Trusted Hostel Reviews from the Travel Community

Last updated on September 11th, 2021 at 08:17 pm

As I put together my solo female traveler’s guide to hostels, I got to thinking that it would be great to have a resource filled with traveler’s favorite hostels. And as much as I want to go everywhere, it’s quite the effort to even move hostels within the city I’m visiting, let alone go to every city. So, I reached out to the travel blogging community and they were stoked to help me out on this little project. With them, I’ve compiled a list of hostel reviews from our favorite hostels around the world. Sure, there are cities missing from here, but as the saying goes – “we haven’t been anywhere, but it’s on the list!” Before you leave for your hostel stay, make sure you have everything you need with this hostel packing list. And of course, no one wants to be that girl in a hostel – so be sure to brush up on the unwritten hostel rules before you go flipping on all the lights 🙂If you have a hostel you think should be included on this list, feel free to email me, I’d be willing to consider it for submission! Please note, this post contains affiliate links, which means if you decide to click through to make a booking or purchase, this blog will receive a commission, at no additional cost to you!

Best Hostels in Europe

Best Hostels in Bosnia & Herzegovina

Sarajevo – Hostel Kucha

By: SabinaIf you’re traveling to Sarajevo, capital of  Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hostel Kucha is the right place where you need to stay. A brand new hostel located in the center of Sarajevo with a wonderful view of the Olympic mountain Bjelasnica from the common area and terrace. Goes perfectly with a morning Bosnian coffee! Furthermore, it is separated from the busiest streets but only 15 minutes of walking from the Old town. Unbeaten location!The prices of the rooms are definitely worth your money. All rooms and bathrooms are always super clean. The beds are comfortable and rooms are quiet at night. The homemade breakfast is free and absolutely delicious. The big and cozy common area is a huge plus where you can easily meet other travelers from all around the world.Most importantly, the staff is very friendly and helpful. They are passionate about Sarajevo and very knowledgeable. They will explain everything on the map, give recommendations about places you need to visit to experience the best of Sarajevo and to learn about its history and culture. Even show you personally some viewpoints and good bars. All in all, you cannot go wrong with Hostel Kucha! Highly recommended!

Best Hostels in Spain

Barcelona – Harmony Hostel

By: Ridima of Little Joys and MoreI stayed in Harmony Hostel in Barcelona for 2 nights and quite loved it. The location was perfect as it was very close to the Rambla street (the main tourist street in Barcelona) and Placa de Catalunya (the main square in Barcelona). It was close to two metro stations giving more access to the tourists to cover the city at ease.The dormitories were clean and bathrooms were frequently checked to maintain the hygiene. The staff was very friendly, joyful and full of recommendations for travelers.The most interesting feature was an evening party organized by the hostel offering free food and drinks, letting the hostel-residents to mingle with each other. It was a good initiative as it allowed the exchange of ideas and itineraries, especially for solo travelers like me! Well, I ended up with a new trip with new friends to a new destination- all thanks to the hostel!I would highly recommend staying at this hostel.Check out Ridima’s travels over on IG!

Tossa de Mar – Mana Mana Hostel

By: Me The location of Mana Mana hostel can not be beat! It’s a two-minute walk to the beautiful beach of Tossa de Mar, the castle, and it’s right in the mix of the bars and restaurants. They also have a kitchen with everything you could need to make a good meal. There are lockers in each room, the dorm rooms come with a key, and there is a keypad for entry after hours – heck yes safety! Mana Mana hostel also has a nice rooftop space with seating and a bar during high season. The staff are friendly and helpful when answering all of my questions about hikes in the area and buses directly to the Barcelona airport. Sadly, it’s my understanding that they close up during off season, but if you visit in shoulder or high season make sure to stay with them!

Best Hostels in Iceland

Reykjavik – Loft Hostel

By: Daniela of Nurse to NomadTraveling alone can be daunting, which is why arriving at Loft Hostel in Reykjavik, Iceland is such a warm memory for me. This hostel covers all the basics: Clean rooms, walking distance to everything in the city, kind staff, great common areas to meet others, and tour bookings. It has an amazing view from the balcony as well. What sets this hostel apart from others, though, is that it is so welcoming to non-tourists. The locals in Reykjavik love hanging out at this hostel, so you feel like you are a part of the community. Loft Hostel hosts free yoga, free concerts, painting nights, karaoke, and more. It’s a cool, local bar AND a hostel, which gives you a way to meet the amazing people of Iceland.You can follow Daniela’s journey on Instagram

Best Hostels in Italy

Florence – Archi Rossi Hostel

By: Trang of Travel with TrangMost hostels offer a sad breakfast with toast, cereal, and coffee. Archi Rossi Hostel has a full-blown HOT buffet. I’m not sure how they afford it, but this was one of the main perks that made me book it (and the fact that it’s one of Nomadic Matt’s favorite hostels as well). They also have a free walking tour of the city. In addition, it’s conveniently within walking distance to the train station. Follow Trang’s journey on Facebook!

