What makes a hostel great

This is one of the best places to make friends in a hostel. You can store your food in the communal fridge and cupboards and there will often be free staples such as pasta, olive oil, salt etc. Some hostels even have their own gardens where you can pick fresh herbs and veg. Town House Saigon in Vietnam. Purveyor of cheap drinks, new friends and fun times. Some of our best memories have taken place in a hostel bar.

These are also often live music hotspots! Their large courtyard space is the perfect place to socialise with like-minded backpackers. Check out some more legendary hostel bars!

Bambuda Lodge in Panama. Our favourite is Bambuda Lodge , where you can slide directly into the ocean. The gorgeous concrete slide at Here Hostel in Bangkok is also pretty mega. Unite Hostel Barcelona in Spain. Hub New Lisbon Hostel in Portugal. Yes, hostels can be great for partying. But they can also be great for a more chilled travel experience with people on your wavelength: think rooftop yoga, private beaches, hiking adventures, surf lessons and vegan food.

Many hostels offer the best of both worlds: a crazy wild bar and an indoor wigwam with Netflix on repeat. A huge cook up in the communal kitchen and chill time in the library. Slumber Party Hostel in Thailand. Brace yourself for drinking games and challenges, pub crawls, beer pong, happy hour and non-stop dancing.

Most party hostels will have a bar on-site so you can really drink whenever you want. Here you can take part in one of their nightly activities like cheap drink nights and their famous pub crawl.

Loki Del Mar in Mancora, Peru, will set you alight with their nightly themed parties and happy hours. Plus, they even have their own signature cocktail, the Bloodbomb! Take a look at more of the most hardcore party hostels out there! While there are no specific solo traveller hostels, there are hostels that go the extra mile to get solo travellers socialising and making lasting connections. These might be places that run cool social events, have a homely atmosphere, or just provide a bit of soul searching,.

Adventure Q2 Hostel creates that home away from home feeling for all its guests. Their cosy dorm beds will transport you into your bed at home! It also has heaps of fun activities like wine tastings, movie nights, pub crawls, rock climbing and bungee jumping. Check out more of the best hostels for solo travellers around the world.

Bambu Gran Palas Cenote in Mexico. For those wanting to make a difference during their travels, look into some eco-friendly and sustainable hostels around the world. Bambu Gran Palas Cenote in Tulum is surrounded by jungle and beach sand. The eco-warriors out there will love our list of more eco-friendly hostels!

Caulaincourt Montmartre by Hiphophostels in France. Boutique hostels also tend to have less rooms, for a more exclusive experience. Caulaincourt Montmartre by Hiphophostels in Paris, is a stylish wonderland, with bright spaces, heaps of plants and very chic furnishings.

When in Paris, live like a Parisienne! Lub D Phuket Patong in Thailand. And since hostels are cheaper and may be in more remote areas, people may not stick to the personal hygiene routine they keep at home. Lots of backpackers and long-term travelers stay in hostels, and can be ripe after spending time in nature or on the road without a shower! Hostels are cheaper than hotels because they run a more lean operation.

That means they typically have fewer staff members and offer fewer amenities. In general, hostels are safe— official hostels , especially. Hostels can vary in the number of amenities, perks, comfort levels, and location, so be sure to take this into consideration when choosing your housing.

There are so many amazing travelers you can meet in a hostel, and the accommodations invite mingling and creating new friendships.

Take time to talk to others and really enjoy the social opportunities you get by relaxing with fellow travelers. This is especially important for using communal showers, but flip flops also are a great choice for hanging out in the common rooms and the local area.

While many hostels are members of Hostelling International , some are independently owned and operated. Hostels are a cost-effective place to crash whether you travel, volunteer, or study abroad. The mission of Volunteer Forever is to make it easier for people to volunteer, teach, intern, and travel around the world by helping them find and fund their trips abroad. To stay in touch! What is a Hostel? Located near the center of the city, Oasis Backpackers Palace is a mega-hostel with 30 sleeping rooms, 40 bathrooms, and a maximum capacity of people at any given time.

Undeterred by its size, we decided to book it for a night and ended up extending our stay over a week. Oasis quickly became one of our favorite budget accommodation of all time, and is our pick for the best hostel in Seville.

Having frequented dozens upon dozens of hostels and hotels around the world we immediately realized that this place was a gem. In fact, it inspired us to write this very article about what makes a hostel great and what you should look for before booking your next stay.

Cleanliness is one thing we almost never compromise on when choosing a budget accommodation. A quick look around the hostel, its kitchen, and its bathrooms will tell you everything you need to know about the establishment.

A good hostel has staff that make the rounds multiple times a day to clean up after the ever changing roster of guests. How many bathrooms does Hostel X have per number of beds? We once stayed in a hostel in Mexico that only had two bathrooms for roughly thirty people. This led to a bathroom traffic jam of epic proportions in the mornings… and made for a pretty stanky place to shower for those last in line. No bueno! Our favorite hostels would not have been so if they had surly managers, dickish bartenders, or jaded desk staff.

Helpful and staff that return your smiles can make or break your stay. So when reading reviews for hostels before you book them, be sure to pay attention to what previous guests have to say about the staff.

A hostel that makes the effort to create an interactive environment is usually a hostel that cares about the experience of its guests. It is Baltimore's only Hostel. In addition, it is a cozy and spacious communal environment located in a historic. These about hostels in North America. Hi, I'm Thibault, a french student from Grenoble. I start this discussion to find people to interview for my thesis. Name spanish or english? Hello all I live in Colombia and iam choosing a name for my hostal.

I dont know if I should use a spanish name or. Only takes 30 seconds! Already a member? Login here. Skip to main content. Search form Search. Report Report 'What features would an "ideal hostel" have? Are you sure you want to report this page for offensive, abusive or spam content?

They would be large enough for a laptop and a camera. Backpackers are increasingly traveling with high-tech gear. This is more of a problem in city hostels. I mention it because I am on the road right now, staying at a city hostel that advertises security lockers, but that does not have them. There is only a small safety deposit box behind the front desk. They offered to put my laptop behind the front desk, but I've been to a couple of city hostels where theft by employees was a problem, so I don't feel comfortable with doing that.

All city hostels should have at least one locker for each guest. The advantage to a common kitchen is that it is easier to keep clean than multiple kitchens, and it is a place where all of the guests can come together and meet. To some extent, the most important thing that will leave a positive or negative impression on backpackers is whether or not they met other people and had fun. Even if they see a cockroach, if they met other backpackers and made new friends, they will remember the hostel as being a great place.

Example activities that could be coordinated by a hostel: volleyball at the beach, barbeque nights, "open mike" night, walking tours of the area, pub crawls, game tournaments e. Anything to encourage guests to interact. Nothing wrong with an occasional "movie night", but many great hostels do well without a TV at all.

The same goes for loud music. If there is an area where loud music is played, there should be a place where people can gather that does not have radio or CD music pumped into it all day. Musical tastes are too varied.