Hostels: how to avoid Hell and make it to Heaven

What turns a dream stay into a nightmare? This writer sheds light on their own hostel expereinces.

Ned Carter-Owen
14th December 2023
Image Credit: Flickr
Hostels can make or break a trip. They can start kick-ass parties, connect you with amazing new people and provide a perfect place to crash after a wild night; but on the flipside they can deflate the wheels on your holiday high with drab rooms and a flat atmosphere. In this article I’ll shed light on two hostels which I think embody these two sides.

The Wombats hostel in Vienna – where do I start with this soulless Scandinavian-like prison. Modern designed hostels are tricky ones. They can be your best friend with beautiful air conditioning and squeaky-clean toilets, but they can also push you away with a corporate feel and glowing neon “live laugh love” signs.

This hostel unfortunately fell into the latter category. Now I want to make it clear that there was nothing about the hostel that didn’t work and the staff were nice enough, but in terms of making you feel closer to the city and providing you the vibes to connect with fellow travellers, it fell short. That closeness and powerful social pulse to me is what makes a hostel great, it’s what they thrive on, so after spending time in the flat-lined environment of this accom, I knew I had to pull the plug on a future that included Wombats Vienna.

Now, to restore your faith in a hostel heaven, I’d like to draw your attention to the Wild Elephant Hostel in Bratislava. This party palace has everything you could ever dream of and more (apart from maybe air conditioning). Situated above a Mexican restaurant and then a Thai massage place (in that order), the Wild Elephant Hostel is open only to those aged between 18-40 – a good deterrent for the cargo shorts cladded men waiting below you for a massage.

Run by backpacking volunteers who have been sucked into the crazy fun world that is the Wild Elephant experience, this place has an electric buzz to it with the workers sharing secrets and hanging and partying with the guests. Full of old beat-up armchairs to sink in to and walls covered in years’ worth of travellers’ drawings, you get a sense of community and history like no other. It feels awesome to add to and partake in such an active and lively environment.

The bar crawls are mental with shots being poured into your mouths like birds at feeding time, but they also provide amazing daily activities that force your pounding heads out into the beautiful Slovakian country. I’ll never forget smoking and drinking wine with newly met mates on a scorching day by a beautiful lake. It was heaven.     

Now of course at the end of the day, what you want from a hostel is completely up to you, and if you wanted a chill or prolonged stay then sure maybe a party hostel like the Wild Elephant wouldn’t be for you. But, considering the transient nature of hostel travelling, why visit a smouldering heap of ash, when you can be part of a roaring fire?

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