The Bristol Wing

…Bristol is a fabulous city, full of history and with a thriving artistic scene. The Bristol Wing, in many ways reflects this…

The Bristol Wing: The name doesn’t give much away, and neither does their website because this is Independent Hostels’ newest star signing. It is in Bristol – that’s all we can tell. Their website is still coming but their reputation is already up and running. Let’s dig a little…

The building is an old Police station, but not a sweet little ‘Heartbeat’ village bobby type. No, this is a huge stone block, city centre job with high ceilings and Victorian grandeur. It is newly renovated but there are fascinating original features and echoes of the old decor all over – look out for the cage lift in the main hall. Accommodation is in 90 rooms – a mix of dorm rooms, en-suite and private rooms. The enormous space is well used with communal areas throughout. The kitchen is well equipped, not to be confused with The Kitchen – the hostel’s own cafe. It feature vegan and vegetarian choices, the food is locally sourced.

And so we get a little clue to the ethical stand of the hostel, hidden in this imposing imperial facade is a business with strong beliefs which walks the way it talks. Managed by the YMCA as a social enterprise, profits from the hostel are poured into supporting the city’s homeless. During renovation loads of green technologies and environmentally aware choices were made from the heavy insulation to the solar power array across the roof.

Its seems that they’ve hit the nail on the head regarding customer satisfaction too. A few reviews have begun to trickle in which include comments like:

“The Bristol Wing is seriously cool in its decor, but gloriously warm in atmosphere. Our family bedroom was cosy and stylish…”

” Really impressed with how affordable the rooms are and the breakfast was delish with great options for vegetarians and vegans too…”

Bristol is a fabulous city, full of history and with a thriving artistic scene. The Bristol Wing, in many ways, reflects this. Try it out.