La Digue

The location worked perfectly for us, with the beach and promenade five minutes away and the town centre de ville a 15-minute walk over the bridge. Rooms were basic and clean, which was all I needed for my visit. The staff were really helpful, with front desk service 24/7. There’s a lot to do here: table tennis, a snack bar, pool tables, bar footy, a garden and a good multilingual library. The hostel has friendly, multicultural vibes and atmosphere. Who needs overpriced hotels? I’m definitely going back next time I’m in the area.

The food was good, and we enjoyed the location near the beach, but we advise other schools to look at alternative accommodation. We won’t be returning. During our recent school trip to CAS, one person in our group came home with 56 bed bug bites, which was deeply unsettling. There was mould on the shower curtains and faulty door hinges, and windows that wouldn’t open or close properly were both uncomfortable and a fire hazard. Shared bathrooms allowed students to gather without supervision, compromising security. The manager was unkind to our children, which was unacceptable, and parking safety concerned us. The key-handling process was inconvenient and unnecessary. We also weren’t told about a designated fridge room, which led to needless back-and-forth.

We shared a twin room with two of our best friends. The locks worked perfectly, and the room was clean. But at 3am, the girl in my room turned over and saw a woman in a nightgown open the bathroom door, stand in the corner with her back to us, then start touching our belongings. She first thought it was one of our friends, but the bathroom door could only be unlocked from our side. There’s no way they could’ve got in. So who was she? Possibly we had a visit from a ghost... Also, they had chickens, and they were really cute.

I was on a school trip, and our room was filthy as soon as we got there. There were tissues under my bed with blood all over them, and the shower had mould. I didn’t feel safe, even with the door locked and the key left in. Someone knocked on my door at 3am and woke me up. The food was terrible too, watery fish that was chewy. The doors were really hard to lock, and my friend got locked in the toilet. Apart from that, I enjoyed the rest of my trip visiting other places in France.