Shipshape new YHA to open at Cornwall’s Eden Project

Bookings have opened for the brand new YHA Eden Project, YHA's newest hostel which is being built at the Cornwall-based visitor attraction and opens on Wednesday 24 October. The 54-room YHA Eden Project is being built by portable hotel company Snoozebox and is made entirely from shipping containers.

The innovative hostel was granted planning permission in July and is a partnership between Eden and YHA (England and Wales). It is located on the former site of Eden's Strawberry car park and offers amazing views over St. Austell Bay as well as being a short walk or bus ride to Eden's main entrance and the famous Biomes.

The single level Snoozebox Youth Hostel will feature 54 contemporary en suite bedrooms, which sleep between two and four guests. An additional four disabled access rooms will also be created. The cleverly designed, compact and comfortable Snoozebox rooms are self-contained and include air conditioning/ heating, an en suite wet room, power sockets and YHA's own green bedding to ensure a YHA experience. For peace of mind and security all rooms have key card entry and a personal safe.

As a pre cursor to the new Snoozebox Youth Hostel, earlier this year YHA opened the Eden Project's first-ever public campsite which was operational for the 2014 summer season. The new YHA will now be used by the many school groups and people who visit the Cornish visitor attraction, which is also home to England's longest zip wire, each year.

Caroline White, Chief Executive of YHA (England and Wales), commented: "We are delighted to be working with the Eden Project. As we are both educational charities, there is great synergy between us and having both camping and Youth Hostel facilities at Eden will enable us to reach many more young people and their families each year."

Dave Harland, Eden Executive Director, said: "This is an exciting development for Eden and we're very pleased to be working with YHA and Snoozebox to further expand the options for people who would like to stay here and make Eden their base for exploring this fantastic part of Cornwall.

"This is a Youth Hostel with an Eden twist and must rank as one of the most novel places to stay in the country. The quirky, innovative rooms – housed in shipping containers – are incredibly comfortable and will be a real talking point for anyone spending time in them."

Prices for private en suite rooms start from only £39.00. To celebrate the opening of YHA Eden Project, YHA is offering 20% off bookings made at Eden between 3 October – 9 November for stays taken between 24 October 2014 – 12 February 2015. Book online at www.yha.org.uk or by calling 0800 0191 700 and quoting PEEK-004 to get 20% off the cost of bookings.

The investment in YHA Eden is part of YHA's capital investment plan in England and Wales. Since 2011 YHA has invested more than £25 million in its network helping put further distance between the outdated public perception of YHAs and the modern reality, which is proving particularly popular with young families looking for great value, child-friendly breaks. Later on this year, the brand new YHA Brighton will be opening its doors on 17th November after taking over the former for star Royal York Hotel.

To take a virtual tour of a modern YHA Youth Hostel visit www.yha.org.uk/hostel-virtual-tours

For further details of all Youth Hostels in England and Wales, or to make a Youth Hostel or camping booking, visit www.yha.org.uk.

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