Have you ever wondered whether those hostel ratings on HostelWorld and Booking.com were real? I have stayed in highly rated hostels that turned out to be a nightmare! To help you with your next trip, I have asked 6 travel bloggers what their favorite and least favorite hostel is around the world, so you know which ones to book, and which ones to avoid.
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Stumble Safari’s Favorite and Least Favorite Hostels
My favorite hostel was hands down Yes! Hostel in Lisbon, Portugal. The location was very reasonably priced, with some of the best rooms I have ever stayed in. The beds were incredibly comfortable, and we were given a very large room with a balcony, roomy beds, and a picnic table for a 6-bed mixed-gender dorm. Dinners were cheap and delicious (and included free booze!), and they had nightly bar crawls. Yes! Hostel is located right next to the Tram 28 line, very close to the train/metro, the Praca do Comercio Plaza, and dozens of restaurants and shops. I wanted to stay forever! The only negative about this hostel is the bathrooms are down the hall, rather than in the rooms, which is very common for even the best-rated hostels. They were clean though!
Update: after this article was written, I completely fell in love with yet another hostel. I did not want to exclude Yes! Hostel in this article, but MUST mention Rose Cottage Hostel in Otavalo, Ecuador! This location was a perfect example of a hostel with relatively low ratings, but that I ended up loving.
My least favorite hostel was in Milan, Italy: New Generation Hostel Urban Navigli. The room had no air conditioning and was swelteringly hot. The in-room bathroom was absolutely disgusting and had no toilet paper or soap. The beds were ok, but the building was located so far away from any public transit that you were exhausted by the time you got back to your room (unless you paid for a taxi). It was also overpriced for the rooms, service, and location (€36 for two beds in a 6-bed dorm per night). Absolutely not worth it, in my opinion.
Best and Worst Hostel Experiences – Listen to the Wild
The lovely SJ at Listen to the Wild says she has a handful of favorite hostels, but her worst-rated hostel experience is the most memorable. She writes:
I’ve stayed in hundreds of hostels, but my least favorite was probably The Hub Hostel in Coron, The Philippines. Located far down a residential back alley, the hostel provides 1 semi-working toilet and 1 semi-working shower for 50 guests. The rooms are dingy and dirty, and the mattresses are short and thin. Beyond that, the bedbug infestation I found here was so awful I prepped to pack my bags and leave the country there and then.
As for her best experience:
I came to Budapest with a vague plan to travel Eastern Europe and ended up at Vitae Hostel for 2 months. The hostel is full of home comforts, with 3 kitchens and many comfortable common rooms. The staff creates a sociable and welcoming environment every night. Quieter than its sister hostels in the Budapest Party Hostels group, you can opt for a comfortable night’s sleep, or for experiencing Buda’s wild nightlife. With great staff, comfortable spaces, and low prices, it’s a tough hostel to say goodbye to.
Thailand’s Best Hostel – The Happy Days Travels
Shireen from The Happy Days Travels blog has a lot to say about her favorite hostel in Chiang Mai, Thailand! She writes:
The best hostel I’ve ever stayed in was in Chiang Mai, Thailand. I stumbled upon Nature’s Way Hostel on booking.com by chance, and with a few good reviews, booked it for three nights. On arrival, we were greeted by fellow travelers and friendly staff who helped us with booking excursions in and around Chiang Mai. The owners of the hostel were always back and forth, making sure guests were happy, or if staff needed help. They always took time to get to know their guests, which instantly gave a sense of community. The communal area was a great space to interact and eat the yummy food prepared by the hostel’s cafe. We enjoyed exploring the city with the other travelers, local pub quizzes, and even in-house BBQ’s. After leaving for Pai after three days, I returned to stay for another week at the hostel because I made such good friends with guests and staff. I also returned about a month later to Nature’s Way and stayed on for a further two weeks. What was supposed to be a 3 day stay turned into almost 4 weeks at the same hostel because it was that good!
The vibe of the hostel matched the vibe of the city: magical.
A Great Experience in Myanmar – Finding Elevation
Cristina from Finding Elevation had one of the best experiences ever at the Backpacker Hostel in Yangon, Myanmar. She writes:
Backpacker Hostel is located right at the centre of Yangon – walkable distance from major landmarks that should not be missed. It’s small, with only 2 rooms (1 male and 1 female), and each room has 5 bunk beds.
