romantic Hostels).

"Hostels U.S.A." is a laudable addition to both your knapsack and your briefcase.

I recently purchased the Hostel USA. Great guide for hostels. In particular, the party hat rating lets the reader know if the hostel atmosphere will be loud or more on the quiet side. Thank you so much for that.

I have bought the fourth and fifth edition of this book, and am eagerly awaiting the sixth edition. I have used this book to select a youth hostel in both Los Angeles and San Francisco and was delighted with the results. Also used the book to help my brother plan a road trip across the country so he could see all the baseball stadiums, and he was very happy with the results as well. The book gives detailed descriptions on each hostel, so you know how many people you'll be sharing a room with, the international/U.S. ratio, whether or not there will be a lot of partying or if it's quiet, and let's you know the surrounding area. The books is also well written and fun to read.

I hope to travel to Portland and Seaside Oregon soon and stay in the hostels recommended in the book. I just wish I could find a book that is just as good to help me find places to stay during my trip to Mexico which will be this summer.

Bravo to Mr. Halper and Mr. Karr for tackling a subject long ignored by American travel writers: youth hostels. Their intelligent, provocative guide gives readers more than just basic information and a standardized rating - they share their exciting, sometimes zany misadventures in a unique and witty voice. I would recommend this book strongly to any travel reader, regardless of whether they would stay in a hostel or not, and I look forward to the next offering Mr. Halper and Mr. Karr create.