Green
Tortoise Hostel
San
Francisco Review
The Green Tortoise Hostel
Green
Tortoise Guest House
200 bed hostel
operated by long distance bus company. This hostel is
located at 494 Broadway within easy walking distance of at least five of San
Francisco's largest nude / strip clubs including the Hustler Club
(1031 Kearny) ,
Boys Toys (412 Broadway), Centerfolds (391 Broadway), The Roaring 20's
(552 Broadway), The Hungry I (546 Broadway) , and the
Garden of Eden (529 Broadway). If you are interested in seeing a live nude
show of this kind, this hostel is very convenient.
The hostel's most recent rates were $25 per night
for dorm room's near North Beach, and
$65 for private
rooms with shared bath.
494
Broadway @ Columbus / Phone: (415)
956-7500
R. writes, "I just stayed at the
Green Tortoise Guest House in San Francisco and wanted to share my
experience. This hostel is centrally located in North Beach just
steps from lots of Italian and Chinese restaurants.I stayed in a
4-bed dorm and the cost was $19. The hostel had free internet, free
meals on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and free breakfasts of
bagels,fruit, and coffee. They even had a free keg party one night
with a live jazz trio! That was something I never experienced at a
hostel! I wanted to cook my own meals instead of eating out a lot
and the kitchen looked recently refurbished. There was plenty of
room to store my food-a problem at other hostels.The front desk
staff were young and from many different places. They put together
lists of cheap drinking and eating spots so backpackers like me
could afford San Francisco.I had a really great time there and made
some contacts for onward travel, so I think it is a great place to
stay for a while.Hostels may not be for everyone, but why travel and
stay by yourself when you can meet so many other new people by
hostelling? I would definitely go back."
Curtis writes, "I
stayed at the Green Tortoise hostel two times. I absolutely love
the place. I admit the people at the desk can be pretty gruf, but
if you make an effort to get to know them they warm up quickly.
The bathrooms and showers I used were just fine. The ballroom at
the Tortoise is the best place I have found in all of SF to meet
cool and interesting people. without spending a fortune, because
you just buy some drinks at a store, and bring them to the ballroom.
They have a room to store your stuff, they have Internet access
that's usually not too lined up, and the best feature of all: they
run adventure bus tours to places like Grand Canyon and Yosemite
that are cheap and fun. "
Rachel writes
in November 2000, "My recommendation would be to never
stay at the Green Tortoise. From the moment
I arrived, the staff were incredibly unwelcoming, and in a word
rude - not to mention money hungry (not typical of hostels.)
They made me pay for everything double what it was listed on their
website (which i brought up to them, they informed me "tough
luck.") Furthermore, I got bites all along my legs from
the mattress in my room which was shaped like a lying down c. Even
when asking for the number of a cab company i was told to get out
of the hostel and try outside. I've spent time in collective
houses, hostels, squats, motels and never before have i ever been
treated so horribly. if you want itchy legs and rudeness,
stay at the Green Tortoise. Otherwise i would recommend any
other hostel..."
K.M.
details "My favorite hostel is the Green Tortoise. It
ranges depending on the season. Dorm rooms range from 3-6 people,
and private rooms (more than double the price of a dorm bed) have
either a double bed or single bunk beds. The hostel is owned by
the same company that owns an adventure travel company which does
highly recommended local, nationwide, and international bus tours.
There is also a Green Tortoise hostel in Seattle.
What I love
about the Tortoise: the people. I've met really great people there.
They range from international travelers who are here for a few days
to people who work in the area and need a place to stay for a little
while (maximum stay is 3 weeks per season). The location can't be
beat, either- it's near great bookstores, restaurants
(even some cheap ones), the Financial
District, the Bay, Coit Tower,
several bus routes, and is also local
to Fisherman's Wharf.
Things I don't
love about the hostel: the kitchen. It's not the prettiest thing
I've ever seen, and there is not always a clear distinction between
the free food bins and the shelves that contain food that people
bought for themselves. A new kitchen is being built at the moment
(10/98). A lot of people love the hostel best because of its ballroom,
but I don't like it because it's too smoky (people can smoke and
drink in there). There's a TV in there, but it's not usually on.
The ballroom is open until late at night, if you're into that kind
of thing. In the morning, "breakfast" is served. This
consists of a bagel , coffee/tea, and some fruit. But it's only
available from 7:30-10AM. Cheap laundry facilities are available,
there's a sauna, and there's web-based internet access.
Return to sfTravel's Hostel Front Desk
Return to Main Lodging Doorway
Loading Page Reviews...
Loading
Reviews List...
|
