The World’s Best Hostels 2011
(Part I)

The World’s Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

Hostelbookers is one of Spot Cool Stuff’s favorite websites for booking cheap hostels, inexpensive inns and budget hotels. In addition to offering a wide selection of accommodations (most of which aren’t available on sites like Travelocity or Hotels.com), what’s cool about Hostelbookers is their extensive database of customers reviews—they’re a huge help in separating out those hostels that are high value from those that are cheap for a reason.

Hostelbookers reviewers grade properties on eight criteria: atmosphere, location, facilities, fun, staff, cleanliness, safety and value.

Below is the first of our two part review of the budget lodgings that Hostelbookers users rated the best over the last year. Scroll down to read through them all. Or click on the region you are most interested in:

Part I Part II
Africa Europe
Asia Oceania
Canada South America
Caribbean/Mexico United States

Africa

Atlantic Point Backpackers (Cape Town, South Africa)

hostel budget cape town s The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) follow me on pinterest button The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) In a city full of cool, inexpensive places to stay the Atlantic Point Backpackers managed to stand out most to Hostelbookers users. Guests raved about the hostels location (close to The Waterfront) and the value of the accommodations (starting from R130, or about US$20). Atlantic Point also got very high marks for safety—no small thing in urban South Africa.

That said, Spot Cool Stuff disagrees with the prevailing wisdom among Hostelbookers users. When in Cape Town we’d much rather stay around Long Street. That’s where the action is; the central location is also ideal for hiking Table Mountain and exploring the rest of Cape Town. For a super-funky, supremely-high value guesthouse with private rooms we love the Daddy Long Legs Boutique Hotel. For more of a hostel atmosphere, The Backpack & Africa Travel Centre is extraordinarily well run, low-rise home with a cool communale spirit. In our opinion, both of those also have rooms nicer than those at the Atlantic Point Backpackers.

Runner Up Best Hostels in Africa:
Hola Cairo (located, not surprisingly, in Cairo), Riad Khabia (Marrakech, Morocco)

LEARN MORE & BOOK | MORE BUDGET LODGINGS | JOIN US ON TWITTER / FACEBOOK

hostel budget cape town 1 The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) follow me on pinterest button The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

hostel budget cape town 2 The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) follow me on pinterest button The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

lightgrey The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)


space The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)
lightgrey The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

space The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

Asia

ASO Base Backpackers (Aso, Japan)

hostel budget aso japan s The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) follow me on pinterest button The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) In general, Japan is a low-value country to travel in. Yet among Hostelbookers users nearly 97% found the ASO Base Backpackers to be a good value. Free coffee and tea is available as is free wifi and car parking.

ASO Base Backpackers feels more like a Japanese inn than it does a hostel, which makes it an excellent choice for travel families and old farts. It also happens that these family-owned and run accommodations are also ideally located for exploring one of Spot Cool Stuff’s favorite national attractions in Japan: Mt. Aso on Kyushu island.

Runner Up Best Hostels in Asia:
Chinese Box Courtyard Hostel (Beijing), Rucksack Inn (Singapore)

LEARN MORE & BOOK | MORE BUDGET LODGINGS | JOIN US ON TWITTER / FACEBOOK

hostel budget aso japan 1 The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) follow me on pinterest button The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

hostel budget aso japan 2 The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) follow me on pinterest button The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

lightgrey The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)


space The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)
lightgrey The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)
white The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

Canada

Montreal Central

Okay, Montreal Central has all the physical charm of a cheap airport chain hotel. But it is an extremely well-run hostel with free breakfast and luggage storage. It’s also in the middle of Montreal’s Latin Quarter.

If you are looking for a more guesthouse, less party-oriented sort of place in Montreal, Spot Cool Stuff suggests the Alexandre Logan; it’s in an 1870 house that retains a lot more charm than the guest house’s meagre room rates would suggest.

