Do not go on the tour! (Banana Bungalow Hollywood (Hollywood, USA))

Member Name: CokaCola

Product:	Banana Bungalow Hollywood (Hollywood, USA)
Date:	16/09/09 (35 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: $24 a night!

Disadvantages: Loud Music all Night, No Air Conditioning, Some Staff Issues.

This September, I stayed at the Banana Bungalow on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles during a short trip to see a bit of California, and to have a bit of a break before University begins. The hostel is also known as "The Vibe Hotel" and both titles appear on the rather small, easily missable sign that is out on the pavement in front of the premesis - the building itself does not really have any sign to give away what kind of establishment it is, let alone what it is called. My review will cover the basics of my stay, and will hopefully allow the reader to decide whether it fits their requirements.

The hostel is realatively easy to get to from the Airport (LAX, Los Angeles International), simply walk outside of the terminal building, and find the Super Shuttle Representative, who will be wearing a blue polo top, and will be holding a clip board. If you for some reason cannot see him/her, there are plenty of charity students trying to raise money for sick children in LA who will help you out, although they usually expect some change for a good cause in exchange for the favour. Super Shuttle is a shared van/mini bus ride, which takes a group of about six people to their respective hotels. It's not unpleasant, and it's much more economical than getting a cab, and far more convienient than public transport. The driver will take you to tight outside Banana Bungalow, and the cost will be $16, plus a $2 tip.

Obviously you need to have made a reservation online/over the phone in advance, as this place gets extremely busy. Los Angeles is a very popular place for young travellers, and with this being one of the cheapest and most widely known accomadation venues, it frequently becomes fully booked. When you enter the courtyard, you proceed to the office, where the staff member on duty will find your reservation and issue you with your key. There are shared room and private room options, I stayed in room 106 - a shared room, at the extremely reasonable rate of $24 per night. What's more, if you pay for more than 4 nights and you obtain a reciept from the shuttle company, they will refund the cost of your shuttle ride from the airport. They do require proof of internatonal travel (in the form of a passport) and also a credit card to hold, incase you cause any damage to the room/loose your key etc and they need to bill you for this.

Bedding is provided. You will be given a pillow case, which contains inside a towel, a sleep sheet and a bed sheet. When you enter the dorm, you make up the bed yourself, all that will be there is a mattress and a pillow. I would personally suggest you get a lower bunk if at all possible, the higher bunks really do rock to an uncomfortable level, and although this can be daunting on the lower bunk, it's far more so on the bunk above.

Now - my first complaint. It is very very hard to get a decent nights sleep at this place! They blast out music well into the early hours of the morning, which can be heard from all rooms in the establishment I am told. There is also no limit on arrival times and people will be coming in all night, which means you have to keep waking up and introducing yourself, and making sure that the people who come in are safe, and that you can fall asleep infront of them without any safety concerns. It is pretty much impossible to sleep from evening to morning, and instead, if you're lucky you will get "patches" of sleep, continually awaking and nodding off again. This can get you by if you're young and fit, and I guess for $24 a night, you are not going to get the luxury of the Beverly Wilshire.

Breakfast is provided every morning in the Tikki Garden, along with disposable plates, bowls and cuttlery. The breakfast options are Cheerios, Some kind of Corn Flake type cereal with almonds or toast (peanut butter, jam, spread etc all provided). Tea and Coffee can also be made. Breakfast is free, I was having a bowl of cereal and two peanut butter sandwiches each morning, which I found really helped me get by the morning and a lot of the afternoon without feeling hungry. A selection of other drinks are available in vending machines at the front of the hostel, although I found that these machines were very tempremental! Often it will give you a "Sorry Out of Stock" message, despite there clearly being a number of cans on the rail, or if you buy a larger drink like Gatorade, it will get stuck. They do have the keys for the machine at the front desk, so it's not too much of an issue.

The one piece of advise I would give someone considering this hostel as a gateway for seeing Los Angeles is DO NOT PAY FOR THE LA CITY TOUR. I paid $60, thinking I would have a filled day of sight seeing in a pleasant and relaxed environment whilst getting to know people. The tour operator, who's name I do not think I can say here, but it began with either a G or a J (depending on how you spell the name) was the most unprofessional, insecure, slightly dull lunitic I have ever met. At one point, I made a joke with a fellow British female traveller, and the tour guide was like "Excuse me! Is their a problem?" to which I replied "No". He then went on to say "You just shook your head after I said something". Not only had I just paid $60 for the tour, which did not have a functioning microphone, and missed out several of the places that it was claimed to visit on the website (such as the ganglands), but I formed part of a group of paying customers. If I wanted to shake my head, it should have been respected, I felt like a child on a school field trip with this guy, rather than a paying customer with rights. I didn't even shake my head at him! I was simply "being friendly" as we would call my gesture in the UK. This guy had serious problems, he was getting very flustered when people were getting out and not tipping him, visually shaking his head in rage - avoid the tour, the guide who operates it most days is a total nightmare!

Overall I would say if this is the only way you can afford to see Los Angeles, then do it, but be prepared to rough it a bit. The location is great, it's an easy metro ride, or bus ride to all of the sights along Hollywood Boulevard, very close to the Kodak Theatre, The Hollywood and Highland Centre, Hollywood and Vine, The Hollywood Sign, Sunset Boulevard etc. It is an easy bus ride (only 1 bus) to the other hostel in West Hollywood (Fairfax/Melrose), where there are often parties held, and which is near to places like Beverly Hills.

I found I could take a bus to wherever I wanted to go, and easily made it Rodeo Driver, Santa Monica, Venice Beach etc from this hostel. Hollywood tends to be quite safe because of the constant police partrols along it.

Summary: If it's all you can afford it's worth roughing, otherwise, pay for some more comfort!