Moving into hostel territory

The bed is cheap and talk is free in Martha's Vineyard, which is more often associated with pricey and taciturn.

You can't get this kind of inspiration at the Hilton: Burned into a piece of wood hanging on a bedroom wall were the words What Is, Is.

That ode to acceptance and simplicity sums up Martha's Vineyard International Hostel, where the communal vibe urges you to let go of your cloistered, consuming, judgmental self and let your inner bohemian have a frolic. Or maybe you're a practicing bohemian, or just young and fiscally challenged.

In any case, if you're fond of dichotomies, as I am, then what could be more delicious than getting a warm meal, shower and bed for less than $30 in a celebrity playground?

What could be more novel than holding relaxed conversations with total strangers who often are not even from the United States?

Truth be told, laid-back repartee is far more common than celebrity sightings on the Vineyard, an island of about 100 miles with vast stretches of breathtakingly unspoiled landscape.

The Vineyard is a good place for beach bums, lovers, hikers, bikers, kayakers and birders. It's a place to eat, shop, read, covet the handsome homes built by ship captains, and soak up New England's dignified version of tourism. It's a bowl of homemade chowder in a canned world.

After a 45-minute ride on a ferry, which has food, drink and a good number of dogs aboard, a visitor can take a bus or taxi to the hostel. It's pretty much in the middle of the island, in West Tisbury. The buses are easy to use, and a three-day pass is $10. Or you can rent a moped or bike.

The hostel has the typical shared rooms, with bunk beds, but it does have one "private" room with a toilet and sink, for $65 to $96 a night, that will sleep five. Linens are provided for everyone. There are gender-specific restrooms and showers, and a big communal kitchen and living room.

The place is exceedingly clean. As expected, it is more Dylan than Designers' Challenge.

The shared vibe was part of the draw for me. I wanted to shock my 40-year-old being out of its workaday rut. And this time, unlike 10 years ago, when I savored the Vineyard with a boyfriend, my companion would be my 6-year-old son, who I thought might enjoy the camaraderie.

Memory did not disappoint. The east side of the island, named for a ship captain's daughter, still offered all the touristy "down island" things to do. "Up island" still had its bucolic beauty, hills rolling toward - or away from - the ocean.

But I made a mistake in taking a kid in late May, when the Atlantic was too frigid to dip more than a toe into. I had to scramble for child-oriented entertainment during a soggy, cold Memorial Day weekend. The restaurants of elegant Edgartown and the storybook Methodist cottages of Oak Bluffs failed to thrill a 6-year-old, who exclaimed that this was the most boring vacation he had ever been on.

I have also come to think that hostels are probably best an adult experience, even though my son enjoyed the cast of characters, which included three nannies from New Jersey, a mail clerk from New York, a young Australian couple touring the globe, a semistrange white man in his 50s, a book-reading black woman in her 40s, a late-20s guy from Canada, a young Englishman and a cadet from the U.S. Military Academy.

These folks were in, and they were out - on purpose. Except for the common room, the hostel closes between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. daily, from June to August (5 p.m. in the offseason). So the people renting beds cannot sit around and discuss life all day long. Nor is there a TV, though life goes on without it. There is Internet access, for a quarter a minute.

On the last day my son and I were there, I used the computer to book a room in Boston, where we would stay while going whale watching. The big-name hotel cost twice the price of the hostel, but it was lovely and offered every amenity imaginable - except conversation.

If you go

The Martha's Vineyard International Hostel is open mid April to mid October. It is closed for this year and reopens April 23. Rates are $18-$27 for adults, $65-96 for the private room. The rates vary by season and occupancy demands.

The hostel has 74 beds. The private room has one single bed and larger bunk beds. The address is 525 Edgartown-West Tisbury Road, West Tisbury, MA 02575.

MAKING RESERVATIONS: Call toll-free 1-888-901-2087; send faxes to 508 693-2699; e-mail mvhostel@yahoo.com

To make future reservations during the winter months, send e-mail to sophie@usahostels.org write Hostelling International,P.O. Box 996, Intervale, NH 03845.

MORE ACCOMMODATIONS: Try Nantucket, which features the Robert B. Johnson Memorial Hostel, 31 Western Ave., Nantucket, MA 02554. It is open from late April to mid October. It is closed for this year and reopens April 16. It has 49 beds, which rent for $20-$27 per night.

MAKING RESERVATIONS: Call toll-free 1-888-901-2084; e-mail nantuckethostel@yahoo.com go to www.capecodhostels.org

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