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In my travels, I tend to lean towards cheaper options when it comes to a place to lay my head. Sometimes that has meant sleeping under a chair in an airport or my seat on the bus. Other times it meant crashing with friends or relatives. Yet, one of the most entertaining places to rest is one of the many types of hostel.
However, not every type of hostel will be a good fit for every type of person. Not only that, but sometimes hostels are an overlap of different types and you won’t necessarily know what kind it is until you get there.
So I created this guide to help you understand the different types of hostel. I hope it will help you find the right fit for you in your travels.
The Cheap Hostel
Hostels, in general, are known as the cheap option. People choose to go to a hostel either cause they are cheap or they vibe with the energy there.
The cheap hostel stands out amongst its peers in a handful of ways, but you can usually spot these fairly easily as they will be the cheapest of options. It will show in other ways as well. One of those ways is the comments left on them.
Normally the service and facilities will match the price. Especially when compared to others around town.
You’ll most likely find these places on the outskirts of town, miles/kilometres away from the center or any attractions. That or they will be in an undesirable area that most wouldn’t deem to be the safest.
My Recommendations: Unless you are really trying to limit spending to the bare minimum or don’t care where you are staying, I would avoid these. These are one of the two places that the worst hostel stay stories come from.
The Fake “Cheap” or Factory Hostels
I put these two types of hostel together because they tend to be the ones that overlap the most.
These types don’t care about you as a guest. Certainly, you are nothing, but a number meant to be used to drain money from. Boy does it ever show as well.
Fake cheap hostels will lure you in with really low prices but hit you with charges for every single amenity possible. Sometimes it’ll be as easy as extra charges for breakfast and with others, everything.
By everything I mean everything. Laundry, kitchen usage, towels, locker usage, even pillows, sheets, and wifi. Some will even go as far as to give you a B.S. reason as to why you can’t use your own sleeping bag and pillows. Sometimes coming up with lists of rules and reasons to force you to pay outrageous prices for amenities that would be free in other hostels.
Most fake cheap hostels double as a factory. I would even go as far as to say all fake cheap hostels are factory hostels, but not all factory hostels are fake cheap hostels.
Factory hostels are pretty much what they sound like. All guests are just parts on an assembly line. They want to get you in and out with as little effort as possible. Some will even kick you out if you are a problem at all. Some go as far as to kick out people who are complaining about the smallest thing.
Factories will overlap with almost any other type of hostel. The one exception would be the homely hostel. Those are (almost) never factories. Yet for a factory hostel to exist it requires other types of hostel. A factory cannot exist on its own.
A really good example of a factory hostel that is now closed would be the Smart Stay Hostel in Munich.
My Recommendations: Avoid fake cheap hostels like the plague. If you ever find yourself having booked one take the loss and find something else. You’ll lose more money by staying here than by paying the no-show fee and finding somewhere else to stay.
For factories, it depends on what other types of hostel it overlaps with. It most likely won’t be an over-the-top wow experience, but it won’t be bad most of the time either.
The Homely Hostel
The minute you walk into this type of hostel you feel as if you are home. Most are operated by the owner or his family so the level of hospitality is top-notch. Throughout the evening and night, the staff will be sitting, laughing, and talking with you. They go out of their way to make every guest feel like family.
Chances are this hostel is where the owner and family live as well so it will look and feel like a home. There will usually be a shared kitchen, maybe some living room areas, a nice garden you can sit in and so much more.
Any interaction with the staff is relaxed and nothing ever feels rushed. Some homely hostels will even have a daily family dinner, breakfast or other events for the guests.
I love these hostels and they shine. Especially on a social level. They create an environment where getting to know the other guests is not only welcome but encouraged.
This is usually reflected in the comments with sentiments such as: “They made me feel like part of the family” or “I never want to leave!”
This type of hostel can be found in the city center but is most commonly found in residential areas as they are usually family homes-turned-hostel.
As I write this I am currently staying in one. Dragan’s Den in Korcula, Croatia is a pretty good example of the Homely Hostel. Dragan is a gracious host who is always up to chat and the garden that I write this in is just gorgeous.
Likewise, another great homely hostel is Hostel Mimika in Makarska, Croatia. Although currently closed the hospitality of the main man, Jo, is second to none. He goes above and beyond to make sure you enjoy his stay at Hostel Mimika. Hopefully, Hostel Mimika will be open again soon.
My Recommendation: Whenever you get the chance to stay at this type of hostel take it. It is an amazing experience that might just bring you back for years to come.
The Once-in-a-Lifetime Experience Hostel
All over the world, there are unique hostels that are truly a once-in-a-lifetime travel experience. They turn the average place to lay your head for the night into an adventure.
How is this done?
By creating a unique experience unlike any you will find anywhere else in the world.
You will know this type of hostel the second you see it. Your reaction will match reviews saying “It’s like nothing I have ever seen before.” and “ I can’t believe something like this even exists!”