Best Hostels in Croatia

Split – Hostel Adria

By: Me Ok, so full disclosure, Hostel Adria is not located in Split. It’s about 45 minutes south by bus. But it’s entirely worth the trek if you want to escape the crazy tourism of Split. Hostel Adria is two buildings, across the street from each other. The main building has a large kitchen with about 4 fridges to store your food. And its patio is directly on the Adriatic Sea. They’ve even installed a diving board for you to jump right into the refreshing blue water! There are also two beaches within walking distance in either direction from the hostel. Since it’s a bit removed from the overly crowded Split, it attracts a different type of traveler. Everyone who stayed there during my time was incredibly laid back, traveling for a few months at a time, and wanted a space to simply relax and enjoy Croatia’s beauty. This is the place to do that. Just about everyone who stayed there, including me, ended up extending their stay by at least two nights. That’s how awesome this place is.

Korenica – Falling Lake Hostel

I never heard of this town until I was researching places to stay near Plitvice. That is the main attraction for people staying in this hostel as a bus stops, a 5-minute walk away, and brings you directly to Plitvice National Park at opening time. Additionally, the hostel will set up other activities for you, enough to fill up three days! Upon arrival, there is a sunset hike, which is more challenging 45 minutes hike than they let on but takes you through the beautiful forest. There is another hike that takes you along the Alps and the border of Bosnia & Herzegovina. This is 8 hours, I skipped it and decided to go kayaking the day after my adventure in the National Park. All of which they set up at the hostel! The hostel has a huge kitchen that allows multiple groups to cook at once, a lovely dining area, and a patio. Each night they host events at the hostel, which if you aren’t too tired from trekking, are good fun! The beds are comfortable, come with a locker and outlets, and the bathrooms are clean!

Best Hostels in England

London – Safestay Holland Park

By: Sydney of A World In ReachOut of the hostels I’ve stayed at, Safestay Holland Park in London is hands-down the best. I visited London over New Year’s Eve and was looking for a cheap place to stay that was still in a great location. Safestay Holland Park is located right in the middle of Holland Park, a beautiful city park in the upscale Kensington neighborhood. The best part? This hostel is extremely affordable – I paid just £35 a night for a dorm bed during the busy New Year’s Eve season!This was my first hostel ever, and I was nervous about sharing a room with 12 other people. I never felt unsafe though – each room had lockers as well as luggage cages. The hostel is also in one of London’s nicest neighborhoods. The beds were SO comfortable and included a privacy curtain and outlets to charge your phone at night. The hostel was extremely clean and I never had to worry about waiting for a toilet or shower.If you’re looking for a cheap but nice place to stay in London, I can’t recommend Safestay Holland Park enough. I’d definitely put it on the list of the best hostels in London!Follow along Sydney’s journey here!

Best Hostels in Ireland

Galway – The Nest

The Nest is a boutique hostel located in the Salthill neighborhood of Galway, Ireland. Upon walking in, you are greeted warmly by the staff and the fireplace! It has all of the unique design elements of a hip hotel, but at a much better price. On the first floor, there is a cafe with plenty of cozy seats to relax from a day of exploring. They also have a large kitchen with two ovens, two stovetops, and a large fridge to store your food. Their breakfasts are amazing with a wide range of scrumptious pastries, as well as healthier options like fruit and oats. Each floor is only accessible if you have a key fob and each door has a key. To add to this safety your bed comes with a locker to store away your valuables. Their beds are probably the most comfortable hostel bed I’ve slept in and they each have their own sockets.It might be a bit of a walk from the center of Galway, but it’s a beautiful one along Galway Bay and there’s a great pub just a block away if you’re not wanting to make the walk into town. If walking isn’t your thing, no worries, the bus stops right in front of the hostel!

Best Hostels in Mexico

Tulum – Mama’s Home

Located in the city of Tulum is Mama’s Home, a place where you will feel immediately at home! The owner is incredibly welcoming and wants to ensure that you have a good stay in the hostel and in Tulum. He will give you excellent directions for how to get to the beach and the ruins by Colectivo. Each morning they serve a free, hot breakfast and at night there is usually some sort of activity whether is a family style meal, drinks, or going out on the town. This is a solo travelers dream. It’s so easy to meet people here, every guest is friendly, and the staff wants to make sure you have a good time! There’s also AC in each room and you get a key. There are lockers outside on a balcony to store your valuables.

