Elderhostels: Near and Not So Far

Perhaps you’re fascinated by the lure of Elderhostel, but don’t want to make a transcontinental commitment. You can limit your travel time by trying one of the rural, close-to-San Diego locations. Or if you live near a program site, attend as a “commuter”--a reduced-rate option that entitles you to all activities, including meals and field trips, but without overnight accommodations.

The regular, all-inclusive cost of a week-long program ranges from $295-$355, depending on factors such as site, facilities, shared or private bath and field trips.

Here are the sites closest to North County:

USIU (United States International University) is in the Scripps Ranch area, amid fragrant eucalyptus groves. The students and food are multicultural, the accommodations are in two-bedroom, double-occupancy apartments with private bath. Elderhostel programs will be offered three times a month, from Jan. 10 to April 3.

SDSU (San Diego State University) has a huge program that runs year-round and uses a newly refurbished campus residence hall, complete with heated swimming pool and reserved, Elderhostel-only communal bathrooms in each wing. The winter session begins Jan. 3; classes run virtually every week through April 3, with two completely separate programs during some weeks.

MiraCosta College in Oceanside is just gearing up for Elderhostel in 1993. Boasting a flat, grassy terrain in a hilltop location with views to the ocean, the college will put its Elderhostelers in private rooms in a high-quality motel. The program will be in full swing for the summer session beginning in August.

UCSD (University of California, San Diego) invites Elderhostelers to its campus every August through its senior-oriented Institute for Continued Learning. Lodging is provided in two-bedroom apartments at Third College, with extra nights available before and after the program for $16 per night.

The Point Loma Youth Hostel is often turned over to Elderhostel programs. This setting is “designed for the hardy hosteler,” with accommodations in separate men’s and women’s dormitories and shared, single-sex bathroom facilities. The site is a mile from the beach. Winter-quarter programs begin Jan. 10 and 31, March 14 and 28.

Idyllwild School of Music and the Arts is about two hours from San Diego and about a mile above the desert floor, in the San Jacinto Mountains. One-week arts-rich programs begin Jan. 24, Feb. 7 and 28, March 14 and 21.

Camp Stevens is on a 96-acre woodland site near historic Julian (65 miles northeast of San Diego, 4,200-foot elevation). The next Elderhostel week is Jan. 24-29.

Borrego Springs has an RV program sponsored by the Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce, and is located in eastern San Diego County’s low desert. That means bring your own lodging, but all else is provided. The site is near the 600,000 acres of beautiful Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. Winter classes begin Jan. 10 and 31, Feb. 21 and March 14.

Murrieta Hot Springs is a spa and fitness center with natural mineral water and lots of facilities. Six Elderhostel programs will run this winter session: from Jan. 3, 17 and 31; Feb. 14, March 7 and 21. Both this program, and the one in Highland Springs, are sponsored by Mt. San Jacinto College.

Highland Springs is in Cherry Valley, near Beaumont in Riverside County. Often referred to as “the Catskills West,” the resort boasts tennis, pool, saunas, gym and golf. Elderhostel programs begin Jan. 10 and 24, Feb. 7 and 28, March 7 and 14.