Hostels are the next coolest thing right now and sugar plum, if you still consider them to be your high school hostel with a nasty matron, let us tell you, that, you are WRONG! After staying in many modern chic hostels in Sri Lanka, we now prefer them more than fancy big hostels (erm, did we ever love a fancy big hotel, anyway?)
1. Cozy, Comfy and Affordable
Backpackers’ hostels aren’t dirty medium security prisons anymore. They are mostly always clean with chic, modern and cozy interiors. We stayed in Star Anise Boutique Capsules in Colombo and that was the cleanest hostel we’ve stayed to the date. The washrooms and bunk rooms are spotlessly clean throughout the day!
Most of the hostels now have custom-made wooden beds which don’t squeak anymore. Hostels now have comfy mattress with cozy linens. While Evergreen Colombo had the best wooden bunks, we also loved Star Anise’s pod beds.
Hostels literally have everything. From hot water showers to AC, 24/7 free WiFi and private safety lockers, there’s EVERYTHING! And the best thing about hostels is, they are affordable. A bunk bed here normally costs $10 – $20 per night. If you don’t like sharing a room with a few others, there are private rooms, too. We’ve stayed in a private room in Drift BnB in Colombo and that was a wonderful yet still quite affordable stay! Drfit BnB is a modern chic backpackers’ hostel with aesthetically pleasing corners. And our favorite hostel in Colombo. (Also read: The six best hostels in Colombo)
2. You Meet Amazing People
No no no. Twenty-something party animals aren’t the only ones in hostels. Hostels now attract businessmen, couples, families and even people in their sixties. When we stayed in Clock Inn Colombo, we met an old Pakistani uncle who had amazing stories to tell. He’s traveled to 40 something countries as a solo traveler. We bonded with him so much that when he left, at the end of 3 months, Nathan shed a tear or two and he, to, Zin, became Maamu (which means uncle in Urdu).
Hostels are the perfect place to meet like-minded souls, build long-lasting friendships or even relationships. We both met in a hostel. Do you literally need anymore examples?
(Also read: One year and a little more).
3. Hostels are Safe
All the Hostels have a staff member at the reception 24/7. Some hostels even have security guards at the entrance. Hangover Hostels do. Hangover Hostels Colombo is the sister hostel of hostelworld’s favorite Hangover Hostels Mirissa. They organize pub crawls, sightseeing tours and plenty other fun socializing things. Back to hostel safety, bunk rooms mostly can be accessible only by the guests with a key card. Some hostels don’t allow outside guests after 10pm to ensure maximum safety.
4. You never left home
After all, this is why we love hostels the most. In big fancy hotels, we feel like we are two outsiders. In hostels, we aren’t. We feel at home in hostels. With friendly, inviting staff members and like-minded fellow travelers who wouldn’t mind sharing their freshly cooked meal, we feel like we never left home. Instead, it was as if we found a new home to ourselves. Most hostels now have a separate kitchen for guests. Once when we stayed at Hangover Hostels Colombo, a Chinese family gathered around to cook their dinner and ended up sharing with many people.
5. You get to discover less touristic places
Most hostels now organize sightseeing tours to less popular places. They even take you for FREE. Some hostels organize you cooking classes, traditional food nights and a lot more other things which you won’t get if you stay in a hotel. Frankly, we kinda don’t like the sightseeing tours organized by big fancy hotels to all the touristic places. Hangover Hostels organizes sightseeing tours in and around Colombo covering many off-the-beaten path places. Btw, sugar plum, did you check out our guide to Colombo?
Do you love hostels, boutiques or fancy big hotels? Comment below and let us know!
I totally agree. I’ve stayed at some hostels during my European solo back packing trips. Its safer for female solo travelers than airbnb and cheaper than hotels. And I’ve met some awesome people in hostels!!!
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Exactly! And the best thing is just because it’s cheap doesn’t meant hostels are some dirty, unclean medium security prisons.
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Wow! this is an amazing read! We travel as a family with a toddler and have never preferred a hostel. But these the ones in Colombo sounds awesome. Cleanliness and Hygiene being the most important point, availability of private rooms is definitely a bonus. And ofcourse its nice meeting people and making new friends. Thanks for sharing yours experience.
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Although it’s be a tad hard staying in a hostel with a toddler, we’ve seen many people with toddlers here. And the availability of private and family rooms make it a comfortable stay.
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Great information. I definitely was under some misconceptions about hostels, but now I’ll definitely look to give them a try. It’d be really great to be able to meet some other solo travellers while on the road!
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Definitely! You should stay in one for a change. You will love it or hate it, but it’d be a great experience.
