That is the question. And the question could be an answer as well, but just be followed by a sub-question: Beginning of What?
My blog is for the people who are in need of accomodation for more or less long time, 1-3 months, half a year, or maybe one year. Most of my readers are students or young trainees coming to Rotterdam for study and sometimes following internships at big world companies that are widely distributed in the Netherlands.
Therefore the sub-question is: Yes, I need the accomodation for more or less long time.
As my colleague, Tom Aksen, in one of his articles said about 'High Season' - August, September, October, November - the most difficult time for people searching for suitable accomodation - "It is very difficult to find a descent room during this time".
This again can be explained by a housing shortage in the Netherlands, especially in big cities, like Rotterdam, Den Haag and of course, Amsterdam.
But that also can be explained by some private landlords using the very high volume demand from students and increasing the prices dramatically. It can follow to misunderstanding, when some parties can not pay either accept the living conditions, and landlords asking for more and more money.
It is like a circle. But is it, or there are some other ways to find the suitable accomodation? There is the answer: Is the Hostel a Good beginning?
So we have arrived at the same question again, which is basically answer to the questions: Is the Hostel a Good Beginning for finding suitable accomodation, and the answer is Yes.
There are quite few descent hostels in Rotterdam: Quite Posh and avangard Stay Okay Rotterdam. Many people are starting their way in the Netherlands (South Holland) exactly from Stay Okay: there are more StayOkay in the Netherlands.
Another example is Hostel Room Rotterdam. I don't know much about the hostel personally and professionally but just some references from guests are: the best hostel in Rotterdam (from Ricardo, post is published on 2008-10-26 at the web-site of the hostel).
Some people advising to use one of web-resourse, for example couch surfing dot com, and try to find accomodation (temporary, of course) via those resources, but I think that one is more for travellers. And most of travellers are in Amsterdam, as like Dutch people saying, Amsterdam is for fun, Rotterdam is for work, Den Haag is for court.
One of the freshest examples are family running hostels. There are not much of them yet, but one is located in South Rotterdam (3081TW)
Why Short Stay? The answer is simple, because the choice is quite modest as per Tom Aksen words, in High Season. Is it probably better to try 1-4 weeks staying in a lets say the same family running hostel instead of coming and hurring up to find the best room on a very short notice?
Good luck and I will continue!
A. Aksenovs,
HollandLive (c) 2010.
