Budget hostel for foreign visitors to the United Kingdom...

Bournemouth Backpackers Hostel, 3 Frances Road, Bournemouth, Dorset BH1 3RY, ENGLAND.
Web: http://www.bournemouthbackpackers.co.uk.

About Bournemouth

Welcome to Bournemouth, and its neighbour Poole, on the sunny(ish) south coast of England, one of the UK's leading seaside resorts. We have miles of clean, sandy beaches (which meet the European Union's "Blue Flag" standards) with two piers and one of the world's largest natural harbours - offering a wide variety of watersports. Europe's first artificial surf reef is expected to open in Bournemouth in September 2009 and a number of surf schools have already opened up in anticipation of this event.

Bournemouth has several retail centres, top English language schools, a well established university, renowned nightlife and a host of local activities.

We have a buoyant local economy and a year-round casual work - well suited to international working holiday makers. Work opportunties and our cheap Low Season rates make the hostel a good winter base to save up some well-needed travel money for the summer.

Bournemouth is a great base for exploring the beautiful Dorset, Hampshire and Wiltshire scenery. Cheap bus passes allow unlimited travel over a wide area - giving easy access to many local attractions. Backpacker day trips can be booked with Discover Dorset. The nearby Jurassic Coast is one of the most spectacular coastlines in the world and is now World Heritage Listed (along with The Grand Canyon in the USA and the Great Barrier Reef in Australia). The long distance South West Coastal Path, which begins on the other side of Poole Harbour, provides outstanding views.

Also on the other side of the Harbour lies Purbeck: a beautiful and easily accessible area, with the pretty resort of Swanage, ancient pubs and the ruins of the medieval Corfe Castle. To the east of Bournemouth lies the New Forest with its famous ponies.

The area is rich in history and legends:
Thomas Hardy, Lawrence of Arabia, The Tolpuddle Martyrs, Dorset smugglers, Badbury Rings, Maiden Castle, Corfe Castle, The Cerne Abbas Giant, etc. etc.

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Some views of the Bournemouth/Poole area
Day trips for wet days :(
Day trips for dry days :)

Getting to Bournemouth

General

Bournemouth has excellent transport links to the rest of the UK and mainland Europe and is becoming a useful gateway to the UK for budget travellers.

By Air

Bournemouth International Airport is served by several budget airlines including: RyanAir, EasyJet and ThomsonFly. Bournemouth International Airport is linked to the Travel Interchange (less than 5 minutes walk from the backpackers hostel) by a direct hourly bus service. Taxis waiting at the airport and can also take you to the backpackers hostel.

Southampton International Airport is approximately 50 km (40-50 minutes) from Bournemouth and has a fast, direct train service to Bournemouth 2-3 times per hour. Southampton International Airport is served by a number of airlines, including the budget airline FlyBe.

Bournemouth has convenient bus/coach connections with London Heathrow Airport. FlightLink (operated by National Express) run direct bus/coach services from Heathrow to Bournemouth approximately every two hours: these buses take two hours to reach Bournemouth. Flightlink also provide a bus/coach services from London Gatwick and London Stanstead Airports to Bournemouth. Train travel from London (Heathrow and Stansted) Aiports to Bournemouth is generally indirect and expensive. The train from London (Gatwick) Airport to Bournemouth is, however, more competitive.

By Land and Sea

Poole ferry terminal is approximately 1.5 km. from Poole railway station, where regular trains reach Bournemouth in approximately 15 minutes. Ferry services are operated by Brittany Ferries and Condor, offering connections to St. Malo and Cherbourg (France) as well as the Channel Islands.

There are direct National Express bus/coach services to Bournemouth from many parts of the U.K.. Bus/coach travel is generally cheaper than train travel in the UK. Nationla Express Buses leave from Victoria Coach Station in London approximately every hour and take approximately 2 hours 30 mins to complete the journey. Young persons (under 25) can buy a discount card giving them one third off these fares. Phone (08705) 808080 for National Express information. Megabus and Greyhound UK also run several buses per day from London to Bournemouth at low prices. Greyhound buses also have more legroom and free Wifi.

Bournemouth has direct train services from London, Scotland, The North East and the Midlands. Trains from London leave from Waterloo Station, roughly twice an hour and usually take around 1 hour 45 minutes to reach Bournemouth. Train discount cards can be bought by young persons (under 26) and full-time students. An off-peak discount card for South East England (Network Card) can be bought by others. Discounted train tickets to Bournemouth from London are sometimes available from MegaTrain. Phone (08457) 484950 for all train information.

The Backpackers Hostel

Bournemouth Backpackers Hostel is now in its eleventh season and is ideally located. It is family owned and operated by experienced international travellers. We provide excellent value accommodation, it's a home away from home and a great place to meet people if you are travelling alone. As you can see from our comments page, most of our guests don't want to leave.

• Less than 5 minutes walk from The Travel Interchange (train/bus station).
• Walkable from beach, town centre, nightlife and many language schools.
• Free wifi every evening (available from approximately 17:30 to 21:00).
• Launderette, Supermarket, Fish & Chip Shop, Pub, Newsagent, Tennis Courts all within 5 minutes walk.
• Cycle and car hire close by.
• Public Transport to Poole Ferry Terminal and Bournemouth International Airport.
• An excellent base to explore, using cheap (GBP 6.99 per day, 2007) bus passes to visit many attractions, for example: Purbeck, the Coast Path, the New Forest etc..
• A great place to have a working holiday with varied employment opportunities in local businesses.
  
  
• Traditional cosy, English (Edwardian) house with a very friendly atmosphere.
• Relaxing, smoke free and clean.
• Beds in shared/dormitory rooms and double/twin rooms (in High Season) at low prices.
• Stable, steel full width (90 cm/3' wide) bunks with clean pillows and covered interior sprung mattresses. Bedding included in the price.
• TV lounge, kitchen (pans, crockery etc. provided) and BBQ area (in summer), guest phone and cycle parking.
• No chores, no membership and 24 hour access once checked in.

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Inside the Backpackers Hostel

Prices and Reservations

Important Information about Opening Times

We are a very small family run backpackers hostel (with only 21 beds) in a town which has few visitors outside the summer months. This means that we cannot afford full-time staff and so our opening hours are limited particularly in Low Season. So please read the following information carefully to avoid disappointment.

Low Season (until June 2012)

Reception is open for enquiries and check-in on Sundays between 17:00-19:00. Check-in is also possible on weekdays at 17:30 if you have a confirmed reservation, or if someone else has arranged a 17:30 check-in (dates shown below)*. As it is not possible to check-in on Saturdays: Friday and Saturday nights are sold together as a two night block. You can check-out automatically, at any time, until 10:00. A reservation is not required for arrival during Sunday reception, but it is recommended.

If you are staying several days in Bournemouth and need to check-in later, we suggest that you stay in a bed and breakfast for the first night and check in with us the next day. If you arrive before reception opens, you can leave your luggage at the Bournemouth Tourism Office at the Travel Interchange (train/bus station) for GBP 1.00 and have a look around town until we open.

*17:30 weekday check-ins have been arranged for: ... No midweek check-ins arranged...

You can make a reservation by telephone during Sunday reception (17:00-19:00), or at any time by completing the booking enquiry form on this website. All reservations must be reconfirmed the day before, either by replying to an email booking, or by telephone (reconfirmation messages can be left on our voicemail). Once reconfirmed beds are held for the first 30 minutes of reception. At check-in guests are asked to pay for all the nights that have been booked in cash.

Bedding included, towels and food are not. Prices correct for January 2012, but are subject to change. Terms and conditions apply.