Central Park Hostel & InnEditor's Pick

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The Central Park Hostel & Inn is a well-located straight-up hostel with all the hallmarks thereof: small bunk bed rooms, a basement lounge/kitchen packed with backpackers on their laptops, and tiny shower rooms.

Rooms are plain and almost institutional. Minimal decoration yields to wall-to-wall gray carpets, light-colored paint jobs and floor-to-ceiling lockers. To their credit, the proprietors have done their best to keep rooms easy on the eyes. In-room amenities are limited, but all rooms are air-conditioned and linens are provided. Bathrooms are of aesthetic note for their striking blue floor tiles, which made us feel for a moment as if we were in Eastern Europe.

The immediate neighborhood (a calm stretch of West 103rd Street) is no great shakes, but this is a fine location for its proximity to Central Park and the core of the Upper West Side. Also very nice is the free Wi-Fi in the basement and kitchen. These common spaces were particularly crowded during our late morning visit, something that suggested better than average backpacker camaraderie here.

The Central Park Hostel & Inn doesn't depart from the hostel model in any particular way, though the crowd consists more of straight-up backpackers than value-hungry small families. Note that the hostel accepts cash only.

» Alex Robertson Textor

Note: This hotel was visited by a EuroCheapo editor and is recommended based on cleanliness, location, price and overall quality. EuroCheapo did not charge this hotel to be listed.