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BANANA BUNGALOW HOLLYWOOD

"International party animals also love the friendly, popular and noisy Banana Bungalow Hollywood. They have 200 dormitory beds in rooms of four, six or ten ($15 to $18) - each with cable TV, bathroom and lockers. Facilities include free continental breakfast, a bistro, small store, communal kitchen, internet access, gym, laundry, swimming pool, library and car rental agency. Movies are shown nightly on a large screen TV, parties thrown throughout the week and free shuttles provided to area attractions." 

...Lonely Planet California and Nevada, January 2000

"This small international village just above the Bowl is the perfect place from which to explore Hollywood. Forty five well kept bungalows (sleeping four to six, each with its own bathroom) make up the dormitory accommodation and there are ten private rooms, each with a TV, lockers and bathroom. Guests have access to the pool, kitchen, pool table, video games, a simple restaurant serving sandwiches and burgers under five bucks, and three dance parties a week. Its location is a bit removed from the action, but the hostel provides daily shuttles to attractions and nightlife."
...Time Out Los Angeles, 1999

"Banana Bungalow Hollywood: north of the Hollywood Bowl. Free shuttles to airport, beaches, and attractions. This Hollywood Hills locale affords it space enough to create a relentlessly wacky and frisky summer camp atmosphere, not for the retiring traveler. Free nightly movies, pool, hoops, weigh room, Internet Access ($1 for 5 min), and "snack shack". Continental breakfast, linen, and parking included. Meals $5. Check in 24 hr. Check out 10:30am. Co-ed dorms with bathrooms and TV $18-$20; private doubles $55.  Passport and international airline ticket required for dorms; Americans can stay in private rooms."
...Let's Go U.S.A., 2000

"The Bungalow's efficient staff and robust backpacker clientele make for a summer camp atmosphere that is relentlessly wacky and frisky, especially in the restaurant party area. Free shuttle from the airport. Free nightly movies, arcade, and frequent dances in the restaurant area. Pool, hoops, weight room, internet access ($1 per 10 minutes) snack shack and free continental breakfast." 

...Lets Go U.S.A., 1999

"Opened in 1992, this hostel offers a bounty of attractions, an efficient, no-nonsense staff, and a   rambunctious backpacker clientele....The atmosphere is relentlessly fun loving and a bit goofy, with a restaurant/party area and lots of amenities that encourage lively socializing" 

...Let's Go California

"The facility is stocked with everything you could possible need for serious relaxation, and then some: a room with a big screen television where movies are shown twice nightly, a nice back patio with tropical plant life and a deck; and a full service snack bar with a jungle theme. Every room is equipped with its own bathroom and color television."
...Hostels U.S.A., 1998

"This well run hostel offers so much that you may forget to venture down to frothy Hollywood Boulevard for fun. There's always a crowd floating between the pool, weight room, basketball court, sun deck and arcade. Other extras include free breakfast (coffee & toast), free movie nights, free shuttles to the beach, studios and amusement parks and a reasonably priced cafe. Laundry, luggage storage, free linens, kitchen. Reservations recommended in summer."

...Berkeley Guides California, 1995

"Price notwithstanding, if you're under 35, Banana Bungalow is probably the most fun place to stay in all of Los Angeles.  Nestled in a little Hollywood Hills valley...International guests always seem to be looking for a good time and the atmosphere is always upbeat."
...Frommer's California, 1995

"You'll get the most for your money at this mini resort in the Hollywood Hills..." 

...Fodor's California, 1995

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BANANA BUNGALOW WAIKIKI BEACH

"Most of the hostels are small scale, but the newest place to jump into the fray, the Banana Bungalow, is a large operation, with as much capacity as all the other private hostels combined".... Banana Bungalow Waikiki Beach (hires@bananabungalow.com, 2463 Kuhio Ave., Honolulu, HI 96815) is hands-down the most cushy hostel in Hawaii. It occupies a modern mid-size building on Kuhio Ave., convenient to the bus and about a five minute walk from the beach. Run by a small mainland chain, the place is a cross between a hostel and a hotel, with about 25 rooms that each have six to eight dorm beds and 35 other rooms set aside as private accommodations. All rooms, whether dorm or private, have a bathroom, balcony, phone, cable TV and air-con. There's a choice of coed or same-sex dorms. Guests have use of kitchen facilities, a big screen TV, a coin laundry and computers with Internet Access ($1 per 10 minutes). Inexpensive barbecues are held three nights a week and there's a daily tours to Hanauma bay, Pearl Harbour or a hiking destination for $3 to $7. Snorkel gear, boogie boards, surfboards and moped can be rented on-site at reasonable rates. Dorm beds cost $16, while private rooms, with one king or two twin beds, start at $60; tax is included. Mastercard and Visa are accepted. FREE transportation is provided the airport; transportation back to the airport is $4.  Visit their website (www.bananabungalow.com) for additional information " 

...Lonely Planet Hawaii, March 2000

"recently converted from a hotel, Banana Bungalow offers laundry, a/c, refrigerators, tours, and free airport pickup."
...Lets Go U.S.A., 1999

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BANANA BUNGALOW NEW YORK

"A vast, continually expanding hostel, with sun deck on the top floor, a tropical theme lounge/kitchen."
...Lets Go New York, 1995

"Banana Bungalow has ambitions to be the largest hostel in the world; for now, its merely the most fun!"
...Lets Go U.S.A., 1998

"Few Hostels do a better job living up to the Rucksackers North America credo of carefree of "no hassles." A stellar location in the upper west side."
...Hostels U.S.A., 1998