Bacalar – The Yak Lake House

The Yak House is a beautiful hostel that feels like a lake house and its location can’t be beat. It’s located just a few steps from the town of Bacalar and its backyard is the stunning Laguna Bacalar. You can wake up for a beautiful sunrise on the back porch and then crawl back into bed for a few hours. They have a bar in the backyard, comfortable chairs, nightly events, and tours that leave directly from the hostel. They’ll also help you book a stand-up paddleboard tour or a sunset sailing tour to help you get on the lake!The Yak Lake House also offers a well-rounded breakfast and a large kitchen where you can cook your own food. It’s incredibly clean, has lockers in the rooms, and free parking across the street if you decide to road trip the Yucatan peninsula.

Isla Holbox – Hotel Beach Inn

Located on the idyllic island of Holbox, is Hotel Beach Inn. It’s run by two women who want to ensure you have everything you need for your stay. They rent bicycles and will give you insider tips for cheap eats and where the locals like to go! When I visited, they’d just added a kitchen across the street from the main building. I stayed in a 6-bed dorm with a bathroom, a large seating area, and a refrigerator in the room. I also liked that the beds were not bunk beds!It’s located about a 5-minute walk from the ferry terminal and a 2-minute walk to town and the beach. This is an excellent place to stay for your visit to Isla Holbox.

Best Hostels in Central America

Best Hostel in Panama

Boquete – Bambuda Castle

By: Lora of Explore with LoraOne of the most unique and high-value hostels I’ve been is Bambuda Castle in Boquete, Panama. The castle was built by a European couple who later sold it after deciding they didn’t need that much space. The purchasers then converted the castle into a hostel, but it feels like a 5-star hotel. The castle is beautifully constructed and kept meticulously clean. Inside the castle there is a large indoor pool and hot tub available for guests to use, as well as a restaurant/bar on site.  Every night the staff cook a delicious family style dinner which gives you a chance to mingle with the other guests. The outside balconies are spacious and provide stunning views of the surrounding mountain area. The only downside to this hostel is that it’s out of town, but you can get a taxi for $2-4 or take a 45 minute walk. Or just stay there forever because why would you want to leave a castle? At prices as low as $11 a night for a dorm room, definitely don’t miss this unique experience to stay in a castle and feel like royalty while backpacking!Explore with Lora over on the ‘gram!

Best Hostels in South America

Best Hostels in Peru

Arequipa – Flying Dog Hostel

Flying dog hostel is a great place to base yourself for adventures in and around Arequipa. If you’re taking the Peru Hop bus, it will drop you off right at the door and make sure someone is there to answer. I happened to arrive at 2:00 am and they couldn’t check me in. But they have very comfortable couches to sleep on while you wait! When I woke up, I noticed Flying Dog hostel is in a beautiful building with a lovely courtyard in the middle and a rooftop as well. They serve breakfast each morning which is meats, cheeses, slices of bread, cereals, and fruit – enough to get you started! I also noticed that in the room where I slept upon arrival there is a large TV and a computer if you need to use it.As it’s named Flying Dog Hostel, wouldn’t it be sad if there wasn’t a dog around? No need to be sad, there is a dog that will help you get your dog fix if you’re missing yours from home. He basically runs the place!

Ollantaytambo – Hostal El Chasqui

By: Daniela of Digital Nomads PeruSome weeks ago, I spent three nights at Hostal El Chasqui in Ollantaytambo, a small town in Peru’s Sacred Valley. “El Chasqui” is very conveniently located between the Main Square (one block away) and the Inca Ruins (5 minutes walk away). Its rooms are situated on two floors around a beautiful courtyard. All rooms have a private bathroom with hot shower (not always the case in the Andean villages) and a comfortable bed. The price for the room (about US$20/night) included breakfast which was served in the small café next to the hostel. It consisted of scrambled eggs, bread, coffee and juice, all freshly prepared. Staying at “El Chasqui” is not only perfect for exploring Ollantaytambo but also a great starting point for visiting the nearby salt ponds of Maras, the Inca ruins of Moray and of course Machu Picchu. As I work online, I was also very pleased that the hostal’s wifi had a good and reliable 10Mbps download speed. All in all a great experience and very recommended for people who are looking for a quiet room and comfortable room. Just one small downside: They charge you a fee if you want to pay by credit card. For more about Peru, check out Daniela’s IG!

Cusco – Intro Hostel

By: Shimona of Side Car PhotoWe loved staying at the Intro Hostel in Cusco and tried both the private room and the dorms. It’s a sociable but not party hostel, which is perfect for us. We could head to the bar or firepit – yes, so fun! – for dinner and drinks with other travelers, but also get some sleep as there were no parties after hours. The staff spoke English and were very friendly and bathrooms appeared to be constantly cleaned. There were lots of bean bags to relax in around the hostel, and plenty of lockers, even special ones for electronics with a power socket inside! If you got bored, there were activities like learning to make a pisco sour, or a ceviche cooking class, hosted by the staff themselves. And for the big stuff like Machu Picchu, they actually have a tour operator on site to help you plan that out.The location is excellent which is key because walking far, and worse, walking uphill is super tiring at Cusco’s altitude. Intro Hostel was only a few minutes walk from Plaza de Armas and thankfully, there’s only one block of elevation to tackle on the way back, which is rare in the city.Check out some awesome photos from Shimona on Instagram!

