City House Atlantic City — Hotel in Atlantic City

BACK IN THE DAY MOST HOSTELS WERE IN CONVERTED APARTMENTS…..||||….and ranged from awful to awesome (with the majority falling short of what we would class as AVERAGE these days (today the AVERAGE hostel is pretty darn good – spacious, clean, comfortable, well run – it takes some special qualities to rate ABOVE AVERAGE). The thing about A.C.H. is it falls on the awesome side of the old standard with several pluses raising it above today’s AVERAGE standard. Notably:||- great location, withing 5 minutes of the famous BOARDWALK/BEACH, several key CASINOS, the BUS STATION and a range of shops and eats joints. Oh yeah, and a largish hospital if anything should go wrong. There is a small upstairs balcony overlooking the surrounding streets – a great place to survey the scene and interact with other guests.||- a fantastic host: SUSAN is outgoing, caring, hard working and well organised - prepared to go out of her way to make guest stays more comfortable.||- nicely presented. SUSAN must have an artistic background because the place is nicely painted and decorated to give a sense of spaciousness and vibrancy. You do not think you are in an old apartment.||- not too big: with only 3 “dorms” ACH avoids the large impersonal vibe of many of today’s hostels. I noticed guest interaction was much better here than at my two big modern NYC hostels.||||ARE THERE ANY DOWNSIDES? Of course there are - I’ve yet to stay in a perfect place after 40 years of budget travel: there can be some pressure on the 3 bathrooms at peak times, no air drying of washed clothes (almost universal in converted apartments) and the surrounding streets gave some burn-out and passing siren noise (but not excessively so – I’m a sensitive petal noise-wise and slept well). My weak tablet had some difficulty with the wifi but that is more a problem of the device. Although pretty good value by US EAST COAST standards, I thought it a bit exxy by international standards. Some reviews say the area is a bit sketchy, but I was comforted by the constant presence of beat cops and prowl cars plus ACH’s double key-pad door security and never felt unsafe.||||TIPS – if you come in by bus note NEW JERSEY TRANSIT* tend to offer a very similar intercity service to GREYHOUND* but at near half the price.||- SUSAN makes some good suggestions re day activities. One I particularly enjoyed was a visit to trendy picturesque CAPE MAY* 40 miles south, accessed by an inexpensive NJ TRANSIT local bus out of the bus station.||||*TRIPADVISOR has separate...

….AND HOPEFULLY SORTING OUT SOME OF THE CONFUSION BELOW||||This page makes my head hurt because at the time of writing, 6 of the reviews below are about the OLD hostel in South Indiana Ave and only 1 on the NEW place in South Texas Ave. Another is indeterminate because I don’t know when the hostel changed location. What I do know is a change in name – from ATLANTIC CITY HOUSE to CITY HOUSE; no big deal - various booking sites will find this joint.|| (note -1 other review is of a restaurant – maybe the T/A person was a bit snowed under when that came in – OOPS!).||||I’m unique here having stayed at BOTH places a little over a year apart. Here’s what I found: ||THE PLACE HAS IMPROVED IN SOME RESPECTS BUT GONE BACKWARDS IN OTHERS.||||IMPROVED – bigger. The new joint has more rooms, including a rather nice top floor apartment and a spacious back yard area.||- better area. The old Sth Indiana close to Atlantic||Ave was a rather sketchy neighbourhood. I thought the new location much better in this respect, although one (or maybe two) of the reports down-page think differently. More important to some, it is much closer to the famed BOARDWALK – 150m vs 400.||||BACKWARDS – there seemed to be no more bathrooms for more dorms, the kitchen and the refrigerator were no bigger. Other storage areas for food real tight.||- not as nicely decorated as beforehand||- Billy the new host has great interpersonal skills but despite an off-sider to help didn’t seem on top of things as much as the very efficient Susan.||- further from the bus station. Many budget travellers will come in by bus and will find the new joint 15 minutes walk from the bus station vs 3 min for the old place.||- personal interaction was down a bit on account of increased size but still way better than those big NYC hostels.||||SUM UP – I thought the old place above average, the new average.||||TIPS - if you come in by bus, be aware NEW JERSEY TRANSIT has way cheaper fares from NYC than say GREYHOUND. NJT also has an excellent/inexpensive service around the area.||- car drivers will find a paid lot adjacent. Curbside parking is tight – a matter of luck. Nearby casinos have paid parking of course.||- no shortage of small supermarts, fast food||- the new place has rental bicycles. Way cheaper than outside rental places. Mine an ok cruiser ideal for the boardwalk, but very dry chain. Despite telling host, it was still dry...

My boyfriend and I were supposed to stay for 3 nights here at this hostel, but we only stayed for only 1 night due to issues and concerns, which I will explain in my review down below. ||||The host at the Atlantic City Hostel was really friendly and knowledgeable. He answered all our questions and concerns in a professional manner. The location was kind of in a sketchy area, but it was manageable and a plus because the hostel is nearby by everything! The casinos, boardwalk, beach, restaurants, and you name it! I wouldn't recommend this place if you are staying for a romantic get-away because you will most likely not have your own privacy and also you will be asked to stay with another person/other people in your room, if you want your own privacy I prefer booking an actual hotel room. This hostel is mainly for people who have large party groups or special events. The other guests were pretty friendly and fun to hang out with. The room was pleasant and the beds were okay. The bathroom looked like it hasn't been cleaned for months and we had to share one sink because the sink in our bathroom wasn't working. They did provide towels. The layout of the hostel was pretty decent they had a cute living room and a small kitchen that we can cook our meals. The 2 main reasons my boyfriend and I had left early is 1.) there was no privacy whatsoever for us as a couple, and 2.) it was really noisy during the evening by the other guests. This hostel is not a horrible place to stay at... it's not my boyfriend and I's...