Frequently Asked Questions
We do not provide towels or toiletries so please bring your own, we have a limited number of towels to hire at £2.00 each
We provide all the bedding you will need but we are old school and you make your own beds and strip them on departure. We ask guests kindly not to bring their own bedding/sleeping bags.
We have a hair dryer and iron/ironing board guests can borrow. Please ask a member of staff for these items during reception hours.
Unfortunately due to own town centre location we do not have any parking. The closest car park is at the Brewery Arts Centre just behind the hostel the hostel (left immediately after the mint works off Highgate). The Brewery car park charges per hour during the day but after 6pm they charge an overnight rate of £1.20 till 9am. The local council car parks are within a few minutes walk of the hostel and charge per hour but are free from 6pm to 8am. The local council car parks also offer 3 and 7 day passes for guests staying longer. These are £17.50 per day for 3 days and £34.00 per car for 7 days. These passes can also be used in other areas of Cumbria, please visit the link below for more information
Unfortunately we do not have any outdoor space but there is plenty of open spaces within a few minuets walk. Abbot Hall Park (with children’s playground), Kendal Castle, Serpentine Woods, Nobels Rest, Gooseholme, New Rod Common, Kendal Green
Kendal Hostel has free Wi-Fi for all guests, the Wi-Fi does not work in all rooms due to the size of the building but works great in the communal areas
We do offer a washing services for guests. The cost for a machine wash is £3.00 per load and £3.00 per load for machine drying. A drying rooms is also available (please note this is only a room with a dehumidifier so ideal for drying damp clothes)
We have a secure bike shed just outside the hostel for guests to use. The bike shed does get very busy as we can only hold around 12 bikes.
We are on reception from 8.00am to 10.00am and from 4.00pm to 8.30pm everyday. We also have a mobile phone which is staffed 24 hours a day.
Check in is from 4.00pm to 8.30pm. Late check in can be arranged with the hostel prior to arrival after 8.30pm
We ask guests to leave the bedrooms by 10.00am to allow us to clean the rooms and let them rest before the next guest checks in. You are welcome to store luggage at the hostel after check out time and return later that day to collect your belongings.
You will be asked to pay for your stay on arrival at the hostel so you have a quick and easy departure on the day you leave. We accept cash or card payments.
If you have made a booking with a non-refundable room rate payment is taken at the time of booking as this is at a discounted rate.
There is no cancellation charge if you cancel your booking 14 days before your arrival date (this excludes sole use bookings). If you cancel less than 14 days prior to arrival the total cost of the booking is payable unless we are able to relet the rooms to other paying guests.
In the event of a no show the whole amount of your stay will be charged.
If you making a booking through a third party, please see terms and conditions at time of booking as these may vary.
Most of our rooms at Kendal Hostel are pet friendly. If you wish to bring your pet there is a one-off charge of £5.00 per stay, per pet. Pets are not allowed to stay in the dorm rooms. If you are unsure if the room you wish to book is pet friendly, please contact the hostel prior to booking. Owners are responsible for their pets at all times, any damages caused must be paid for by the owner. Owners will need to bring their own equipment such as poo bags, bowls, food, bedding and towels. Please do not allow your pets on the beds, furniture or in the kitchen area for hygiene reasons.
Kendal Hostel operates a no-smoking policy throughout the building. Guests who decide to ignore this rule will be fined.
Guests are welcome to come and go whenever they like, we do not have a curfew. When a member of staff is not at the desk the front door is locked but all guests are given the code to enter the main building. We do ask if guests are returning late that they keep the noise to a minimum to not disturb other guests.
Kendal hostel is not ideal for guests who have difficulties with stairs. To access our reception/lounge area this requires climbing 5 steps. Our kitchen and lounge are situated on the first floor of the hostel. Room 9 to 12 are situated at the end of the first-floor corridor. Rooms 2 to 8 are situated on the second floor of the hostel and Rooms 1 and 2 are situated on the third floor of the hostel. Please note we are a grade II listed building so we do not have a lift and we are unable to change the layout of the building.
The hostel has a communal lounge with TV, Sofas, Log Burner and Free Pool table. We also have a kitchen and dining room on the first floor.
Children of all ages are welcome to stay at the hostel. We just ask that children are not left unattended while staying at the hostel for their own safety. We do have 1 travel cot and 1 highchair available at the hostel for guests to use.
Our rooms are small and basic at the hostel as most guests are just using the hostel to rest their head and this is why we have the communal areas for relaxing. Some rooms have their own en-suite bathrooms but rooms without a private bathroom have use of the communal showers and toilets on each floor. The communal areas are cleaned throughout the day.
Dorm rooms are cleaned on a daily basis. All rooms are cleaned and disinfected before guest’s arrival. Private rooms are not cleaned until your day of departure. For your safety and security, no staff members will enter your room during your stay except with your agreement.
We have many different rooms to suit all guests. We have twin’s rooms which can also be used for single occupancy, 3 bed rooms, 4 bed rooms, 6 bed rooms and Family rooms. Some rooms are en-suite and some have shared bathrooms.
We encourage large groups to take sole use of the hostel. Sole use means that you will have exclusive use of all the rooms and communal areas. Sole use bookings start from £700.00 per night and the hostel sleeps a total of 40 guests currently. These bookings need to be made in advance to secure your chosen date. A deposit of £500.00 is required at the time of booking and the remaining balance to be paid 1 month prior to arrival.
Unfortunately due to Covid 19 we are not currently offering any meals. We are only 300 yards from Kendal town centre where there are endless options for eating out.
Normally we do offer breakfast to guests which will resume soon. The breakfast options are as follows;
Continental breakfast £3.00 pppd
Consists of Cereals, Bread, Jams and Preserves, Yogurts, Fruit and Fruit Juice
Full Breakfast £6.00 pppd
Consists of all of the above plus a cooked English breakfast
(cooked breakfasts require a group of 4 or more)
Yes the hostel has a fully equipped kitchen which all guests are welcome to use. The kitchen includes; Fridge, Hot water boiler, Toaster, Microwave, Gas hobs, Oven, Plates, Bowls, Pots, Pans, Cutlery etc. We also have shelves for each room so guests can store dry foods. We also offer Free Tea, Coffee, Sugar and cordial. Milk is provided only for hot drinks.
We have plenty of supermarkets within walking distance. Iceland (2 mins walk – Open Monday to Saturday 9am to 7pm, Sunday 10am to 4pm) Tesco Express (3 mins walk away – Open 7am to 11pm daily) Booths (our regional supermarket – 4 mins walk away – Open Monday to Saturday 7am to 9pm and Sundays 10am to 4pm). We also have ASDA, ALDI & MORRISONS which are accessible by bus or car as they are on the outskirts of Kendal.
The Lake District National Park start just outside of Kendal. The most popular places guests like to travel to are;
Windermere, Bowness-on-Windermere, Ambleside, Coniston, Hawkshead, Grasmere, Ulswater and Keswick. All these places are easily accessible by bus or car. The best (and cheapest) way to explore the Lakes is by bus. Stagecoach is our local bus company and they offer unlimited travel passes, single journeys can be costly so the travel passes are the best option. You can buy a 1 day pass for £11.50, 3 day pass for £26.00 or a 7 day pass for £29.00. These can be bought from the driver and are great value!
Please note the train services runs to Windermere only and no further into the lakes.
The closest train station to the hostel is Kendal which is around 15 minuet walk. You can also catch a taxi for around £5.00
Oxenholme station is around 25 minuet walk to the hostel. You can also catch a taxi from the station which will cost around £7.00
Kendal bus station is the closest bus station to the hostel and takes around 7 minutes to walk to.
