A friend and I were hoping to save money in Manhattan by staying at a hostel. The one we chose was WhiteHouse in the Bowery. Has anyone ever stayed there or have any info? Is it a decent place to be? Thanks in advance.

-Lisa

Lisa, I do not have any knowledge of the WhiteHouse in the Bowery, but I can offer a few suggestions. Unless you haven chosen to stay in the Bowery for a specific reason, this area may not be very convenient for you, you might want something more centrally located. To save money on accommodations, try looking sat the hotels listed on quikbook.com, or bid for a room on Priceline (if you are using Priceline do your home work first by reading betterbidding.com or biddingfortravel.com) You can also try Habitat Hotel - great location, clean, although very small rooms. There is also The Da Vinci Hotel, their website is:http://www.davincihotel.com/about.htm I don't know when you are planning to travel, but there are some special rates (under $100/night) at the Murray Hill Inn, their website is http://www.murrayhillinn.com/res.html Check into a few places and let us know what you find that is within your budget, and we can help narrow down your choices!

http://www.iyhf.org/home_gb.html

Hi ,
This is the site for NY's Hostelling International. Never heard of the WhiteHouse but I would not want to stay on the Bowery. Try this site and look around some more

http://www.hinewyork.org/

Here this is better. Good luck!

I've stayed several times now at the Hosteling International facility, located at 103rd & Amsterdam, 2 short blocks from the 103rd/Broadway subway station. I'm pleased with it. Never done anything but HI/AYH hostels.

The WhiteHouse should be avoided. The neighborhood is fine, but the hostel is a throwback to the old Bowery and is not much more than a flophouse. A lot of alcoholic and drug addict types.

You might want to try the Chelsea International Hostel - http://www.chelseahostel.com/.

It's in a great location, in the heart of Chelsea, with lot's of restaurants on 7th & 8th Ave, and across the street from the local police station.

I haven't stayed there, but I live in the area and have only heard good things.

That hostel on 103rd and Amsterdam has been full of happy looking young people since it was first built. Looks like a nice place from my neighborhood resident view.

Good location, 15 minutes from midtown on the 1/9 train and staying there gives a nice look at a residential, mixed income area of the city you probably wouldn't get to see otherwise.

The area, especially on Broadway, has tons of restaurants, bars etc...Columbia University is less than 10 blocks up, Cathedral of St John the Divine (largest Gothic in the world) is 7 blocks up, V&T pizzeria has been there forever on 111th and Amsterdam.

There are still a few of the older bodegas in between the newer places, and good ethnic food of all kinds within blocks, a couple of Cuban/Chinese restaurants...great meal bargains in those.

I stayed at the Whitehouse hostel last year for a few days. It wasn't that bad - considering the price ($27/night). The area is fine, near by NYU. The rooms are single "private" rooms, which is somethng most hostels don't offer, but don't be mislead by this... the walls dividing the rooms are only cubicle type walls. And this leads into the biggest drawback to the place: the noise levels. You can hear every cough and door closings of those around you. This may not bother you if you're a sound sleeper, but you might want to bring a radio or ear plugs. Also, the rooms are very very small, about 4 feet by 6 feet. Try to get a room on the higher floors as they are less crowded and cleaner. As for "bums", it is true there are some around there. Long term tenants occupy one side of the building. But you'll mostly be around students and foreign travelers on a budget. The staff is nice.