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Hermosa’s friendly hostel draws travelers on budget
by Laylan Connelly
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Lou Smith of Melbourne, Australia uses a hallway phone at the Surf City Hostel. Photo by Laylan Connelly |
Lyn Sarjeant had planned to end her two-week vacation in Hermosa Beach last Saturday, but she made arrangements to stay for one more month at the Surf City Hostel she is reluctant to leave.
Like many backpacking travelers who stay at the hostel on the Pier Plaza promenade, the New Zealander said the beachfront accommodation, the party atmosphere of the South Bay and the cosmopolitan feel of the hostel enlivened her stay.
"It’s such a neat way to meet people from all around the world without going to other countries," Sarjeant said.
The privately owned hostel has served as a gathering place for the world’s backpacking travelers for the past seven years. Budget travelers, many in their mid-20’s, stay overnight for $15 and up. The establishment is unique to the area because it is the only hostel available throughout Manhattan, Hermosa and Redondo. It’s 19 rooms hold house about 55 people. Some rooms hold up to six visitors, while other rooms have only one bed.
"I really like it here because it is safe, and that is really important when you are traveling," Sarjeant said.
Hermosa Beach Mayor John Bowler said the hostel building was previously occupied by a hotel that police described as notorious for drug activity among tenants.
"When it was a hotel it used to be referred to as the shooters’ gallery. It had really rundown rooms and some low-level prostitution. Since the hostel has been there it has undergone dramatic changes and went through a long process of cleaning up," Bowler said. "The hostel has been a very welcome addition to the city."
Odile Brock, manager of the hostel for the past five years, believes the location is ideal for the establishment, tucked away as it is from the typical tourist feel of Los Angeles, above the Beach Club and beside the Lighthouse Café.
"I love the beach. It is a very special place here. People like to come for the sports and outdoor activities," Brock said. "Travelers don’t like to be too much in the touristy places, and it is a more relaxing place here. It’s very interesting to have people from other countries stay here."
According to Brock, some travelers reside at a hostel in Venice, ride their bicycle to Hermosa Beach to stay at Surf City, and then make their way to a hostel in San Pedro.
However, the hostel is not always easy to locate. The only indication of the hostel is a small painted sign on the door.
"A lot of people don’t know it’s here. It’s good people overseas know us or we wouldn’t get any business," said employee Forrest Desaulniers, 32.
Last week, a crew from Austria shot footage for a film on the hostel.
"One of the guys stayed here five years ago. The film is going to be called ‘Wave Length’ and is hoping to be shown at the film festival in Cannes, France.
Other travelers have left artistic expression within the hostel.
"The murals on the wall are from travelers passing through. A lot of people will do their paintings and they get to stay for free. It is all art in our eyes," Desaulniers said. "We had one guy who tried to do graffiti, but we had to take it off."
Also hanging on the walls are black and white photographs of travelers participating in beach activities; the photos are meant to "capture the hostel life," Desaulniers said.
Many of the hostel’s patrons return to Hermosa every year.
Delphine Podhorski, a traveler from France, made her first visit to the area six years ago when her mother sent her and her twin sister to the U.S. to learn English. Every summer since then she has returned to Hermosa Beach.
Surf City Hostel reaches new travelers through a website and brochures at other hostels.
Lou and Tracy Smith, a married couple from Melbourne, Australia, got a brochure at a hostel in Las Vegas. They have been traveling the U.S. for five weeks and have been in Hermosa for two days.
"When we arrived in Los Angeles it was overwhelming. Hermosa Beach has a small village type of feel. We picked this area because it was on the beach," Tracy Smith said.
Their first night in Hermosa was passed in the manner of many who stay at the hostels, enjoying the local bars.
"We went to Sharkeez Aloha Grill last night. The people were very friendly; we met some locals last night. The hostel is in a perfect location because of all the bars. We don’t have a car, so you want everything to be easily accessible," Smith said.
Although Steve White, the manager of the Lighthouse Café, has never stepped into the hostel, he said the establishment brings in business and people looking for employment.
"A lot of people live there. They use it as a foothold to get a job in the area. It is cheap rent for them. I can imagine the tourists are spending in the city," said White.
Aside from making nightly rounds at the bars and lounging at the beach during the day, the guests also take advantage of the daily outings the hostel offers.
"Its something we do every day in the summer," Desaulniers said. "We have city tours that start in the downtown shopping districts up to the Hollywood sign, to Melrose then to Beverly Hills to show celebrities houses. We then go to Santa Monica down through Venice and our last stop is Trader Joe’s."
Sarjeant would rather stay around the beach than participate in the daily outings.
"I am trying to accomplish nothing. I came here to do nothing and I am having a great time," said Sarjeant.
"You have to feel very comfortable where you stay. I’ve made so many friends here, it’s unbelievable," she said. ER