Comfort: F  This was my first experience with a hostel - but having lived in college dorms, I thought it wouldn't be a big deal. However, when we checked in, our rooms had not been cleaned and there were dirty sheets on the beds (bunk beds) from the last person. The top bunk was broken, so I *slept* on the floor. The first night, the fire alarm went off around 3 am. This was after we had been awake for about 36 hours and were desperately tired. A staff worked unlocked our door and barged in over my protests, demanding to know if we were smoking. This was going on all up and down the hall. Evidently the alarm goes off every time someone smokes. Which is regularly, because it went off 2 or 3 more times that night. And it is LOUD.
There are other things that bothered me that may not faze an experienced hosteller, like loud people all night slamming doors, talking loudly in hallways, a shower with only 2 temps, ice and scalding, no sink for handwashing, and no toilet paper in the bathrooms. But for anyone going on their first trip, definitely stay away from Astor's Leinster Inn!

Price:  F  We  prepaid the first night on our credit card, at the rate of 36 pounds per night.  I budgeted for that much for the next three nights as well. When we went to pay on the first morning, she looked at me with a blank face and asked for 42 pounds per night. I was dumbfounded, just couldn't believe it. On my fax confirmation ,which was of course thousands of miles away at home, I had  the price in writing.  Complaining did no good, but I made sure that I  warned everyone on the Eurotrip boards about it. We really had no choice, we didn't want to lug our packs around searching for something else. So we paid it.

Atmosphere: F  Let's see. Rice Krispies and warm milk for breakfast. Dirty room, rude staff, 3rd (therefore 4th) floor with no elevator, nasty carpet ducktaped at the seams on every step. Hideous homemade paintings on every wall, no ventilation in bathrooms, most without a sink or even toilet paper.
 

York- The Avenue Guest House
Convenience: C  Long walk from the train station, especially carrying your bag! Although walking along the river is lovely, so it's a C instead of a D.

Comfort: B   Small room, but clean, and  decorated fairly nicely for the price.  Double bed,  TV, sink and mirror. 2 bathrooms down the hall, one with a bath tub, one with shower.  On a quiet  tree lined street across from a school.

Price: B   32 pounds included breakfast. As far from town as it is, it could have been a little less, I thought.

Atmosphere: B    It's on a pretty street,  but nothing spectacular about the room. Very nice dining room however, with an elegant breakfast setting (by my Kentucky bred standards anyway).

Inverness (Drumnadrochit) - LochNess BackPackers
Convenience: C-  From Inverness it's extremely inconvenient. Busses run only every 2-3 hours and they're expensive. Then it's a 10-15 minute walk from the bus stop. But it's a beautiful walk through mist shrouded mountains, and down the most quaint little dirt road.

Comfort: C+ Small room with a double bed. Window shade wouldn't close, and the sun rises before 4am.  No sink in the room, 2 bathrooms downstairs with a difficult hot water system. Very friendly and helpful staff though. Extra blankets in a chest in the hallway.

Price: B -  I think it was about $40 for the two of us, plus $4 or $5 for both of our breakfasts, self serve, wash your own dishes.

Atmosphere: B  Small room that's entirely pink! Walls, shade, bedclothes, lamp - everything! Cozy living room with fireplace - we needed the warmth! They did our laundry for 3 pounds 50 pence. The owner was extremely nice and helpful. The house is situated on a wonderful little road full of cottages,  glorious Scotland scenery all around. The hairy coos down the road are not to be missed.  Walking distance (although a long walk in the rain) from Urquhart Castle and Loch Ness. If it were anywhere but Scotland, it would've been a C.

Edinburgh - Millfield Guest House
Convenience: B+ About a 10 minute bus ride from the city centre.

Comfort: A  By far, the nicest place we stayed. Beautifully decorated home, with large comfortable rooms. Run by the very hospitable  and entertaining Mrs.  ?  A full size and twin size bed in the room, sink and mirror, large bathroom down the hall.  Tea facilities and supplies in the room. Lovely furniture, and garden view. Very nice lounge with comfortable seats, plenty of books and a warm fire.

