Grapevine is he said she said blah blah blah. Word of mouth is good for here and now on the trail but I have learned to ignore most grapevine talk as it usually turns up to be inaccurate. A documented per experience rating system the same as if you look up the hojo inn down the street.
In todays time you can lookup any business as I just did on Google using UJ as the example,
He is on rated on:
Google review
3.9/5 stars w/ 10 reviews
Tripadvisor
4/5 stars w/ 16 reviews
yelp
3 starts w/ 7 reviews
Hostelz.com
4.4/5 stars with 8 reviews
Whiteblaze report from times past
positive experience
But when we look at it, we are talking about 43 people total, not a large number for a survey but an overall positive number, better then I would rate it.
When I speak of "rating" the place what goes thru my mind is: How does this place compare, for the price, to , IMO, one of my best hostel experiences...
I can use Laughing heart as an example of a "great experience" from a facility standpoint.
Laughing heart: CLEAN, private rooms for $25 a night w/ AC/ heat. donation coffee, nice bathroom facilities and Chuck is forever kind. Chuck even gave me a free nights stay because I had used him all month on the weekends to section hike the AT all around him.
UJ's: Dirty AF, $40 a night for a worn out bed no AC/, and to deal with grouchy ass Sarge for overpriced shuttles. No thanks.
This is my opinion and facts found online both, they don't seem to add up but my experience is that of 3 occasions, and a high expectation due to extremely positive experiences elsewhere. I encourage everyone to get a personal opinion by trying them out. Personal experience is always better then that grapevine thing.
Reply With Quote
Originally Posted by Gambit McCrae
