The World’s Best Hostels 2011 (Part II)

This is the second of our two-part look at the world’s best hostels, budget hotels and inexpensive guest houses as chosen by the users of the Hostelbookers website. Scroll down or click on the region you are interested in:

Europe

La Controra Hostel Rome

Longtime readers of Spot Cool Stuff—at least those who have been paying close attention—already know about Naple’s La Controra Hostel; we previously featured it on our list of
5 Cool, Luxurious and Inexpensive Hostels. Hostelbookers users selected their sister property in the Italian capital, La Controra Hostel Rome, as Europe’s best. Former guests raved about the friendliness of the staff, the hang out-able garden and the quality of the complimentary breakfast.

Spot Cool Stuff, often the contrarian, found La Controra’s Naple hostel to be superior to their Rome one, especially given the latter’s someone remote location. When in Rome on a budget we’d rather stay at the Auditorium Di Mecenate. It isn’t the sort of party hostel that La Controra Rome is, but it does have superior rooms (with room service, if you want it) and is a central location 500 meters from Rome’s main train station.

Runner Up Best Hostels in Europe:
Lisboa Central Hostel (Lisbon), The Naughty Squirrel Backpackers (Riga, Latvia)

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Oceania

Birdsong Backpackers (Hokitika, New Zealand)

Driving down Route 6 along the western coast of New Zealand’s southern island, Birdsong Backpackers looks more like a family’s house than a hostel. Once you go inside it feels like a family house too. In fact, it is a family house. The husband and wife proprietors live there with their two children and their dog. Guests are invited to make themselves at home, use the Birdsong’s bicycles (free of charge), snack on homemade bread (also free), play communal games and hang out by the fire or on ocean view deck. No wonder Hostelbookers users loved it.

Birdsong Backpackers has only 20 beds and is the sort of place that guests tend to stay for long periods of time. Book well in advance.

Runner Up Best Hostels in Oceania:
Sydney Harbour YHA (Sydney), Travellers Oasis (Cairns, Australia)

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South America

B&B Rio Amazonas-Plaza Italia (Santiago, Chile)

Not to be confused with the B&B Rio Amazonas-Barrio Brasil, which is also in Santiago, the B&B Rio Amazonas-Plaza Italia has an unbelievable location around much more expensive hotels in the heart of Santiago; a metro station is a three-minute walk away. Unlike many hostels, the B&B Rio Amazonas-Plaza Italia has private, single en-suite rooms (for a very reasonable US$44 per night). There are also private rooms for families.

Runner Up Best Hostels in South America:
Klein Hostel (Foz do Iguazu, Brazil), The Point Cusco (Cusco, Peru)

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United States

Urban Oasis (New York City)

The appropriately named Urban Oasis earned a rare 100% approval rating among Hostelbookers users for its staff and cleanliness. The location of this small, quiet guest house received raves too—Urban Oasis sits two blocks from the Empire State Building, three from Penn Station and four from the Museum of Sex. (None of the reviewers mentioned that last attraction by name, but we could tell they were thinking it). Spot Cool Stuff also likes the over-sized room windows and nice kitchen. The downside: Urban Oasis has no singles and no dorms, making it a bit expensive for solo travelers to stay here.

Runner Up Best Hostels in the United States:
ZIP112 Hostel (New York City), City Hostel Seattle

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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

Agree or disagree with this selection of hostels? Tell us about it in the comments section of Part I of this post.