Frequently-asked Questions
When you get here . . .
Do you serve breakfast?
Yes. A basic continental breakfast of cereal, tea or coffee and toast is included in the price of your stay. Isn’t that nice?
Do you have cooking facilities?
No. None of our hostels provide cooking facilities – it’s a Health and Safety thing. However we do provide subsidised meals for all guests, in our bars and restaurants.
Can I smoke?
No. Smoking is not permitted in any of our UK hostels and bars. In fact a no smoking in public places policy, is slowly becoming the law across Europe. We've always had a strict no smoking policy in all dormitories – because we don't want you to smell like an ash tray when you wake up! More importantly, we are very safety conscious and don't want your trip to involve fire alarms.
Is it secure?
Yes. There's a mixture of under bed storage, lockers and luggage rooms in our hostels. We also provide padlocks for a small fee and some hostels have digital safes which you can hire. Access to your room and all secure dorm areas, is controlled by an electronic swipe card.
Are the dorms and showers mixed or single sex?
A lot of our facilities are mixed but all of the sites also have female only floors. We call this concept the Oasis. These men free zones include a few little luxuries too.
Do you have Internet facilities?
Yes. All of our hostels provide internet access with either free Wifi or pay-as-you internet cafes. We also have Web Cams in Edinburgh and Newquay - so you can wave frantically at the folks back home - in real time!
Before You Arrive
Where are your hostels located?
Our hostels are located in England (London, Newquay, Brighton and Bath) and Scotland (Edinburgh). We are also have hostels in Belgium (Bruges), The Netherlands (Amsterdam) and Germany (Berlin). On top of all that we've also opened a custom-built backpacker base in France (Paris)! Links to the directions can be found on each hostel page.
Do we have to bring bedding?
No. We provide free linen in all of our rooms. Please bring your own towels though.
Is there a minimum or maximum age restriction?
Although there are no formal age requirements to stay at our hostels, there are several guidelines:
- Minors (Under 18's) must be accompanied by a responsible adult.
- Minors need to book the smallest room that will accommodate their travel group - in its entirety. This means that if there are 3 of you travelling together, at least one of you must be over the age of 18 and you will need to book all four beds, in a four bed dorm.
- Minors are not allowed in the bar. As our hostels are attached to pubs / clubs, UK Licensing Law applies. If you are under the age of eighteen you cannot enter the pub / club areas or drink on these premises. This is non-negotiable.
What does en suite mean?
En suite means that there is a bathroom (toilet, basin and shower) in the room. En suite facilities are only available at certain hostels.
What types of beds do you have?
Most of the beds in our hostels are single bunk beds. This means that you will be sleeping in a bed for one person and may have someone sleeping in the bed above you. There are however some double beds at a number of our sites, so if this is what you're after then contact our reservations team and they will help you out.
Do you provide car park facilities?
Unfortunately we only have parking available for guests at our hostel in Newquay. This however is a very small car park and operates on a first come, first serve basis. Our advice is to get there early! Check out the NCP Web Site to find the car park nearest to our hostels in the UK.
