While travelling, I have stayed at a numerous amount of hostels. I love staying at hostels because it is a great way to save money on accommodation and to meet other travellers.
Deciding on which hostel to stay at can be intimidating, especially if it is your first time and you are not sure what to expect. I have therefore made a list of all the hostels that I have ever stayed at and reviewed them. I included ratings out of 10, whether I would stay there again or not, an explanation about my experience and a link to book your stay if you are interested.
My review also has to do with my experience, so I encourage you to take it with a grain of salt and to also look at the reviews of other people. I hope this will be helpful to whoever is reading! Safe travels!
Europe
Geneva, Switzerland
MEININGER Geneve Centre Charmilles
- Rating: 7/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- It is very clean. I loved that for each bed, they had plugs. The staff was also very helpful for assisting you in things to do around the city. They serve a decent breakfast, but it is at an extra cost from the basic fare. It is also very close to the popular attractions in Geneva.
Click here to book your stay at MEININGER Geneve Centre Charmilles.
Geneva Hostel
- Rating: 7/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- The hostel is huge. There are so many rooms. Many types of people stay here from families to summer camp kids. I realized also that there were so many young children, like 14 year olds, which was interesting. Overall, it was clean, and there was breakfast that was included which was nice.
Click here to book your stay at Geneva Hostel.
Istanbul, Türkiye
Cheers Midtown Hostel
- Rating: 8/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- It is very well located near the Galata Tower. They have social activities everyday. We participated in their pub crawl which was very nice because it was with other hostels, and they took us around in private buses. No curtains for the bunks. Their kitchen is very dirty and did not have a lot of options of bowls and plates to use.
Gzira, Malta
Airbnb/Hostel Gzira Shared Room
- Rating: 7/10
- Would I go back: No
- I only stayed for one night, but I really enjoyed it. It seems to only be available to book on Airbnb, although it is very much like a hostel because it basically is a 3 bedroom apartment with bunkbeds in each room. The host was very accommodating by letting me drop off my luggage before check in time. The location is also close to grocery stores and public transit.
Click here to book your stay at Airbnb/Hostel Gzira Shared Room.
Nice, France
Hostel Ozz
- Rating: 8/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- There are a lot of people in this hostel. They have a nice common area, the rooms are clean, and the location is so good. It’s right next to the train station of the city, so it is perfect for day trips along the south of France.
Click here to book your stay at Hostel Ozz.
Chamonix, France
Vert Lodge Chamonix
- Rating: 7/10
- Would I go back: No
- The place was clean. They had a very basic breakfast. No curtains for the bunks. It is located 20 minutes away by walk from the center of Chamonix. I wish there would have been someone at the reception more often during the day, because I sometimes had some questions that couldn’t be answering because they were not present.
Asia
Antalya, Türkiye
Be Bold Hostel
- Rating: 7/10
- Would I go back: Maybe
- We only stayed for one night and we arrived very late the night before so we don’t know much about the social program. The hostel was clean and the staff were very nice. The rooms were a bit small; we had a 4 people dorm and we had trouble just being two people at a time in the room. Other than that, location was great.
Click here to book your stay at Be Bold Hostel.
Fethiye, Türkiye
El Camino Hostel & Pub
- Rating: 8/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- Not much activities organized. Located on top of a hill so a bit of a climb if you don’t have a car. Rooms are clean. The staff is nice. Nice and small outdoor common area. The rooms are located on the bottom floors and on the top floor, there is a pub/restaurant.
Click here to book your stay at El Camino Hostel & Pub.
Ayia Napa, Cyprus
House of Nissus
- Rating: 8/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- It is a bit far from the center of Ayia Napa. The closest grocery store is about a 12 minute walk from the hostel. Kitchen is very clean. I love the organisation in the kitchen with everyone’s individual boxes. There are not too many people (which is a good thing) because you can really bond with the same people everyday, so you get to know them better. They have a WhatsApp group which is nice because they will often text activities to do or other travellers will send their activities to see wants to join.
Kaş, Türkiye
Sole n’ Blue Hostel
- Rating: 10/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- One of the best hostels that I have stayed at. The location is so gorgeous. They have an infinity pool and breakfast included. The rooms are clean. They organized a pub-crawl when we stayed, and the bar selections were amazing. We only stayed for one night, but I wish we had stayed longer.
Click here to book your stay at Sole n’ Blue Hostel.
Cappadocia, Türkiye
TURAN Cappadocia Cave
- Rating: 10/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- It is located in Göreme, in an incredible location that is close to everything. The accommodation is gorgeous. They have a rooftop with comfy chairs and bean bags. They have a nice breakfast. The beds are super comfortable. Only downside is that the room doesn’t have AC.