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I would have to agree with you that hostels are an amazing place to meet other people. The number of times I’ve been in a hostel and met a lifelong friend! I agree that they are safe despite what people say. You just need to get used to being with other people.
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That’s exactly true. If you are an introvert, at first it would be a tad hard! But I think everyone should try and stay in a hostel at least once for the experience! Zin 🙂
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Based on my experience, they are quite okay. I have not stayed in a chic hostel like you have mentioned. I have stayed in hostels in the provinces here in the Philippines. They are comfortable, have a wifi connection and friendly staff.
Iza c/o Kathy James (Walk About Wanderer)
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I’m pretty sure some hostels in the Philippines are also beautifully designed? You should stay at Hangover Hostels here if you ever visit Sri Lanka 🙂 Zin x
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I’m a typical backpacker, hostel going type of a traveler and I couldn’t agree more with your views. Even I used to be under the misconception about the hostels that they are only for the really partying, young types, but I was proved wrong early on. I went to Colombo and Mirissa but missed to check out the one that I you have mentioned. They look amazing!
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Exactly! Even we weren’t much sure at first! If you ever come here again, you can stay at Hangover Hostels in both Colombo and Mirissa! You will love those two places. Zin x
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Staying in a hostel is definitely a budget-friendly way to travel. And like you pointed out, it’s nice to meet people from around the world during your stay in a hostel. It feels more like having your own home away from home during your travel.
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Exactly! It creates more of a homely feeling which is quite fascinating! And emotional, ofc:) Zin x
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Totally agree with all the points you mentioned in the post. Specially meeting amazing people. I have made cool friends staying at hostels.
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Exactly, Archana! And some of the stick for life 🙂 Nathan and Zinara xx
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I LOVE the hostel life! Really you meet so interesting souls and so friendly and inspiring people who state the same passion for traveling! ☀️
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Exactly! Btw, just went through you two twnnies travel posts. Look fab! Enjoy backpacking 🙂 Nathan and Zinara xx
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Thank you so much 🌞🌞 we will enjoy it! It’s the best time of our lives🌎
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I have never stayed in a hostel. I am so not a people person and prefer my own room. Not that I get to travel that much sadly!
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We suppose you should once just to see how it goes? We, specially Zin is an introvert but it’s been fine so far. You can have your own corner in a bustling hostel, too.
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I never knew hostels had changed so much . I still remember the squeaky wooden beds in dormitories and dirty washrooms
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Ahhh! You need to go to a modern backpackers’ hostel soon then. Most Now have comfortable wooden bunks. And now we have boutique hostels which are called ‘poshtels’
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My daughter recently stayed in a hostel but I’ve never personally even been in one. Thank you for telling me about them.
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Yep, you find a lot of teens and twentysomethings staying there!
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I agree it’s the best option for young solo travelers – you get to meet new people and share experiences and sometimes itineraries
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Exactly! Sometimes you go explore the whole country with someone you met in a hostel.
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I have never stayed in a hostel but would love too! I am going travelling in December and might give hostels a go as it will definitely suit my budget.
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Go for it! It saves a lot of money but at the same time, hostels are nice and comfy plus give you a lot of amazing experiences.
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Your post reminds me of my school days. I never stayed in a hostel but I was in a Catholic board school till I went to college.
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Ahhhh! Pretty sure those old school hostels are a lot different to these backpackers’ hostels 😀
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This is a good read.. nice to know facts about hostels because its very rare options for us every time we travel because of the impression we had before. Thanks for sharing.
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They’ve changed so much with time. But of course, make sure you read reviews carefully on booking sites.
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looks fun and a good option! but sometimes i think im a little too old for this! yay! but will surely share it to my younger friends 🙂 http://www.crayonized.com
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Aww, you are never too old to stay in a hostel. We’ve met 70+ people at hostels 🙂
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I love that it could save so much money while traveling. I think it is a great possible option for single travelers or couples.
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Yes, totally. So budget friendly
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I have never heard of hostels. This is an interesting budget friendly option for traveling. Thanks for sharing.
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Great post! I love hostels too. I feel like they have such a bad rep in the US due to that movie: Hostel but around the world there are gorgeous locations with better customer service than even your fiver stars.
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I’ve always been curious about staying in a hostel because I know there are so many worldwide, and it’s usually cost effective, but I been a little scared too. Thank you for sharing this post.
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Agrred to this post ! meeting with new people is always the key factor to me for staying in hostel !
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I totally agree with most of the points, specially meeting and knowing new people
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Hostels scare me because of the bunk beds. It’s so uncomfortable to sleep in a room with a bunch of strangers.
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