Jumbo Stay in Sweden is one such place. This hostel has been made out of an old jumbo jet. If you’re lucky you might even get to sleep in the cockpit!
In addition, Caveland in Santorini, Greece is another such hostel where you get to sleep in caves that are 3,600 years old!
My Recommendation: If ever given the chance to stay in one of these hostels take it! Even if it is only for a night or two in between other hostels. It is worth the money to have a once-in-a-lifetime experience like this
The Luxury Hostel
These types of hostel are known by many names. Upscale hostels, premium hostels, even boutique hostels.
These hostels are very high-end and their price will reflect this. To clarify, these are still a suitable budget pick, but they will be more expensive than most other hostels. That being said a night or two in one of these can usually fit most budgets
The Luxury Hostel focuses on design and comfort. Most will have a super interesting story to tell as well.
An excellent example of a Luxury Hostel would be the Babushka Grand Hostel in Odessa, Ukraine. The Babushka Grand Hostel is modelled after the palace of an 18th-century Odessian aristocrat and it is just stunning.
My Recommendation: If you have the money to stay in one of these for a couple of days you should. It’s a really nice experience and a soft reprieve of luxury within the budget-friendly hostel scene.
Hostel Geeks’s “5 Star” Hostels
Hostel Geeks has created an entire criteria to deem certain hostels “5 Star” hostels.
They have gone to great lengths to try out hundreds of hostels and create a huge list of what they deem to be the best of the best.
However, you shouldn’t just take my word for it! Go check out their list here.
The Classic Youth Hostel
These are the types of hostels you may have heard about when growing up. No not the ones where they kidnap you for rich people to torture and kill you. You’ve gotta hate the way Hollywood horror films have preyed on hostels to create fear.
No these are the ones focused on the young traveller who wants to meet others like them. That and huge groups such as school groups and gap-year friend groups.
This type of hostel focuses on large social areas and giant dorms.
My Recommendations: As a social traveller the classic youth hostel is a pretty good option. Yet with the focus being on younger people and groups, it can be a bit alienating as a solo traveller. Moreover, this type of hostel is not targeted towards backpackers so a backpacker will probably stick out a bit, but it’s all depending on the type of person you are. Whether or not you give a classic youth hostel a chance is completely up to you. Though I doubt you would regret it.
The Party Hostel
This type of hostel has become a lot more popular in recent years. People come from all over the world to party all night long in great party hostels.
Chances are if you’re going to one of these you are not going to sleep. People may be in and out of rooms all night; when they do they will most likely be drunk, high, or both. You came to the party so party on!
Some party hostels will also have DJs raising the roof until the wee hours of the morning
The Madhouse in Prague, Czech Republic is a grand example of this type of hostel. Here you will have the chance to party with people from all over the globe.
My Recommendation: Party hostels are definitely worth a try. Especially if this is your kind of scene. However, I wouldn’t recommend spending your entire trip in them though as they can get exhausting after some time.
Still don’t know if hostel life is for you? Let me give you 7 reasons to choose hostels instead of hotels
The Lifestyle Hostel
The lifestyle hostel is exactly what it sounds like and is one of my favourite types of hostel. It takes an activity and makes it into a lifestyle and it’s absolutely amazing.
Do you surf? What about scuba diving? No to both? So how about biking or hiking? There is also snowboarding or skiing.
No matter the activity there is probably a hostel that takes that activity and turns it into a lifestyle. There are even some spa/hot spring hostels that let you have that Spacation on a budget.
The Blue Magic Hostel in Cozumel, Mexico is a great example of a lifestyle hostel. It doubles as a 5-star Padi scuba diving resort that will let you sleep for free if you dive with them.
The Salty Pelican in Cascais, Portugal was created by three backpackers who wanted to share their love of travel… surfing and yoga! They have yoga for people of all levels with a class taught both at sunrise and one in the afternoon every day. Also, they have also expanded to have a yoga and surfing retreat in Ericeira, Portugal as well as one in Hirikiteya, Sri Lanka.
My Recommendation: Find an activity you love, search for “my favourite activity hostel” and do it. Just do it! Who is going to stop you? It is an amazing experience that can just transform your trip. You will also make a lot of friends who like the same activities as you.
In Conclusion:
There are so many different types of hostels all over the world. However, I bet that I have barely even touched on all the different types there are, but there is some type of hostel that will fit every single person. Keep in mind that most hostels will have an overlap of two or more types. Chances are that during COVID-19 prices have dropped significantly for all types of hostel.
Too often I find people scoff at the idea of sleeping in a hostel. That or the thought of sleeping in a room with other people scares them. Don’t be! Give it a shot and it may just surprise you. Next, you might want to check out our tips on finding a hostel. Especially if it’s your first time.
Try one of these types of hostels:
The Fake “Cheap” or Factory Hostels
Hostel Geeks’s “5 Star” Hostels
Let me know how it went! What type of hostel is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.
