Contents: The Staff | The Atmosphere | The Room | The Price | The Location
During my stay in Paris I really wanted to experience different areas of the city. As travellers and tourists, so much of the Parisienne experience surrounds the Eiffel Tower, The Louvre, The Champ Elysées and the Notre-Dame (although I can agree with that one!), but as it wasn’t my first time I wanted to explore areas of the city I hadn’t experienced yet.
Montmartre has a long history as the cultural and artistic area of Paris, home not only to the Moulin Rouge, but also the past home of artists such as Picasso, Monet, & Vincent van Gogh, so I was really excited to get the chance to stay nearby with the newly renovated Vintage Hostel.
The Staff
The staff at Vintage Hostel were absolutely fabulous, from the night staff, day staff, cleaning staff, all the way to the manager Alessio. I was checked in by Irene, and we were chatting so much that I almost forgot to take my key before leaving to find my room. There was also the lovely Melanie who was extremely helpful and welcoming.
My first memory of Remi is him telling me he’d seen me stumbling back from the On The Road Pub, also owned and run by Hip Hop Hostels. As he is the weekend night-shift receptionist, I ended up spending most of the next two nights having the weirdest mix of Italian-French-English (or as we called it, ItalFrAnglais) conversations with him and my Italian roommate in the common areas, which was both stressful and hilarious!
Isabelle deserves a special mention also. Not only was she incredibly accommodating and interesting to talk to, but during her shifts I found myself constantly on Shazam, and it’s thanks to her that the French singer (and winner of The Voice in France), Kendji Girac now has a new fan! She also played a cover of one of my favourite French songs, The Champs-Elysées, which put a smile on my face!
The Atmosphere
The music is always on at Vintage, and I saw plenty of solo travellers hooking up with other groups & solos to head out and explore the city. On each of the tables in the common area there were flip cards detailing the best tea-rooms, the best restaurants and the best sights to see in Paris if you need information, and the staff were always recommending the hostel pub and free tours.
They offer a free Parisienne breakfast of croissants, jams & coffee between 7.30am and 9.30am, and after the area has been cleaned thoroughly the kitchen is open for guests to use, so there are plenty of opportunities to meet people over breakfast, lunch and dinner. Along with the table football, there is a great vibe at Vintage.
Finally, the wifi is not so great in the rooms. Whilst this can be really annoying at times, it’s actually an advantage for the atmosphere as then those who need wifi will need to come down to the common areas, adding to the number of people around and increasing your chances of meeting other travellers who would otherwise be stuck in their rooms on Facebook.
The Room
I had a really great room at Vintage, as some come with a small balcony fully set with a table and two chairs. It was beautiful to look out on to the street in the morning, and it would be a beautiful place to sit out and read in the summer.
Unfortunately, my bunk bed was a bit squeaky, although the extent definitely depended on how considerate the top bunker was about wriggling about in their sleep! All the bunks however come with a plug, USB charger, and personal lamp, making it really easy to charge your electronics overnight, and pack your bags in the early morning without switching on the main light to wake everyone else!
The Bathroom
All the rooms at Vintage Hostel are en-suite, and really modern! The shower was separated by a door which helps to prevent the whole floor getting damp, and all the fittings were really modern.
The Location
I can’t fault the location for Vintage Hostel. As soon as I got off the metro at Anvers the hostel is just one straight 3 minute walk and there is a huge sign outside the hostel so you can’t miss it! What’s more, for those coming in to Paris by train, the hostel is less than a 10-minute walk from one of the most international train stations in Europe!
Not only is it central to Montmartre, and therefore extremely close to the Sacré-Coeur, it is only a half hour walk from the Louvre and the Notre-Dame. Also, if you take a right as you leave the hostel you can get to Châtelet in fifteen minutes, which is home to Rue de Lombards, a street that hosts some great bars including Les Piétons, a Spanish Tapas bar which has a happy ‘hour’ that lasts from midday until 8pm during which you can get Sangria for €2.50 a glass!
The Price
At around €35 a night for a bed in a 4-bed dorm during peak times, Vintage Hostel is not the most budget-friendly. If you decide to go in low season prices can drop to around €28. However for such a central location it does reflect the prices in Paris, and a room in a hotel would be far more expensive with much less atmosphere.
My suggestion is to take advantage of booking directly through the hostel.
I would like to thank Vintage Hostel Paris & Hip Hop Hostels for arranging my stay with them, but as always opinions are honest and my own.
Personally, the location of Vintage Hostel completely sold me, and the great staff and friends I made there made it a bit sad to leave! I still have plenty to see in Paris so hopefully I will see them all again!
Lots of love,
2 comments
Noisy beds, Bed smell in too small room
A bad journey because room was too small. Asked to be changed in any bigger. They answered all rooms are of same size. Beds were also noisy. Creeky beds, smelly room. A lot of strange people inside. Bad area, full of pickpockets. A guy was stolen his money from free lockers area in front of reception.
Moved to another hostel in a cool area, and a poolside bar. Much more fun and at same price.
Hi Nik – thanks so much for sharing your experience here. It’s a shame to hear that you had a far more negative experience here than I did a few years ago. What was the name of the hostel you moved to? 🙂
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