Hostels, by Kerry

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Ok so I thought a hostel is a hostel is a hostel. Not too much difference from one to another except the all important LOCATION and friendliness of staff then it's just the little things like with/without free internet, lumpyness of the bed and smellyness of the toilet.

Well, now we've stayed in hostels in a few different countries I am starting to appreciate the differences. Here are a couple of categories that I've come up with so far..

"The Home Stay" - e.g. Meeting Point - Yeketerinburg, Russia; GBT Hostel - Ulan Ude, Russia
This is actually a small flat/home extension that the owner has decided to call a hostel. You get all the usual things but with a feeling that you're getting to know what it's like to actually live there. Or something. These can be a bit weird at first but are really ok as the owner tends to sleep somewhere else so you might even get the place to yourselves for a while!

"Good Vibrations" - e.g. Downtown Hostel - Irkutsk, Russia
This is a bog standard hostel, nothing special in the facilities or anything else definable but one that you somehow get the feeling, as soon as you arrive, that you really like this place. It has a certain buzz about it, the other travellers are so nice and friendly, you don't care that the (one) toilet smells and the bed is hard because you just want to hang out. You feel at home and also that you've lucked out somehow by finding this place.

"The Fixer" - e.g. UB Guesthouse - Ulaan Baator, Mongolia
This is kind of a sub category of Good Vibrations as it has all the above attributes but in addition it also seems to be the most popular tour operator in the neighbourhood/city. This is where you turn up and book straight onto a tour with some others that have a similar itinerary. No need to shop around for a better deal because EVERYONE else is booking up. You'll probably only spend one or two nights here - your 1st and last in the area.

"The Hotel" - e.g. our current home: Sanlitun Hostel - Beijing, China
This is pure luxuary on the same budget that you were paying for all the other hostels. It has communal areas like all other hostels only better - they throw in a bar/cafe and a pool table, and the rooms are like hotel rooms (without the toilet roll - unless we were just unlucky!). You have a telephone, tv and kettle in your twin room and the bed is already made. We definitely like this kind of hostel. We've heard that all of the hostels under thesame brand are like this. I'm trying to work out the brand.. think it's this website as our hostel is on it (called Hutong Hostel) www.chinayha.com or any "International Youth Hostel" in China.

We would strongly urge anyone coming to Beijing on holiday to save your money and stay here. It's obviously not 4 or 5* luxuary but it's a decent hotel and only 20quid a night for a twin/double room!

Enough about hostels. It's our first night in Beijing and it happens to be a Friday so we are heading out for drinks soon and I might do another travel blog now.. an actual update on what we've been up to for the last week!

Kez

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