Adelaide Hostel: A Great Hostel in San Francisco, California

I recently took a last-minute trip to San Francisco because it’s a city that I had been wanting to explore for years. Besides buying the flight, the biggest question for me when visiting a new area is where to stay. While researching online and asking friends who frequently visit San Francisco, I came across the Adelaide Hostel.

I knew it in my gut before I even contacted them that this place would be a friendly and comfortable spot to set-up camp as a solo traveler.

 

Adelaide Hostel: A Great Hostel in San Francisco, California

 

Location

The Adelaide Hostel is located two blocks west of Union Square. I’m not really big on shopping so I didn’t explore any of the stores, but if you into shopping it’s right there for you. The biggest plus to being close to Union Square is all the forms of public transportation nearby. You can pick up the BART, Cable Car and double decker tours within a couple of blocks, and the bus lines can take you everywhere else in the city.

Adelaide Hostel is also within walking distance of a few San Francisco sights such as Grace Cathedral, the Cable Car museum, Chinatown, Little Italy and more. It’s a couple blocks from Tenderloin (which is not a good neighborhood), but as long as you don’t head into that area it’s all good. The hostel’s neighborhood is in Union Square area, so it perfectly safe.

 

Staff & Environment

The staff is as friendly as they come. From the first time I contacted them, I was met with nothing but friendly responses. I asked them where to eat, how to get places, transportation to the airport, asked them for change (and probably a few too many other questions), but they answered them all with a friendly smile. I even ran into an issue the first night where I had a problem with my lock. I went down to the front desk and fortunately they sell locks for $5 a piece.

The people in the hostel were also a friendly crew, old and young. Of course much more younger than older. I think I was expecting a bunch of drunk kids running around getting crazy. Yea there was some of that, but most people were pretty respectful and kind. It’s just a good vibe all around. I felt like it was a group of people open to a good traveling experience.

 

Services

Do you eat breakfast? Well, if you don’t then skip the next sentence or two, but if you do then read on. The hostel offers free breakfast each morning with your stay. Fresh cut fruit, oatmeal, bagels, toast and all the toppings. I could go on, but let’s just say it’s one of the best free breakfasts in a hostel ever.

They also offer dinner for $5 each night, for San Fran that’s a great deal! The dinner varies from night to night, so check the board each day to know what your signing up for.

The hostel offers a few other really unique services like free walking tours, bar crawls, wifi that works everywhere in the building and even computers if you don’t have a computer with you. If you looking to relax and read a book, no problem, they have quite a few to choose from on their shelf.

They also have an agreement with airport express (an airport shuttle). They will pick you up from the airport for $10 and drop you back off there for $9. This service is door to door too! Or you can always take the BART which is roughly the same price, but can take longer.

 

Rooms

Now we come to the rooms, the place where I spend very little time, but is the most important. You can get everything from a 10 bed dorm to private rooms. I opted for the 4 bed dorm. Each person gets clean sheets, a pillow and a blanket. I also had a personal locker to store my stuff. The bunks are a bit creaky, but it’s a hostel. I believe they also offer more options for private rooms in a more hotel-like atmosphere in their sister hotel next door if that is what you prefer.

Like most hostels, Adelaide offers a couple different options for common rooms. First is the room at the front desk with a few computers, TV and a couch if you want to see the news or something. There is a big family room with a few tables, comfy couches and some more computers for internet access. Downstairs you’ll find the dinning hall and the kitchen. The dining hall also has a TV in case you want to relax and watch the tube while you are munching on some food.

 

Overview

What can I say… I loved this place. I was looking for a place where I could be close enough to everything and this was definitely the case with Adelaide. I didn’t want to be in party central, but I found plenty of people to go out drink some beers with if I wanted to. The activities and services were great. I’m also a sucker for the community style meals. It’s a great way to meet people.

My only complaint is that it’s a bit close to Union Square. I just have no use for Macy’s, Tiffany’s and the like. Oh, and maybe the roommate I had for a night that his snoring sounded like someone gargling nails.

If you are going to stay in San Francisco, then I would definitely suggest you check out the Adelaide Hostel. You’ll be glad you did.