The Blue Dolphin, Alexandra Road, Penzance, Cornwall, TR18 4LZ Tel (01736) 363836 Websitewww.pzbackpack.com
BUG review
This well maintained hostel has a big TV lounge, Internet access and a good kitchen.
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Price Dorm bed £14 Double room £30 Prices are in British pounds and are inclusive of all taxes.
Pros:
very clean and well maintained the dorm looked like new and free internet
Cons:
no laundry but there was one close by
Jenny1994
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 14618)
I had a wonderful time in Penzance! The backpackers is fantastic as were the staff. I am sure I will stay there next time I visit Cornwall. The staff were so welcomming and helpfull, the bed was comfortable and I slept well. I felt safe and that my belongings were also safe. The staff seem to work hard to keep the place clean and tidy. I would definitly recomend this place to others.
Pros:
good location, friendly staff, cosy
Cons:
none
Rhiannon07
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 10911)
A very comfortable stay. The guy running it was very friendly, helpful & relaxed. Security was great, the hostel was clean, very well equipped, in a good location. The sea was 2 minutes walk, the centre of Penzance, train & bus station 15 minutes walk.
There is little I could add to other people's reviews - a nice stay, with no complaints. There is also a very good (& cheap if you go early) Indian restaurant/takeaway round the corner on the seafront.
As a family, we just had our first hostel stay and was quite happy with the Blue Dolphin. We felt so safe there with the combination door lock at the front door. It was quieter than a lot of hotels we have stayed, and we had a great night's sleep. The kitchen was very clean and organized. Plus, the staff was so helpful and friendly. If you are looking for safety and a great night's sleep, it is definitely the place to stay! A+
9 of
9 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
Manchester (the Red half)
A great alternative to YHA for location. 27 September 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 8310)
we as a family stayed there as the YHA Penzance was full, we toured all Cornwall and Devon, and found the staff and hostel very helpful and clean, meeting german, Japanese and french Hikers whilst there, its a great way to meet others and find their cultural differences...oh! and when we found the YHA location we prefered the Blue Dolphin as it was nearer the sea and the Rugby club bar,mmmm.
9 of
11 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
Didsbury Canada
Excellent place to stay 16 August 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 8311)
HI i stayed at the blue dolphine fore 3 months during the daffy season and they were great. the owner and everyone that worked there (peter and kiri) were great to us. i really enjoyed it and hope to make it back there
1 of
8 people found this review helpful
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betsy
london
tres comfortable 14 August 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
betsy
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 8312)
Penzance Backpackers is in a good location - near the sea, near the town centre (if you come out of the hostel and turn LEFT, the right way adds 10-15 minutes) and buses stop extremely near it, that go to Land's End - make sure however, 1) You're on the right side of the road + 2) Check the timetable, they may only come once an hour!The hostel itself is secure (2 doors with code-locks) NO CURFEW, clean, well decorated, loads of information posted- from surf clubs to restaurants to cab numbers. The kitchen, although it lacks a toaster/microwave, is quite spacious, with 2 ovens/grills (fridge + table + the usual)+ plug e.g. for a mini stereo to help cooking time pass by. Your food is safe, provided you label it! Spices are available for use + people sometimes leave behind unwanted food.The staff are down to earth and have a good knowledge of the area and play cool music!(in my opinion...)Theres a nice lounge with magazines, TV + games. The rooms are spacious (no mirrors however!)with bunks + extra mattress, if you wanna take someone home....ahem. However, there is only 1 bathroom(and shower) and 1 toilet which did lead to queues in the morning, so wake up extra early if you want to have a shower!Otherwise, it's a lovely place to stay, so get yourself down there!
