Best Youth Hostel
 

One of the highlights of my recent trip to Norway was staying at the Stamsund Youth Hostel.
It is in a fisherman's cottage on the Lofoten islands, there are free rowboats and fishing gear to use, and it was filled with travellers from around the world, including a few cyclists.

http://www.vandrerhjem.no/index.jsp/...712&vhjemid=24

Anybody have any favourite hostels they would like to recommend?

I enjoyed Stahleck Castle along the Rhine. There are 3 photos on one of my trip pages at http://webhome.idirect.com/~brown/mosel1.html

One of my favorite hostels was in a rural area of the Loire valley in France. This was many years ago and I have no idea if the hostel still exists. My recollection is that the hostel had rudimentary toilets and showers in an separate building, almost like an outhouse. But, the hostel had a restaurant-quality kitchen, and sold very drinkable local wine out of a cask for about US 50 cents per pitcher. (contrast that with hostels in most anglophone countries where alcohol was strictly forbidden) There was a lovely courtyard with long picnic tables. It made for a very convivial atmosphere, with everyone eating, drinking, and conversing outside in the courtyard all evening.

I also have fond memories of a hostel in the interior of Brittany. I was biking there with 2 friends from Germany. There was also a cyclist from Canada at the hostel, and a young Frenchwoman. It poured rain for 3 straight days so none of us departed, and no one else arrived. We had a wonderful time. We had great conversations. We prepared some delicious meals together, and bought cheese and cider from a nearby farmhouse.

The hostel in Stockholm, Sweden with the boat docked in the harbor you could stay on. Those complimentary breafkasts were buffets that made most buffets here in the US look shameful. Plus, they're super healthy too. I could sit there all day and enjoy the hostel and the scenery.

There was also a hostel in Castlesarde on the italian island of Sardenia that was da bomb. It was quiet and quaint, and super cheap for 13 bucks a night for my own room with a separate bathroom and great shower that felt like a waterfall. And it was right off the Mediterranian Sea, so you could get some snorkling gear and stuff and head for the seaside, or you could just walk down to the ocean, perch up on a rock and dive in.

There was another hostel in Italy right on the west coast- it was close to Viareggio, and it was literally on the ocean. Shared hostel rooms, but the balconies were huge and you open the door and walk out, and it's nothing but beach and ocean. 7 bucks. You can't beat that.

There was (last one!) a hostel on Isla Mujeres, the island off Cancun. For about 2 bucks a night, you get a hammock on the roof right under the stars. It's great living.

Koffee

Last one, promise!

Out (WAAAAAAAAAAAY out) in the southern tip of Western Australia in Albany is another youth hostel that was right on the ocean also. Besides staying at Margaret River, which has fantastic house rentals, you can head farther south into Albany and be at a great oceanside town.

Koffee

I encountered a lot of good hostels in Australia.

I can't remember all the names of them, but there was one on the corner next to the train station in Sydney that was great. (There was another one in Sydney that wasn't good at all - the cockroaches were quite something). The hostel in Colloroy was all right, but there weren't any grocery stores in the neighborhood. Great beach right there though! And the Canberra one was nice.

The one in Khancoban was SCARY. Weird experience there!

They opened the one in Omeo for a group of motorcyclists that were going through and we managed to get a room there - it had been closed for a bit, so it was a little rustic.

The ones in Deloraine, Cradle Mountain, Strahan and Geeveston, in Tasmania, were all good. :)

I wasn't overly keen on the one in Cairns, but it was OK. I loved the one in Airlie Beach. The one in Rockhampton was very accommodating (picked me and my bicycle up at the bus station), but it was crowded. The one in Caloundra was incredible. I've never been in a place so clean.

And the one in Brisbane was all right ... as long as you didn't go in the kitchen.


I think that was all of them there. Some were Hostelling International hostels and some weren't. Many times there were more than one hostel to choose from, but as we got closer to Christmas, they got more crowded and harder to get into ... which is why we ended up in the cockroach place in Sydney.

I was talking to a couple who had recently returned from Poland, and they said one of the reasons they enjoyed their trip was because they stayed in 4 and 5 star hotels. I may have stayed in 4 or 5 star hotels a couple of times on business and it seems all I ever do is sit in my room and watch TV -not much of a cultural experience.

Travelling alone, on my bicycle, I find I have met more interesting people and had more fun in hostels than hotels. A lot of the big hostels are fairly institutional and mundane, but the smaller ones are the ones that give you a unique experience that makes travelling so worthwhile.

Another warm and friendly place that comes to mind is Casa Arnel in Oaxaca, Mexico not a hostel but a family run hotel.

Loch Ossian, in Scotland. Approached by singletrack, forest trail or rail- no road access. Lovely simple hostel in a beatiful highland location. After supper, if you have excess energy, you can try breaking the record for running round the Loch.......................

My favorite hostel is in Verona, Italy. I think it's the only hostel in the town. It's rather far from the train station, but it's $12 a night with breakfast included. Everyone I met there was really nice and Verona is a beautiful town.

The Verona hostel is pretty and all, but they throw you out between 9am and 5pm, which is normally cool, cause you're there to see the town, but if you're tired (ie: just got off a 12 hour flight and want to sleep in) or the weather sucks (I met this woman who said they kicked them out in sleet and ice storms, and the folks spent the day perched on doorsteps of coffee houses waiting for 5 pm. :( After that, I decided to stay at pensiones instead. At least my room is my own!

Koffee

Yosemite Bug Hostel (just outside Yosemite National park) is very nice. Camping space, several permanent shared tents, several dorm rooms, and family/couple rooms. The cafe serves excellent meals, perhaps pricey for a hostel-but restaraunt quality. Tranquil setting. Easy to get to using trains/bus-and bus continues on into the park proper.

I'm not a fan of "party" hostels so, the best "party" hostel was Elvis Villa in Brasov Romania. A safe combination of clean, quiet space, but folks can crank up music in the lounge all night long (without disturbing other guests). Local staff/tourguide also takes folks out to local pubs.