HostelsClub.com allows you to make secure online bookings for hostels, budget hotels, B&Bs, guest houses and camping grounds from their selection of over 13,500 properties in 120 different countries. Avoid booking fees when you make your next booking!
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Youth hostels are a great way to travel. they are even more
fun, and easy for those on a tight budget. Youth hostels save your cash while you experience the history and culture of your
destination. Many European youth hostels have special perks, amenities and even rules -- so, do your homework so you can choose the youth hostel that fits your
needs. Think about curfews, internet access, bag storage and
especially kitchen availability, all of which can save you money and
a headache.
Keep in mind that although some hostels offer private
rooms. These rooms come at a higher price and most times you will be
sharing both your room and facilities. In the meantime remember to
say hello to those around you. Some of the most interesting people
you will ever meet can be found in youth hostels.
| Hostel World
Hostelworld.com is the flagship website and was the first online hostel booking website out there on the internet. It has over 12,000 properties, predominantly hostels but also offering guesthouses, budget hotels, apartments and campsites. |
Hostels.com Hostels.com is the largest and most up to date hostel website on the internet listing purely hostels (not hotels, etc.) worldwide with both online bookings and the option to book direct by phone. It has over 10,000 hostels listed. |
| Hostels of Europe
HostelsofEurope.com lists all the independent hostels in Europe that can be booked online. |
Hostel Bookers Hostel Bookers is another great option. A couple of things make this website stick out from the rest - simplicity of use and no booking fees. Whenr you arrive at the website you’re only one click away from finding youth hostels, and the fact that there’s no registration or membership required also saves you time. With thousands of youth hostels and budget hotels in 1,500 destinations worldwide, a travel news and event section, and guides to most destinations, Hostel Bookers is a pretty decent backpacker and student travel resources. The website is efficient and informative, and you can search hostels by price or customer ratings. Hostel Bookers also run a free group booking service for groups of 10 or more people. |
Boots 'n All Bootsnall.com-- Two points for a cool logo. And three more for an exhaustive list of youth hostels and easy interface for reservations. Even though these points I’ve just handed out are made of Monopoly money, Bootsnall really does have more than 6000 hostels in 50-plus nations around the world. You can peruse the list of European youth hostels by city or country, check out all the different youth hostel features (does it have Internet, a washer & dryer?) and even find maps to individual youth hostels. There is also a link for relatively unbiased youth hostel reviews (i.e. not “sponsored”), but it’s rather disorganized. Once there, use your browser’s “search” or “find” feature to zoom in on comments for your favorite city. |
Hostels1 Hostels1.com allows y ou to make very secure, guaranteed reservations on this site, or so they say. I, for one, happen to believe them. This site is all about North and South America, so those seeking youth hostels in Helsinki, or in the Bohemian town of Cesky Krumlov are not welcome here (don’t worry we have other sites for you!). A very solid place for your New World youth hostel needs. |
Hostels Club At HostelsClub.com is another hostel booking engine that has grown like crazy! HostelsClub's goal is to offer a one-stop-shop for travel accommodation needs: book rooms, tours and print their free city guides. The site offers primarily hostels, but also B&B's and apartments, which are sometimes a nice change from sharing a room with 4-12 strangers... |
HostelsClub.com allows you to make secure online bookings for hostels, budget hotels, B&Bs, guest houses and camping grounds from their selection of over 13,500 properties in 120 different countries. Avoid booking fees when you make your next booking!
This is a new column about experiences in sleep. Each issue, find the best ways and places to rest your head for the night.
It is said that Hong Kong is the gateway to Asia. If this is the case, Ma Wui Hall youth hostel, located in the hills above the main city, must be the shoestring traveler's key to that gateway.
Ma Wui Hall hostel is the kind of place that one should either start or end a journey, preferably.
One reason is its location. Perched near the top of the Victoria Peak, adjacent to the tourist lookout point around the corner, the youth hostel has one of the best views in the city. During the day, one can see the fleets of merchant ships and ferries criss crossing the harbor. At night, the harbor lights up like a Christmas tree, with views of the city stretching for miles.
The second reason is the network of people who converge at this youth hostel. It is a unique array of travelers just beginning an Asian excursion, those that are midpoint on travels to Thailand or China, and those that are finishing extended trips – some having been around the world. Because the youth hostel is only accessible by a privately-ownded shuttle and closes its gates at 11 p.m., at night all the groups sit at the wooden benches or around firepits that overlook the harbor. Most talk about places to see and things to do. Few mention going home.
During my three-day stint at the youth hostel, I met all types. Rick, a Connecticut native, was finishing up a year-long journey with an Australian friend Damien, that he had met in Bali. Three British girls were completing a two-month stint around Southeast Asia, with a collage of stories about jumping around the Thai islands, bogus "brilliant light shows" in Malaysia that turned out to be a bunch of bulbs blinking, and riding motorcyles throughout Vietnam.
The youth hostel itself is very simple. Two buildings separate the men from the women, both squeezing in 111 visitors. The restroom facilities are also plain, with no hot water. There is a kitchen facility, a small dining room, all which are widely used. There are laundry facilities and lockers. Lastly, youth hostel staff requires that hostelers help clean up, in tradition with a hostel's way to keep prices low. Upon leaving, you are asked to sweep, take out the garbage, or do other small tasks to better the place.
The youth hostel shuttle picks up two times a day near the bus stops, across from the ferry landing. Rides cost about $1 US. The hostel costs about $10 for Hostelling International members and $15 for non members. Hostellers can book future accommodations through the International Booking Network at the check in desk. There is a lock-out period in the early afternoon. For more information on Ma Wui Hall youth hostel call (852) 2817-5715 or go to www.hiayh.org