It is a tiring thing to find good hostels in the real sense of the word. For many reasons. A hostel is not just a physical space, it’s more of a regular celebratory atmosphere having a combination of facilities, staff, amenities, and people which come together to make the overall experience of the stay rich and nothing short of magnificent. But as the best comes to us when we can go through the worst, it’s a bit of homework to find the best hostels which measure up to our standards which if done successfully give us a clear coast to ride our fun boats and dive head-on into the fun world.
Important Pointers to Check when Moving from One Hostel to Another
1. Cheap is not always the better option
Most of the time the students on a budget have a natural tendency to opt for the cheapest deal. But this idea seriously is not totally correct because it is dumb, does not yield us any benefit and we end up in messy business with unclean hotels where the beds are uncomfortable, has dirty showers, and the worst possible ambiance. Because ultimately the whole deal is about getting the right value for the efforts and money put in. And we don’t want to ruin our moods and spirits by wasting what we don’t ever want to start with our valuable time and money.
2. Availability of breakfast
What one should look for in a hostel is the availability of decent food services. It’s important to know whether the place offers a good breakfast, more than toast, eggs, and milk. Because breakfast is a great way to load up snacks for the whole day and cut out on the food budget. One should also keep an eye out for places that can provide other free food perks like free tea or coffee all day or free lunch or dinner offers. Apart from giving an option to save your precious bucks, it also makes the hostel more social and likable.
3. Get a timely checkout routine
It’s not good to stay at a hostel that has a checkout time before 10 am. The best hostels have a checkout time around 11 am or later still so that nothing appears rushed up and the environment is chilled out. And they should also have flexible check-in schedules.
4. General amenities availability
The sensible student should be on the lookout for hostels that provide proper general amenities like the presence of good bathrooms with shower and hot water facilities, spacious cabinets, safe lockers, and the availability of extra beddings and bathroom accessories. And these facilities should not be chargeable.
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5. Free internet facility
A hostel with free wi-fi facility is always a plus point to have as a standard advantage. While most of the hostels in the world have free wi-fi facilities these days, many of them still have it in certain privileged areas like the lobby or common rooms. One should also take the tip of avoiding using any free computer terminals because there can be any kind of malicious and harmful malware or spyware to harm your computer. One can use it for basic surfing of the web but not for things like emails, banking, or social media. If one is connecting to free wi-fi with a smartphone or laptop it’s safe to use a VPN to keep your data private.
6. Presence of a bar
The presence of a bar in a hostel is not sort of a deal-breaker but it makes for a great place to socialize with other hostel guests. And if the hostel does not have a bar, it should make sure to host activities and interactive events to get people together. Hostels are more about a social atmosphere than just a place to eat and sleep.
7. A common area
In case the hostel does not have a bar it should have a big common area. The best hostels are the ones that give the people a place to hang out and socialize with each other. Common areas help in interaction and facilitate the ice-breaking process for the shy and more reserved crowds of students. It is a fun area for having a good and productive time together and making new friends along with brewing meaningful conversations. The ideal hostels should provide common rooms equipped with board games, video games, a TV with a Netflix connection and interesting pool tables, and other fun gaming equipment.
8. Some adventure activities just sound right
The really good hostels generally organize activities like yoga classes, walking tours, scouting activities, bar crawls, barbecue get-togethers, fun games, health and nutrition-based activities, and anything that gets people active and together. One should check out the extracurricular setup of the hostels before booking a hostel to be safe rather than sorry. One should also take note of the fact of the free vs paid facilities of the hostels and compare them to choose the best one out.
9. The proper staff and its functioning
The most important part of any business is the employees that run it. And if they are helpful, efficient, knowledgeable, and friendly it’s always the better deal. After all, a hostel is like a second home for an inmate who comes to live there wanting to feel welcomed and adjusted in no time. It can be done by the efforts of an efficient staff who know all the tit-bits of hospitality along with other aspects of their job completely. A hostel is not just a cheap place to stay but is more of the business of creating a warm and inviting atmosphere however the ratings and class of the hostel are.
Also Check: Ultimate Tips for Choosing the Best Hostel in Pune
10. Location rules supreme
The location of a hostel has a huge impact on the experience factor. If one has to spend an hour or more on just public transportation to get to and from their hostels, one can end up wasting a lot of time on travel and also on the money. The best deal in getting a hostel is that it should be close to the action area or to say simply it should be at a place from where things are easily sorted and get done with comfort and no hassles. So before booking a hostel one should check out the address on google maps and get an idea of how it will suit their traveling requirements and other needs. Because you don’t want to keep spending your precious time, energy, and money just on commuting from one place to another appearing to be dumber than you thought you were.
11. Remote workers vs social buffs
In the present scenario where more and more people have shifted to remote ways of working, many hostels have started to accommodate such workers on a long-term basis. So if you are more of a digital person then such hostels are great places to stay as they have the facility of fast and free wi-fi making it easy to connect and network with other digital nomads. But if it’s the other way round and one is keen to make friends and socialize physically trying to feel the real and not the electronic way of life then they should look out for hostels which cater to such needs.
Conclusion
The points given here are not strict criteria to be followed but ideally, the best hotels should have the majority of them. Because the hostels that don’t take note of these pointers fail to understand the nature and requirements of their guests. It is understandable that there are different needs of different inmates and a hostel cannot possibly be perfect and apt to suit everyone’s standards. An ideal hostel should not aim for 5-star perfection but should surely give basic security, comfort, and satisfaction to its inmates at any cost. The worth of a good hostel is the people and the worst hostels too can be counted as good if one can meet good people and find a connection there. A proper hostel should be complete with the provision of basic needs, some of which are posted above along with having a homely and fun vibe which helps boys and girls to settle down and which has something good for everyone. One should basically read about the hostels, user reviews, pictures, their offerings, and ratings on many sites catering to student’s needs regarding finding a good hostel before booking one. There are many luxury hostels in Pune which provide services and the best accommodation rooms for working ladies, students, professionals alike and whose luxury rooms will leave you spellbound with a wonderful experience under your sleeves. So get ready to search and find a proper hostel that gives you what you need and makes the discovery part more fun by following the tips given here to ease your worries and get you to a home away from home and keep you happy.