Where to stay in Boston – 40 Berkeley Hostel
During my short visit of lovely city of Boston, I chose 40 Berkeley Hostel as a place to stay. And as soon as I entered the hostel, I knew my choice was the right one. They even helped me to organize Charles River Boat cruise and Freedom Trail to get to know history of Boston and its famous people.
What I loved about 40 Berkeley:
- location – in the former YWCA Residence for Women building in South End. It was easy to walk anywhere around city center of Boston, easy to get to/from the bus South Station too. I walked to all the places I wanted to see from the hostel which for me is the best thing to do to stay fit and to spot more interesting things on the way I did not know about.
- staff – all the people working in 40 Berkeley I had a chance to meet/speak to, including the managers are super nice. It does not really happen in hostels around the world though that much to be honest. It was a pleasure to talk to them and they were really helpful with everything I needed.
- breakfast – thinking of all the hostels I have ever stayed at, breakfast here was probably one of the best ones, if not THE best one. Free breakfast is served every morning for 2 hours and you can get fruit, cereals, oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pancakes, bread, different kinds of juices and hot drinks and much more. Delicious breakfast is the most important thing for me to start a nice day, so go for it!
breakfast time in 40 Berkeley hostel
what to choose for breakfast …
cereals for breakfast
my free hot breakfast
- hostel not really looking like a hostel – I would never call 40 Berkeley a hostel as it looks more like a hotel to me. Anyways, it is the biggest hostel in New England and for very affordable prices.
- my Berkeley Suite – that was far the nicest and the biggest suite I have ever got in any hostel and I had it all for myself only. Located on the top 7th floor with the view of Boston skyscrapers, with fully – equipped kitchen, living room, big TV screen, private bathroom, and bedroom with big double bed. And of course wifi. And free toiletries and towels.
view from my Berkeley suite
TV screen in my suite
huge sofa in my Berkeley suite
fully-equipped kitchen in Berkeley suite
bedroom in Berkeley suite
private bathroom in Berkeley Suite
free toiletries
- free fast wifi all over the hostel – this does not need any more explanation, it is just necessary!
- computers with wifi – in case you don’t have your own laptop.
computers with wifi
- movie room
movie room in 40 Berkeley
- billiard
billiard tables
- no smoking – I personally cannot stand accommodations where guests are allowed to smoke. So thumb up!
- reservations of tours – you can book tours around Boston or get entrances straight at the reception and for discounted prices (which I believe are the cheapest ones you could possibly get anywhere in Boston).
- free nights for facebook fans – monthly drawings so go and try your luck!
- from September to April, you will have a chance to meet smart funny and interesting students of the Ben Franklin Institute of Technology as 40 Berkeley offers them rooms.
- garden to enjoy some peace and quiet surrounded by the green or even better – party time! Such as the one there on July 4 – the Independence Day :)
- sofas in the lobby with a lot of leaflets to find out the best places in Boston.
sofas in the lobby
Boston leaflets in 40 Berkeley lobby
- ATM in the lobby – this is such a useful thing!
ATM in 40 Berkeley Hostel lobby
- a lot of chairs and tables above the lobby – in case you don’t want to sit in your room all the time.
relaxing
- if you make a reservation on 40 Berkeley website, you will get a free pass to a Boston attraction (such as Museum of Science worth $22, New England Aquarium worth $22.95 or Loew’s Boston Common Theater worth $12, etc.)
- decorations – really cool black and white image on the wall in the living room.
cool image on the wall in Berkeley suite living room
- super clean – even the shared bathrooms are cleaned more times per day.
- dinners – you can get a dinner for $10. Hardly any hostel offers dinner service so I really liked this.
- laundry – in the rear of the lobby you can do your laundry. There are washing machines, dryers and detergent available.
- vending machines – situated downstairs to get some drinks and snacks and you can use microwave and toaster there too.
- you can buy flip flops, backpacks, adaptors or calling cards for budget prices in 40 Berkeley
I really enjoyed my stay in 40 Berkeley hostel which was a press trip. All the thoughts in this article are my own. For more information about their rooms, please visit 40 Berkeley website.
Tom @ Waegook Tom
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You should see what the rooms that aren’t suites look like – more akin to a prison room than a hotel. Seriously. Plus it also doubles as a YWCA – some very sketchy characters there. The elevator took forever, and the breakfast place was more like an army canteen, with the staff serving it being rude and disinterested. The showers were insane, too – one was a trickle, the other felt like it was trying to rip your skin off, the pressure was that high. The location was good though, and the common areas were designed well.
It’s the only real budget option in Boston, but next time I’m in the city, I’ll spend a bit more so I can actually get a decent night’s sleep.
Crazy Sexy Fun Traveler
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Hm interesting to see your opinion, Tom. I have not seen the other rooms and showers, you are right, but I did like the breakfast and most of other things I had a chance to see during my visit. There were no sketchy people when I was there, for sure. Sorry to hear you had a bad experience there.
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ iveta:
Haha pravda, aspon tu chladnicku a mikrovlnku som vyuzila :D
iveta
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tak ty si sa tam mala ozaj ako v kralovstve len neviem naco ti tam bola kuchynka
crazy sexy fun traveler
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Comment@ lola:
Yes, it was definitely worth to stay there :)
lola
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great & all-encompassing review. i have to say, it does look like a super place at an awesome value. AND, i agree…the location cannot be beat!