Now, the beds are just heaven! The owners decided to take “quality over quantity” to the next level. The mattress, pillow, and bedsheets are all hotel quality, and the duvet was the next best thing for a budget traveler since Thailand’s famous 7/11 toasties. The lockers are massive, and all the bunks have good quality curtains and their own lamp.
Adding to this, the washroom was massive. Even though it’s shared between 10 people, I didn’t have a problem with waiting in lines. The breakfast is free and plentiful, and all this “hotel quality stay” came to only $8/night.
I’m not a party person, and this is a quiet hostel. The dining area offers plenty of space to meet other travelers. I was honestly so impressed, I stayed there at the beginning and at the end of my stay in Myanmar. In all my travels, I always bump into hostels that choose quantity over quality, and this experience was a breath of fresh air!
The Best Hostel in Ecuador – Hannah’s Happy Adventure
I was very excited to hear about this incredible hostel in Quito, Ecuador, as I was planning a trip here myself in August 2019! Hannah from Hannah’s Happy Adventure loves The Secret Garden hostel in Quito. She writes:
After traveling most of Europe, Asia, and South America, I can say hands down the Secret Garden is the best hostel I have ever stayed in. They provide comfy clean beds, cheap breakfast and dinner, and a friendly environment. The hostel has a roof terrace with gorgeous views over Quito. There is one long table, making it the perfect environment for meeting fellow travelers. Furthermore, the vibe at night is particularly good. There tends to be a good mix of people getting boozy and those having a chilled time.
As part of your stay, you can take a free walking tour with the hostel. Our guide was excellent and gave us a very informative tour of Quito. By chance, we also saw the president….and snipers on the roof! Additionally, if you want to visit nearby attractions that require a taxi, they have a board where you can list your name, Whatsapp, and the attraction you wish to see. This enables you to find fellow travelers to share a taxi with.
Besides these features, the hostel runs a great tour to Cotopaxi. I heard only good things about it while I was there. Although, I sadly didn’t have enough time to visit myself.
Opposite Hostels at Opposite Sides of the World – Quiet Girl Loud World
Last but not least, my good friend Keri from Quiet Girl Loud World provided some information on an incredible hostel in Japan and a not so great experience at a hostel in Belize. She had such different experiences on opposite sides of the world! She writes:
Imagine feeling right at home and welcome in a rural city in Japan. The hostess greets you as a friend, and you discuss your dreams with each other. The rooms are clean and comfortable. That is the experience that you will have at the Tabi Shiro in Matsumoto, Japan.
We spent a single night at this hostel, but I wish we had stayed longer. Tabi Shiro has a bar and lounge by the entrance where you can chat with the owners, the other guests, and some locals. You can try a craft beer or have a glass of plum wine, or another local drink. I even had a modest breakfast of toast and green tea here the following morning.
Many other travelers staying there were hiking in the Japanese Alps. I noticed several older travelers, which speaks volumes. This is not a party hostel, but you will still meet amazing people there! The owner of the hostel and his staff won me over with their friendliness and willingness to help us out. They directed us to places that we would not have seen otherwise. If you are visiting Matsumoto, Japan, plan to stay at Tabi Shiro. It is still the best hostel I have stayed at and I have loved many hostels!
Keri’s least favorite hostel is located in Hopkins, Belize.
As far as hostels go, I generally have a good experience. My worst hostel experience was my first ever at the Funky Dodo Hostel in Hopkins, Belize. I attribute a lot of my negative feelings to the lack of previous travel experience and food poisoning.
I was not put off right away. The lack of air conditioning and open bunk beds were not great, but I could manage. The bed was cheap. This was also my first experience with outdoor toilets with showers overhead. It was not a problem until the next morning when food poisoning hit full throttle. Outdoor bathrooms are not great for that, and sweating profusely did not help the situation.
Being sick in a hostel is terrible. The Funky Dodo was not a good place to be in this situation at all! That being said, my experience there was in 2011. I recently looked up the Funky Dodo, and photos look exponentially better than when I stayed there. Hopefully, others have a better experience than I did as the hostel is minutes from the beach!
Hopefully, the experiences of these seasoned travelers have helped you choose which hostels to stay in or avoid on your future travels! Hostel ratings don’t always tell you what you want to know!
Let me know some of your own hostel ratings!
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