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by john smith mybob
glasgow, United Kingdom
October 27, 2009
by Taylor Shelby
Charleston, South Carolina
April 11, 2005
Oban Backpackers is pretty convenient to the train station in Oban - although most things are; it isn't very small. There are only a couple of main streets, so it's pretty darn easy to find your way around. The hostel is only about an 8- to 10-minute walk, and it is so pretty in Oban that you hardly notice you are doing any work. When you exit the station, take a left on George St. Walk for a bit, then the street forks. Take the right fork (Breadalbane St.) and the hostel is right up the road, on your right, with the red window frames.
I liked this hostel a lot. The rooms were small, with four bunk beds in each. The beds were surprisingly comfortable, and they all had wonderful peach-colored sheets on them. Just try not to feel cheered when you walk in. All of the rooms have big windows in them, so they let in a lot of light (well, by Scottish standards anyway). They also have big, clean bathrooms, with some of the most powerful showers I have ever found in a hostel. Just get stuck in a Scottish rainstorm once, and you will be LOVING those showers.
Oban Backpackers has a wonderful commons area. It is all located on the ground floor and is quite large. My one complaint about the commons area - it is painted a particularly garish shade of yellow. I didn't so much like that. There are a bunch of sofas in various states of shabbiness and some little tables scattered around. They also have a HUGE kitchen, filled with just about everything you need. I literally watched a girl make shrimp fettuccini (not bad for hostel fare).
I only have one complaint about this hostel (and most of the others in this chain). Since it is on the McBackpackers bus route, you will often get big groups in that are all bonded. Sometimes they are friendly, and sometimes they aren't. It is kind of a crapshoot. But there were a few others in the hostel that weren't part of the group, so it all worked out.
These hostels all have tons of extras, which I don't have room to include. You can check them out at the website: Oban Backpackers.
From journal A Journey in Time Through Heath and Moor