Best Hostels In Ecuador

Tena – Jungle Roots

By: Sheree of Winging the WorldJungle Roots is not your average hostel. Located just outside of the city of Tena in Ecuador, this rainforest retreat offers everything a budget traveler needs. From affordable glamping huts to platforms on which to pitch tents, there is an accommodation style to suit everyone. Perhaps the stand out feature of Jungle Roots is its incredible location. Surrounded by lush greenery as the Andes meets the Amazon, it is easy to forget that you only a stone’s throw away from a city. The entire retreat is run with an ethical focus at its core and has been built using only sustainable, natural materials from the local area. Rainwater is recycled to run through the taps and the shower water comes directly from the river below. There is also a composting toilet with a phenomenal panoramic view overlooking the vast cloud forest opposite the retreat. There are few mod cons at Jungle Roots and the place prides itself on being a break from 21st-century distractions. For a beautiful part of the world in which to digitally detox, Jungle Roots is surely the best choice.Join Sheree’s journey on the ‘gram!

Quito – Community Hostel

By: MeCommunity Hostel in Quito is where I lived for two months teaching yoga. It’s a very social hostel with activities each night to keep you entertained. They have salsa night, a bar crawl, movie night, and of course yoga! There is also a tour agency on the ground floor that will get you set up with anything from day trips to Cotopaxi or a cruise in the Galapagos. There are two gems that make this hostel amazing. First, they employ a chef who cooks breakfast ($3) and dinner ($5). The food is amazing and he caters to any type of dietary needs. Then there’s the roof, this is where the yoga takes place and where you can witness the amazing sunsets the Quito offers while overlooking the Panacillo, the Pichincha Volcano, and the Basilica. The views are legit! And it’s clean and safe! Community Hostel also has locations in Alausi and a new spot in Banos!

Best Hostels in Asia

Best Hostels in Myanmar

Bagan – Ostello Bello Bagan Pool

By: Mitali of Mitali’s Travel DiaryBagan was the last destination of my trip to Myanmar and the most waited for one for me. A six-hour drive from Mandalay to Bagan was a smooth one and I reached my hostel at 1:00 PM. The check in was at 2:00 PM strictly and I was not allowed to enter the room before that. But the lady at the reception allowed me to keep my bag in the locker room and offered me some snacks and water at the breakfast hall.I checked into my room and to my surprise, this was the cleanest and the best hostel room I had been to in my whole trip of Myanmar. I quickly regretted my decision for choosing this hostel chain for other destinations. Yes!!! They do have hostels at Mandalay and Inle as well. And at every hostel, they have given information for the other hostels.It was a hot afternoon and I had no plans to go out for any sightseeing and went in for a dive at the swimming pool of the hostel. The hostel does not just provide a swimming pool but also arranges for poolside parties in the evening. Apart from this, the best part was the free Bagan tours offered by the hostel along with the guide, and I only had to pay the bike rental which is the absolute minimum. The morning view from the hostel is also beautiful as you get to see the hot air balloons floating very near to the hostel.Follow Mitali’s photo diary on Instagram

Best Hostels in Thailand

Pai – Common Grounds

by: Ben of Horizon UnknownPai is a beautiful backpacking town in northern Thailand, and staying in a hostel is a great way to experience this culture. “Common Grounds” is an incredibly popular hostel in the town of Pai, and for a few reasons.Common Grounds is a safe place to relax and interact with other travelers. With such a friendly atmosphere, making friends is so easy! Another great thing about Common Grounds is how close it is to Pai’s points of interest. One of the “must-visits” in Pai is the amazing night market. Strolling this local walking street is a perfect way to get some tasty dinner and unique souvenirs.Personally, my favorite thing about Common Grounds is how helpful the staff are. Hiring a bike through them was incredibly easy and it was delivered to the front door within minutes.If Pai is on your list of places in Thailand to visit – which it definitely should be – make sure you stay at Common Grounds Hostel, you won’t regret it!Stay up to date with Ben over on Facebook!

  There are so many accommodation options in the cities we visit. I love getting recommendations from fellow travelers as it helps narrow down my search! I hope this helps take one item off of your travel planning plate! If you’re still unsure about where to even go, I’ve developed a 4 step process to deciding your first destination. Drop your email below and I’ll send it to you!

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