I'll be direct. The only positive remark I can make about this hostel is that the location is good. You really couldn't ask for a better place from which to start exploring LA and Hollywood in particular. Orange Drive Hostel is located on a side street off Hollywood Boulevard and you can see Mann's Chinese Theatre from the walk way of the old house in which the hostel is based. (That's the place where celebs have signed their names and imprinted their hands and footprints in the cement of its forecourt, incase you weren't too sure.) The location sold it to me when I was trawling the internet for accommodation in LA. LA is such a huge and widespread city that we decided to stay in Hollywood and work our way out from there. On a side note, I would suggest Hollywood to others as a starting point as it is quite central, public transport is frequent and there's a lot to do.

Back to the hostel We stayed here in November 2007). When we arrived in the early evening, I was shocked to see how close to the action the hostel was. The taxi driver took us up Orange Drive and at first the hostel was difficult to spot. It was not well lit at all and was set back from the street. If I had been alone, I would have had some concerns about walking up the street and up the hostel's walkway, I have to admit. Luckily, I was with my husband which eased my skepticism, until he kindly pointed out that the old house in which the hostel is set looked exactly like the house from the Nightmare on Elm Street films. Freakily, it did!

The front door was old and plastered with notices from the management, saying "Please don't slam the door!" and "No smoking on front steps!" I immediately felt like I was being shouted at! Anyway, the manageress was on the front steps and took us inside. The foyer was big and you could sense the age of the house by the large staircase and wood panel walls. The decor was very basic, but it seemed clean enough. It took us about fifteen minutes to check in as the manageress was quite slow on the computer and had to go downstairs to get us change for our deposit, etc. It perhaps wouldn't have seemed so long if she had been a little more talkative and inviting. We didn't really feel welcome in the hostel at this point; in fact we were made to feel like small children when she started lecturing us about how to close the door properly without breaking the lock and how slamming it could cause damage. Not a nice welcome really.

Here's a little info before I proceed

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