In port for Madeira
SAIL from Bristol to the Azores, Portugal and Madeira for 15 nights over Easter from around £850. Cruise & Martime’s Marco Polo cruise ship leaves on April 4 with stop-offs including La Coruna, Azores, Funchal, Lisbon and Porto. The deal is for full board and comedy magician John Archer will entertain. Call 0203 733 5557 or go to iglucruise.com for details. PLANS for an 850-bed Youth Hostel Association mega-hostel in Stratford, East London, proves how popular – and large – hostels now are. From rugged and remote to upmarket city centre poshtels, here are some of the best. WHERE: The Generator, Central London: WHY? This chain is typical of the new poshtels. Generator London is in Tavistock Square, which is walking distance from Covent Garden, the British Museum and the West End theatres.
The shell is a converted police station with interiors adorned with reclaimed timber, exposed brickwork and steel decorated with bold graphics and vibrant patterns.
There is a cinema and the bar has a dance floor with the front end of a Routemaster double-decker, so this is not the place for you if you would rather have an early night. BOTTOM LINE: Shared rooms £19 a bed plus private doubles at £75, generatorhostels.com. WHERE: YHA St Briavels Castle, Glos. WHY: A hostel in a castle that was once a prison, and haunted to boot, may not guarantee a peaceful night’s sleep – but a night in St Briavels, on the edge of the Forest of Dean and Welsh border, is certainly exciting.
This is a proper 13th century castle where King John was a regular when the forest was a royal hunting ground.
One of the dormitories is a former prison, with centuries-old graffiti cursing long-dead enemies. A pit known as an oubliette, under the floor, is where prisoners were tossed to die. Some asked to be dropped in head first so that the end would come quickly. BOTTOM LINE: Dormitory beds from £12.99, family rooms £69.99, yha.org.uk. WHERE: YHA Hartington Hall, Buxton, Derbys. WHY:W Log fires in the library, oak panelled walls, le leaded windows, a garden terrace, local beer on ta tap and waiter service in the restaurant does not sound like your typical hostel. But this handsome 17th century manor house in the village of Hartington in the Peak District is one th the YHA’s flagships.
Wedding receptions take place here and it ev even has its own beer and music festival.
The village is one of the prettiest in the area with a cheese shop by the duck pond, a couple of pubs and an old-fashioned grocery store where you have to ring a handbell to call for assistance. A web of footpaths run out from the village into the surrounding countryside. BOTTOMB LINE: Dormitory beds £15 and private ro rooms from £29, yha.org.uk.