Price: B- About $60 a night, included breakfast. Over our budget, but definitely worth it.  ( Cash only! )

Atmosphere: A+ The only place we stayed where we spent any amount of time just hanging out. The lounge was so inviting, the conversation with our hostess so entertaining that we skipped the pub scene on the second night, and spent in in the lounge room.  Her front  yard was a riot of flowers and greenery.  The breakfast was tasty, and oh-so-civilized,  the server in an apron, our hostess most obliging, and more food than anyone can reasonably eat so soon after awakening :-)

Paris - Hotel du Champ de Mars
Convenience: A 5 minute walk to Metro, 10 minute walk to Eiffel Tower.

Comfort: B  The room itself was quite comfortable, with our own private bath, but the chilly attitude of the staff decreased our comfort level. Full sized bed, table and chairs, housekeeping service, TV and phone in the room. Hairdryer in the bathroom.

Price: A  440 francs per night was a steal, compared to London.

Atmosphere: B-  If it weren't for the condescending haughty staff,   the location and charming room would have been worth an A. We had a view of the Eiffel Tower, especially nice at night. Our room overlooked a sidewalk cafe, which provided us with music. It was decorated nicely, and stayed cool in spite of no air conditioning. The neighborhood was full of mouthwatering patisseries, fromagerries, not to mention fruit, produce, seafood vendors, and much more. However, we were not made to feel welcome in the slightest- rather, we felt as though we were an inconvenience to them. I learned after arriving back home that my mom had emailed the hotel with a request for my wedding anniversary. She asked them to  send wine and flowers to our room, and charge it to her credit card. They didn't even deign to respond.

Gimmelwald - Esther’s Guest-House
Convenience:A There's nowhere in Gimmelwald that isn't convenient - everything is in the village!

Comfort: B- Small room, slanted ceiling that I knocked my head on repeatedly. No sink in the room. 2 bathrooms downstairs, everyone uses the same towels. "King" size bed (2 twins pushed together) with cushy comfy down blankets and a skylight to look out at the stars.

Price: B-  70 Swiss francs per night seemed a little pricey for the accommodations.
Atmosphere:A What can I say, it's in the heart of the awe inspiring Swiss Alps! I think even sleeping in straw up the road would rate an A in this part of the world! Nothing like going to sleep at night with NO noise. No traffic, no sirens, nothing but the waterfalls and the distant tinkling of cowbells. Wake up, hop up on the bed, and gaze out the window at the spectacular sight of sunrise in the mountains.

Cinque Terre - Affittacamere Vesigna Edi
Convenience: B+ It was in the village - there's really not anywhere that's not. But it was up a big hill, and quite a walk from the train station.

Comfort: B-   No Air conditioning, but a king size bed, private bathroom, TV, and kitchenette.

Price: B  90,000 lire per night

Atmosphere: C+ Not much to say. It's not cozy or charming, but not a dump either. The walls were cracked, there's a church right outside the window that rings 90 bells every morning at 7 am, construction going on right below us all day, so no siesta! Nice view of the village and the vineyards though.

Rome - Hotel Des Artistes
Convenience: B+  5 minutes to the nearest metro, 15 minutes  walk to Termini.

Comfort: C-/A  The first few nights we stayed in a non air conditioned room and I was miserable. It was a nice room with a safe and a sink, phone and TV, but I couldn't sleep it was so hot. Also, one day the bathroom was locked all day and night, with no-one in it and it took 2 calls to the desk to get it opened. For our last night, we managed to switch to a room with AC, and that was niiiiiice!

Price: B-  We paid $59-70+. Our stay coincided with the change from High to mid season, and then we switched to an air-conditioned room. Rome is expensive, so the price wasn't too bad for a private room.

Atmosphere: B - The neighborhood certainly wasn't anything special, but the rooms were nice, and there was a bar/reading room/internet lounge where you could get inexpensive drinks and coffee.