Five of the Best Hostels
While the word hostel may bring to mind dirty sheets and bathrooms, Contiki tours and a lack of privacy that can lead to some awkward noise or that terrible horror film, hotels are that are actually not so bad.
Hostels, at least the good ones, usually allow any traveller to stay in a location that would otherwise be out of reach unless you are a fan of maxed-out credit cards and gives you the chance to meeting interesting travellers from all corners of the world. Even if they are not perfect at the very least they save you have some dough to spend on way more important things.
To inspire you to give hostels a chance here some great hostels around the world.
1. City Backpackers Hostel (Stockholm, Sweden)
Although this is one of the most recent hostels I have stayed in I can safely say this is one of my favourites. Exceptionally clean and offering a free sauna as well as a large and well-equipped kitchen (free pasta!) this is the most charming medium-to-large size hostel I have ever crashed in. Despite being a 30-minute walk from Stockholm’s most famous tourist area, Gamala Stan, the hostel's amazing vintage-inspired interiors, including a black and white TV that plays old Mickey Mouse and Betty Bop cartoons, and its closeness to the main bus and train stations, make it well worth the walk.
2. Baby Lemonade (St Petersburg, Russia)
Truthfully even with the great reviews, I wasn’t expecting much from this hostel mostly due to the reputation of another nearby hostel, Soul Kitchen, however, it instantly became one of my favourites. Like City Backpackers, it has charming vintage interiors, though this time they are strictly 60s and 70s music-themed and a well-stocked kitchen. However, it is also smack in the middle of the main tourist area of St Petersburg being only
3. The Wendy House Gwangalli Busan (Busan, South Korea)
This hostel, in South Korea’s amazing but often skipped second city Busan, is perhaps the most friendly and sociable hostel not only in South Korea but arguably East Asia. Wendy is incredible and is both professional and welcoming acting as weird as it sounds like a host and a guest. She even cooked the guests eggs every morning! Although this isn’t a traditional party hostel Wendy does organise nights out which start with Korean BBQ and continue with lots of soju and of course karaoke. As with my other picks, this hostel is also centrally located being super close to the beach and is also exceptionally clean for such a small hostel.
4. UINN Travel Hostel (Taipei, Taiwan)
Although this is marketed as a hostel it is actually a hostel-capsule hotel hybrid. As well as ensuring increased privacy and more personal space than a usual hostel room this hostel has exceptionally clean and offers a pretty good free breakfast. Despite being a fair distance from Taipei’s main train station and a MRT station, it is located in cute neighbourhood and about 12 minute walk to the National Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall and a 30 minute walk to Lungshan Temple and the original Din Tai Fung.
5. Generator Paris (Paris, France)
As one of the most expensive cities in terms of accommodation in the world, Paris is one city where staying in a hostel is pretty good decision. While the city has an abundant number of hostels to choose from Generator Paris remains one of the best. Even though this a large, chain hostel, which sometimes have more of a hotel atmosphere and lack the homely (Generator London, for example, feels just like this), social feel of a hostel, Generator Paris manages to be the best of both worlds. Although it is located in a slightly less areas of Paris (I would argue though that there are very few arrondissements left in Paris that are not tourist filled) it is close to both Canal Saint-Martin and Gare du Nord as well as nice 30 minute to the centre of Montmartre. Compared to many European hostels the breakfast is also quite good and its well worth spending some time on the rooftop which offerings amazing views including of Sacré-Cœur and the Eiffel Tower.