I stayed at the Auberge Alternative on the Rue St-Pierre. It had co-ed dorm rooms, from 6 to 20 bunks in a room. To keep bedbugs out, the management wouldn't let you bring in your own sleeping bags. Single-stall bathrooms and single-person showers in a cluster at the end of the hall. The common area had lots of comfy chairs and coffee tables; it looked like a great place to sit and chat with visitors from who-knows-where. There was also a shared kitchen; guests were encouraged to bring their own ingredients and cook their own meals. Anything left over after a guest checked out got put into a "free food" pile -- that's how I managed to have dinner on someone else's ramen.

Very hippie-feeling.

Well, I like that sort of thing; and since I didn't get much of a chance to sit in the common room and chat on the night of my arrival, I made reservations to stop there again on my way back.

Did that work out any better than my first night there? Stay tuned to find out more!