For just $25 per night you can stay in what is perhaps my favourite hostel in the USA. Lucky D’s is a fun and buzzing hive of activity in the center of San Diego’s quirky Gaslamp District in the East Village. It is surrounded by restaurant, cafes, shops and bars, and is just a short walk to the Petco Park Baseball Stadium, home to the San Diego Padres (the hotel can get you cheap tickets for games).
The staff are jolly and very knowledgable about the area, and are always willing to help you out with anything you might need, be it a restaurant or instructions of how to get somewhere on the bus. The hostel is in a great location in terms of buses – it is just a 5 minute ride to the Greyhound Station, and the bus stop for the museums and Zoo is a two minute walk away.
In terms of the hostel facilities, it provides everything you could ask for. There are 3 floors of rooms, with bathrooms and computer rooms on every floor. The walls everywhere are covered with posters and quotes and paintings, which really gives is a great vibe. There is a large and well equipped common room (with foosball table, widescreen tv, sofas, fridges etc) on the 2nd floor, and the laundry room (washing powder is free) and huge kitchen can be found on the next floor up. There is free breakfast on offer every morning from 6:30 until 10:30 which consists of a choice of cereals and plenty of batter to make your own waffles. There is also complimentary tea and coffee available all day, and free dinners a few nights a week (but you do have to get in there pretty sharp-ish before all the food disappears).
As for the dorms, there’s nothing to complain about. We were in a four-bed room, which was large and spacious enough, with individual lockers, a cupboard for hanging your clothes and even a mirror! The beds were comfy and the sheets were clean…what else can you ask for really? The only drawback to this place is the fact that is is set right above a bar that gets VERY noisy at night. As we were on the 2nd floor and at the front of the building, it was almost unbearable loud, and we could even feel the base from the music thumping up through the floor. Obviously that was just our room, and I can’t speak for rooms on the upper floors or round the back of the hostel, but for us, this was ate a big issue, as the music would start at about 9pm and not finish until well after 2am…not ideal for trying to sleep!
But apart from the noise, this is a hostel I would really recommend. Everyone is lovely, staff and guests alike and there is always plenty going on if you want to meet people and get involved. This one gets a big thumbs up!
Dates stayed: 17 – 20 May 2012
My Rating
Overall: 87%
Atmosphere: 90%
Cleanliness: 85%
Location: 88%
Staff: 85%
Safety: 90%
Value for Money: 85%
Roo Around The World 