What makes a good hostel?

If you keep up with this site you’ll probably be aware I spend a good deal of time bitching about hostels. And never mind that I could go on for longer - what I thought I’d do today is write a bit about what makes a hostel good, and give some tips on how to avoid the bad.

Some of these may not apply to you, or apply in a different priorities - you may value a central location over a place that’s more quiet, but it makes sense to think about what you require in a hostel and book accordingly.

Cleanliness

I think this one’s pretty obvious. If after a long travel to get somewhere and it smells funky or there are dubious stains on the mattress it’s the last thing you need. If you also have to pay to rent bedding it’s just adding insult to injury.

A place doesn’t have to be spotlessly clean - after all, it’s a hostel rather than a hotel - but there are still basic standards that should be met. If you’re just there for a night it might not be too bad, but that’s for you to decide. Still, I think even then most people would prefer a clean room to one that’s not so clean.

Privacy

I think everyone enjoys their own space to some degree. I always much prefer hostels where, when it comes time to sleep, I don’t have to see other people’s faces. That’s maybe just a quirk for me, but if the beds are positioned sufficiently far apart or angled in the right way (or even better, have privacy curtains) then it’s much better for all concerned.

Power sockets

Everyone these days has laptops, tablets, mobile phones and so on that require fairly frequent charging, so if there’s eight of you to a room with only two power sockets, it’s going to be a struggle. By now most places do provide at least one socket per bed (some also include USB sockets), usually with a reading light too.

Shelf

This may sound slightly strange, but when hostels give you a shelf alongside your bunk it makes everything so much easier. You have a place to leave your phone while it’s charging, somewhere to put a drink, sponge bag, and so on. That little piece of wood can make your life much easier. (One place I stayed even had a small, lockable cabinet per bunk!).

Common areas

It’s important to have a good common area, particularly for solo travellers - it can be a bar, extended lounge, or even just a kitchen, but it should be an area people want to go to. An underwhelming common area usually leads to an empty common area and that’s just wasted space that could be used to provide me with a better room, nicer shower or more shelves.

Seperate toilet/shower

And they shouldn’t be in the dorm room. At first I thought it was really convenient, but what actually happens is a race in the morning to see who can get there first. Or, if people arrive at the hostel quite late they might have a shower when they arrive, and that can be noisy and annoying if it’s in the room.

Security

Hostels should really have a locker you can use to at least store valuables. There have been occasions where I’ve had to carry my laptop around with me because I didn’t want to leave it in the room and it quickly gets annoying, especially if you have a day full of activities planned. Really good hostels even have lockers large enough for big backpacks, and some even provide you with padlocks (although it’s advisable to bring your own).

Free (or low-cost) breakfast

It’s so great when a hostel offers a free, or low-cost, breakfast. If you arrived late you might not have been to a supermarket, or know where one is, so to have the option for one is great. Usually no-frills, help-yourself Continental-style offerings of bread, cheese and meat, it’s at least a basic way of having breakfast.

Roommates

This one isn’t really something that the hostel can control, but good roommates can make or break a stay in a hostel. If everyone’s quiet or simply don’t want to chat it can make sharing a room awkward. If, on the other hand, your roommates are good people to talk to then it can make an otherwise average place much better.

Tips to avoid a bad hostel

So, now we have some idea of what to look for in a good hostel, but how can you identify the bad? Looking at photos posted by the hostel is not going to work - obviously they’ll be taken under ideal circumstances that you won’t see.

Check reviews

An obvious one, but people have different standards. If you look for common occurences of a topic, even if they’re presented in a positive light, it’s an indication of how the hostel is. For example, if someone writes that they had a great time but it’s a little noisy, then it’s probably quite noisy but the reviewer’s making allowances. Great hostel reviews usually tend to be based on good experiences with the staff, and the majority of people won’t want to be unkind to someone they had a good time with.

Ask to see the room in advance

Sometimes it’s nice to have accommodation booked all in advance. You don’t need to look for it, if you use a website you can just show up and check in. This approach is less than ideal if it’s not like the nice pictures and good reviews you foolishly believed.

What you can do though is book for one night, and see how it is. If it’s good and you want to stay longer most places (depending on location and season) are pretty good about extending your stay.

If you can’t (or won’t) stay you can always leave your bag there while you go off and look at other options, and you can ask to see the room. Most places are quite good with things like this and gives you a good chance to see what you’re letting yourself in for.

While there, also check if they charge for things like bedding or renting a locker. These are basically essential things that sometimes aren’t included in the price.

Does it have a “no refunds” sign?

One of the biggest warning signs that you’re about to check in to a less than good hostel is a prominent sign at reception stating that there are no refunds. Obviously, this implies that there have been problems in the past and they probably didn’t end up well for the guest.

Check the location on a map

I never do this but really should - it makes sense to take a quick look at the location and see if it’s near metro or bus stops for convenience, or loud nightclubs for being annoying. You’ll have to do this anyway, to plot your route from wherever you arrive to the hostel, so doing it before booking is a good plan.

Conclusion

Hostels are generally a good place to stay - often you’ll have a better time than you would in a hotel, and with standards just as good. However, there are places that aren’t so great, but following this advice you should be able to safely avoid those and have a fantastic time! Written on February 24th, 2018 by David Seddon