When my sister Rachel and I decided to go visit our other sister Sammi in Asheville, I knew I wanted to test out another hostel there. I decided on Sweet Peas Hostel, a new spot in the middle of town.
When we arrived, we were surprised to hear that the hostel was booked in full for the Bele Chere Festival. This meant that parking was hard to find and started at $5 per day. The location was exactly what we wanted, right in the center of town. Located above the Lexington Avenue Brewery, where guests get 10% off of food, the hostel is very modern and almost resembles a hotel. The beds are already made when you arrive and linens and towels are included.
Sweet Peas offers a lots of must-have hostel items: lockers with locks, keycard entry, free WiFi, computers for guest use, coin laundry, reading lights above the beds and handy outlets. Plus, the mattresses are real, not the cheap plastic kind. The hostel is one of the most clean I’ve ever stayed in.
There are three types of rooms: bunk beds, pods and private rooms. The bunk beds are both coed and female, with 8 beds per room. The pods are enclosed with curtains and lockers, with six per room. The two private rooms are located next to the pods.
With the fantastic location comes a level of street noise. LAB has live music on weekends that goes until the wee hours of the morning. The open floor plan of the hostel means there are no walls between the rooms. Take advantage of the free earplugs they provide.
The common area has cozy couches, a DVD library and book exchange. If none of the tasty Asheville restaurants appeal to you, the kitchen has everything you could need. There are a lot of rules, with signs posted all over the place to remind you to clean up after yourself. You sign a form when you arrive saying that you will abide by the rules: showers and beds are single occupancy, no food in the dorm rooms, quiet hours are from 12 am-8 am, no alcohol on premises. Check in is at 3 pm and check out is at 11:30 am.
Caroline in the City Rating
- Location: Right in the middle of town, there is no better location, but that also comes with noise. *****
- Price: Dorms are $28 each, pods are $35 and private rooms are $60. ****
- Character: The hostel has a nice atmosphere, but isn’t as funky as I would like. ***
- Security: The entrance is off a side street and there is keycard entry. Lockers are located in the dorms, with locks included, and there is a security guard on staff at night. *****
- Staff: There’s someone at the desk from 8:30 am til around midnight when a security guard comes in. They are fairly helpful if you have any questions. ****
- Fun: There aren’t a lot of planned activities, but there’s plenty to do in town. ***
- Cleanliness: Sweet Peas is spotless. The staff wash sheets and vacuum every day. *****
- Extras: Free WiFi, computers for use, laundry room, kitchen, included locks, linens, towels, reading lights, plugs, lockers, coffee and tea, book exchange, television and DVDs. ****
- TOTAL: 33/40
Don’t believe me? Check out the Hostel World rating here.
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