Central America
Antigua, Guatemala
Central Hostel San Sebastian
- 5/10
- Would I go back: No
- San Sebastián Hostel is very clean and well located. The people are also very nice, and it is a good option for a cheap stay. However, we stayed in the pods, and they were super noisy, making a noise when you slightly moved. The room we stayed in also had a front door that couldn’t close, and that door was directly to an outdoor space, so it got cold during the winter.
Click here to book your stay at Central Hostel San Sebastián.
El Paredón, Guatemala
Bedrooms where Charlie
- 4/10
- Would I go back: No
- The hosts were very nice, but the place felt a bit not the most well maintained. When we entered our room, there was still some trash that wasn’t picked up, probably from the previous people. Our room had a very strong smell even though we kept our windows opened the whole day.
San Marcos la Laguna, Guatemala
Casa AHAU
- 8/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- The people are amazing. The breakfast is amazing. The location is a bit hidden in San Marcos La Laguna. The vibe of Casa AHAU is very relaxed. The property has very nature vibe, which the showers and the toilets located outside with walls made out of what looked like tree trunks.
Click here to book your stay at Casa AHAU.
Panama City, Panama
El Machico Hostel
- 8/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- The hostel is clean, has a nice pool, and a kitchen for people to use. It is also a quite social place (even when I stayed in August which is technically low season). The beds were really comfortable, and I even see that they upgraded them on their website because I didn’t have any curtains when I stayed there. They offer a simple free breakfast everyday. It is just a bit far from the center, but if you split an uber ride with others it barely costs anything.
South America
Lima, Peru
Viajero Lima-Barranco Hostel
- 10/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- The architecture of this hostel is beautiful. The rooms are super clean, there are curtains everywhere, and it is super social. They have events in the evening every night. You can also book tours with them at their front desk. We did the food tour and had a blast! The only downside is that they don’t have a kitchen, but we wouldn’t have used it anyways.
Click here to book your stay at Viajero Lima-Barranco Hostel.
Huacachina, Peru
Wild Rover Huacachina
- 10/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- THE PLACE if you want to socialize and party. Every Friday, they have the wildest party, but they also have parties every night. We stayed in a 8 people room dorm and it was quite small, we didn’t have much space, but it was clean. I don’t recommend if you want to sleep early undisturbed.
Paracas, Peru
Viajero Paracas Hostel
- 10/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- Such a lovely hostel that is clean, the beds are super modern with curtains, they have a lovely pool area that you can relax by. It is also very social, with music every night. They can organize all the activities that you can to do in Paracas.
Click here to book your stay at Viajero Paracas Hostel.
Arequipa, Peru
Le Foyer Arequipa
- 9/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- Such a lovely place!!! It’s very quiet but honestly very needed at this point in my trip. They have only private rooms, but it’s very cute. They also have a rooftop restaurant that is really helpful. You can also book all the tours here.
- Click here to book your stay at Le Foyer Arequipa.
Cusco, Peru
Viajero Cusco
- 8/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- The hostel is beautiful!!! The location is also great, very central to everything. It’s a social place but that is also quiet at the same time if you get what I mean. The workers were so sweet, they helped me when I was so sick from food poisoning. The only downside is that I never had a warm shower because in the evenings the water was always cold?!
Oceania
Sydney, Australia
The Social Hotel
- 6/10
- Would I go back: Maybe
- The hostel is clean, has a private bathroom for every room, and is in a good location near the metro/subway. There is also breakfast included which is nice, from 8 to 10 am. However, the pillow/bed gave me the worst neck pain for 5 days.
Click here to book your stay at the Social Hotel.
Gold Coast, Australia
Tequila Sunrise Hostel Surfer Paradise
- 7/10
- Would I go back: Maybe
- The hostel is in a unique setup, where you have a pod (bed) in a single room of around 100 beds. Therefore, make sure to bring good earplugs! The pods themselves are comfortable and have charging plugs. What’s cool is that breakfast AND supper are included. The location is also super close to the Surfer Paradise Beach.
Click here to book your stay at the Tequila Sunrise Hostel Surfer Paradise.
Melbourne, Australia
Little Drifter North Melbourne
- 9.5/10
- Would I go back: Yes
- I might be biased because I stayed here for 4 weeks, so this hotel feels like a second home to me. But I found the hostel to be super clean and the beds were very comfortable. Every floor has their bathroom that is very well maintained, and in each bathroom there are around 6 showers and 6 toilets and 6 sinks. They also have a nice common area on the ground floor that is great for socializing and a common area on the rooftop that is usually quieter. The kitchen is nice, although it is only open from 7am to 10pm, and sometimes I felt that there weren’t enough tools to cook. They have events every other day at the hostel, but a lot of their bigger events are said to be at their sister hostel a few minutes away from Little Drifter.
Click here to book your stay at Little Drifter North Melbourne.
Jessie Across the World 