A high degree of comfort and location

You don't need to have 600 points to stay at an elite college – simply book in for a break while the students are away on their holidays, writes SANDRA O'CONNELL

FORGET BUDGET hotels and hostels, in many cities the best value accommodation is to be found in the groves of academe. When the students head home for the holidays, colleges rent out their rooms to tourists, making the campus the first port of call for the canny traveller.

Oxbridge

What better way to explore the city of dreaming spires than by staying in one of Oxford’s famous colleges.

Units are basic but warm and clean and, if you pick the right one, oozing with atmosphere. Some are self-catering, bringing down the cost of your stay even further. Stays are usually room-only, but a surprising number offer breakfast as part of the package.

A night’s stay at beautiful Magdalen College, Oxford, this month starts from €41 for a single, on a room-only basis. Alternatively, a double at equally impressive Queen’s College, with en suite and breakfast, costs €83.

Campus residents can eat in the college hall, wander the gardens and, of course, try their hand at punting up the river.

Or take a punt on Cambridge instead, with prices for an overnight at Sidney Sussex College costing €52 for a room on its gorgeous Cloister Court. A five- star hotel couldn’t give you the kind of surroundings it offers yet you’re getting it for a hostel price.

universityrooms.co.uk

Trinity College Dublin

Our very own claim to academic architectural fame could not be better located in the city centre for anyone looking for a break in the capital.

Enjoy 35 acres of cobbled squares and green spaces in a prime city centre location, with rates starting at just €40 per room for stays from June to September. All come with bedlinen and towels, complimentary tea and coffee and include a substantial Continental breakfast. It is possible to stay for as many nights as you like and there is rarely a requirement for a minimum duration.

Things to see on campus include the Old Library and Book of Kells exhibition, plus there’s a shop, a coffee shop, sports bar and the new sports centre with swimming pool, steam and sauna room and exercise studio. Trinity couldn’t be better served by public transport but, if you insist on driving, residents can even get discounted car-parking from the accommodation office.

irelandinsummer.com

Irish College Paris

Paris is not renowned for good value hotels – you can pay through the nose for a hotel you’d turn that same nose up at elsewhere. This makes the Irish College Paris, or the Centre Culturel Irlandais to give it its proper title, well worth checking out.

Located in the historic Latin quarter of Paris, in the 5th arrondissement, it is a short walk from the Pantheon and the Sorbonne and easily accessible by public transport, connecting directly with Orly and Charles de Gaulle airports, as well as the Gare du Nord.

The college offers short-term accommodation to both Irish residents and visitors with an interest in Irish culture, subject to a minimum stay of two nights.

This month, rates are €74 a night for a single and €103 for a double. Prices come down the longer you stay, meaning you can get a double room for a week for €502.

And you get much more than just a room. There’s a series of cultural events ongoing at the centre. Time it right this autumn and you’ll be there just in time for an audience with novelist John Connolly – admission free, reservation recommended.

centreculturelirlandais.com

University of Toronto

If you’re heading to Toronto, its campus offers some of the best value accommodation you’ll find.

Check out its 89 Chestnut Residence in the heart of downtown, right behind City Hall and within steps of the shopping and entertainment district.

A university residence with the feel of a hotel, each guest room is fully furnished and comes with private en suite bathroom, starting at CA$ 99 (€74) a night.

Rooms can cater for two adults and two children and there’s loads for kids to do here, including visits to Centreville Amusement Park, Paramount Canada’s Wonderland and Casa Loma, Toronto’s Castle.

During the summer months the strictly non-smoking facility takes both short and long term accommodation bookings, with special weekly and monthly rates applying. A week’s stay in a double costs CA$630 (€473).

Cheaper still, the University of Toronto’s New College Residence has rates from just CA$23 (€17) a night for a single room if you stay a month, rising to CA$41 (€31) if you stay five nights or less and CA$62 (€47) a night for a double.

Or stay off the beaten track at the University of Victoria, 62 miles from Vancouver. Rates at its Craigdarroch House residence start at CA$74 (€55) a night and include buffet breakfast. Or you can avail of single or twin rooms in a dorm building with housekeeping, towel service and breakfast for CA$53 (€40) a night for a twin, CA$44 (€33) for a single, sharing washroom facilities.

ncsummer.utornoto.ca 89chestnut.com

housing.uvic.ca

University of California,  Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley, offers summer visitor accommodation at its Stern Hall, again making an affordable alternative to local hotels. The residence is located on the northeast corner of the campus, in residence hall-style rooms, many of which have spectacular views of the Bay area.

Rates start at $62 (€49) a night for single or double occupancy, rising to $372 (€292) for a week. All rooms have single beds, bedlinen, a desk and wardrobe. You’ll have to share a bathroom but, other than that, it isn’t just the rates and the views that are attractive. From the dramatic Big Sur coastline to romantic Carmel and Pebble Beach to historic Monterey, Berkeley makes a great location for day trips.

San Francisco is just 15km away. Or take in the scenic Napa Valley, heart of the northern Californian wine industry, around 50km away.

housing.berkeley.edu

Columbia University, New York

There’s a catch with this one, in that guest accommodation at Columbia University is really only open to parents, alumni and guest affiliates. So your best bet here is to get your recently emigrated best buddy to sign up for a night class and chance your arm.

It’s worth it because guests stay in the hotel-style rooms on the 6th floor of East Campus, the university’s largest residence hall. All rooms have two double beds, a private bathroom, high ceilings and, and here’s the clincher, exceptional views of Manhattan.

Stay in air-conditioned facilities with 24-hour security, telephones, free high-speed internet, cable TV, hairdryer and iron. Add a trouser press and it could be a pretty swanky hotel. Each guest room is available for $150 (€118) a night.

columbia.edu

University of New South Wales, Sydney

In Australia, by contrast, university rooms are positively encouraged as an economic tourist attraction.

Check out Campus Summer Stays, for example, which specialises in offering affordable summer accommodation (which means winter at home, remember) to both group and independent travellers throughout Australia.

Its apartments are available to short-stay guests in 14 locations across Australia, from mid-November to mid-February. It has flexible options that allow you book either a whole apartment or just the room you need.

Macquarie University Village is a 15-minute drive from Sydney’s central business district, and within easy reach of restaurants, cafes and local attractions. Set on seven hectares of lush grounds, there are plenty of green spaces with outdoor picnic tables to enjoy. They’ll even set up a barbecue for you, let you play at their sports facilities by day or sit back and watch their outdoor cinema by night.

Or stay on the University Village in Kensington, a short bus ride from Sydney and close to Bondi Junction shopping mall.

There’s a coffee kiosk and convenience store here and they’ll even supply a breakfast pack at AU$10 (€7) per person. A studio apartment in December costs AU$105 (€74) a night, with a two-night minimum applying and discounts for longer stays.

clvsmartstays.com

University of Edinburgh

The second most visited city in Britain (after London) is a terrific place to wander, from shopping on Princes Street to the pubs and restaurants of the Royal Mile. Presiding over all of it is its dramatic castle.

And the University of Edinburgh is certainly doing its bit to boost tourist numbers with the newly launched Masson House, offering not just holiday time but year-round BB accommodation.

It has 120 rooms, open to both groups and independent travellers. All have TV and DVD player, en suite bathrooms, telephones, internet access and tea and coffee making facilities.

On top of this, each floor has a toaster, microwave, kettle and fridge, so you’re on your way to a very cheap stay indeed.

Between now and December 19th one person can stay in a double room, including full Scottish breakfast, for £44 (€53) or £59 (€71) for two sharing it.

edinburghfirst.co.uk