Runner Up Best Hostels in Canada:
The Urban Hideaway Guesthouse (Vancouver), Beez Kneez Bakpakers Hostel (Whitehorse, Yukon Territory)

LEARN MORE & BOOK | MORE BUDGET LODGINGS | JOIN US ON TWITTER / FACEBOOK

montreal central hostel 1 The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) follow me on pinterest button The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

montreal central hostel 2 The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) follow me on pinterest button The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

white The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

Caribbean & Mexico

La Casa del Tío Dach (Merida, Mexico)

hostel budget yucatan s The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) follow me on pinterest button The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) The super-friendly staff at the 24-hour reception stood out to former guests of La Casa del Tio Dach. The guesthouse features 24 private, en-suite rooms as well as shared dorms, though it is the plentiful artwork around the public areas that gives this casa it’s charm. The location couldn’t be more downtown; that’s not optimum for quiet but it is for exploring Merida’s historic buildings and bustling nightlife.

 The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)
space The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

Caribbean and Mexico Runners Up:
Private rooms at Mylena y Otto (Havana), Hostel Don Nino (Oaxaca, Mexico)

LEARN MORE & BOOK |

hostel budget yucatan 1 The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I) follow me on pinterest button The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

published: 30 Mar 2011
space The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)
lightgrey The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)


space The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)
lightgrey The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)
space The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

read Part II of the World’s Best Hostels

space The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)

 The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)More hotel reviews:
Bangkok
Beirut
Berlin
Jamaica Hilltops
Las Vegas (Hotel Swimming Pools)
London
San Francisco
South Africa (Safari Luxury)
St. Lucia
Vancouver
Odd and Unusual Hotels
Yotel Airport Pods

space The Worlds Best Hostels 2011 <br>(Part I)


Responses

  1. Mark Benson says:

    One finds a number of charming places to stay at around the world. If your planning to go for a flight to Cape Town and don’t yet know where to stay at; do not get worried as the Atlantic Point Backpackers provides a perfect setting for a traveller to stay at in South Africa.

    [Reply to this comment]

  2. John says:

    To the Author…

    There is a mistake with your published article.

    Hostelbookers name the Top 3 in each continent on Alphabetical order. If you look closer the winner is based on the rating percentage.

    Therefore in Oceania….
    1st place: Travellers Oasis 95.7%
    2nd Place: Sydney YHA 92.3%
    3rd Place: Birdsong Backpackers 91.7%

    Please research in a factual manner as this confuses potential customers & takes away well deserved credit from our hard working team.

    Yours faithfully,

    Management

    [Reply to this comment]

  3. Dan says:


    Twitter:
    I’ve checked the sites and the prices are really ok, the problem is availability. I’ll just have to plan my vacations in advanced.

    [Reply to this comment]

    Spot Cool Travel Stuff Reply:

    Dan,

    One thing that Hostelbookers doesn’t do a great job with is telling you when hostels require a stay of a certain length. If a place is showing up as full, even a long time in advance, try booking for more days and seeing what happens. (Of course, it might be that it really is full).

    ~ SCS

    [Reply to this comment]

Leave a Response

CommentLuv badge

SPOTCOOLSTUFF Travel reviews unusual hotels and restaurants, great attractions, cool travel gear, places with amazing views and all manner of travel destinations with a WOW! factor. Because we live on an incredible planet! Get our latest travel posts by email . . .

    Awesome Curacao vacations — up to $530 off!
    Check out the freebies offered too, including airfare credits, breakfast and room upgrades!

Save $530 Time left:
Book Now!
Offer Closed!



PARTNER WITH US     |     BE OUR GUEST TRAVEL WRITER    |      SUGGEST COOL STUFF FOR US TO REVIEW     |     INFO FOR TOURIST BOARDS

Other SCS SectionsHot Travel CategoriesFave Travel Posts
Cool Tech & GadgetsBest hotel room viewsCaribbeanBest Sandals in Jamaica
Cool Architecture & DesignFamily travelEuropeBest Wheeled Carry-On Luggage
Cool WebsitesHoneymoon resortsFloridaWorld's Coolest Airlines
Cool EntertainmentUnusual museumsSoutheast AsiaThe Honeymoon Resorts of Bora Bora