9 of
10 people found this review helpful
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Helen
Bristol, UK
Clean and friendly 28 July 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Helen
saw things this way
Maintenance
(5)
Cleanliness
(5)
Facilities
(5)
Atmosphere
(5)
(Review ID: 8313)
My sister and I stayed here for 4 nights in late July. We stayed 2 nights in a twin/double (£12 pppn) and 1 night in each of two dorms (a 6 bed and 7 bed - £10 pppn).I found this hostel to be very homely - there was a nice lounge, with TV, books, magazines and games; a clean and well organized kitchen, with plenty of space for storing food; clean comfortable rooms - the dorms had en-suite, as well as separate lights for each bed (very useful!), and the twin/double (it was a double bed with a single bunk over, so could be used as twin or double) had a sink in the corner. There was also an additional bathroom and additional toilet, for those in non-en-suite rooms.The staff seemed friendly and helpful. There was at least one family staying there, and one or two couples in their 40s upwards too, suggesting its not just suitable for teens and twenty-somethings. There were quite a few longer term residents, who were working for the summer, who were a little cliquey, but we quickly made friends with some other holiday makers.Security was good, with a code operated front door and locks on all the bedroom doors. It was small enough that we recognized most of the other people staying there, which also helped with security.The hostel was well-located, being about 10 minutes walk from the bus and train stations, with a bus route to Lands End passing the door. Also about 2 minutes to the sea front. Overall, a very nice place to stay!
10 of
10 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
Hants, U.K.
hostel or home? 20 July 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
Cleanliness
(3)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(3)
(Review ID: 8314)
Okay the heading seems a little strong, but on arrival there...staying just one night, along with friend I'd met travelling, I found that although the man working there was helpful...it wasn't easy to ask for stuff, sort of like it was all an inconvenience for him. In ten minutes he had also told us that he didn't like the French - not a good tact for a hostel owner, I'd say. His presence was overbearing...seemed to always be in on any conversation going.The place itself was fairly clean, and for myself quiet, tho my freind (a girl) said her sleep was disturbed...tho' I think the hostel is generally quite.I did think it odd when the chap came up with a bed very last minute...for her and not for me, catching us as we strolled past his local on the way to collect our packs the next evening...headed for a b&b ,but totally ignoring me (she's not my girlfriend, but nevertheless I thought the vibe odd). I stayed in a b&b that night, she stayed at the hostel. Very convenient location for the peninsula's sites, but for me too small and homely...didn't feel like a traveller's place very much.
9 of
9 people found this review helpful
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Anonymous
convenient location 13 June 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Anonymous
saw things this way
Maintenance
(4)
Cleanliness
(4)
Facilities
(4)
Atmosphere
(4)
(Review ID: 8315)
the location is very convenitent to everywhere.geneally speaking, the place is clean and bright.the new boss is very nice and helpful.
2 of
9 people found this review helpful
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Madcat
Bristol, England
Convenient compromise 5 March 2003
Pros:
n/a
Cons:
n/a
Madcat
saw things this way
Maintenance
(3)
Cleanliness
(3)
Facilities
(3)
Atmosphere
(3)
(Review ID: 8316)
I went to the Blue Dolphin (now Backpackers) off-season, so it wasn't crowded.This hostel is the best located (of the three in Penzance) for doing anything in the town (if you don't have a car) or getting to other places, it's also the least 'rules'. It's easy to get to from the centre (10 minutes walk from the train station, 15 minutes if you're baggage laden), a minute from the seafront and the bus to Land's End.The hostel was generally quite clean, but the whole place was just a little worn and ramshackle; it felt like someone had decided to rent out all the rooms in their house to make some $$. Maybe they did. The kitchen was very well-equipped (100% self-catering) and has washing/drying machines, a PC etc but I suspect this was to cater for the daff/fruit pickers that stay for months at a time. This also meant that hostel didn't have much of a traveller's heart to it. Indeed, I didn't meet any other travellers, although I'm sure it's very much a different story in the summer.The staff are amiable, but you feel that serving you is a chore as it's taking time out of whatever they do behind the scenes (look after kids/sleep etc). The welcome could be worked on (what welcome?) - I think they had a lounge, but I never found it. They're not sure of local bus routes etc, even though they're right on one of them.No curfew - the front door has a combination to enter, each room has a key. I only found one shower - but maybe there were more?! I prefer the YHA, but if you're staying a couple of days the (easy) walk to Castle Horneck could get tiresome. I didn't stay but the YMCA is just around the corner; at a view it seemed quite soul-less and from what I could find out, has a lot of large groups staying. Very unremarkable but convenient and adequate.
