Hostel dorm rooms used to scare me until I tried one in Barcelona

I always booked private rooms because I thought shared dorms would be dirty and loud. But last spring I couldn't find anything under 80 euros in Barcelona so I caved and got a 6-bed dorm for 22 euros a night. The room was cleaner than some hotels I've stayed at and the AC actually worked. Plus I met a guy who showed me this hole-in-the-wall spot with 2 euro tapas. Has anyone else had a surprise good experience with hostels?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliviabennett14d ago

Wait, are we really still acting like hostels are some big scary thing? Honestly, the tapas guy is the real win here. That's not just luck, that's the whole point of staying in a dorm. You're paying for a bed but you're buying into a social scene. Sure, you might get a snorer or a 3am drunk. But I've had worse neighbors in actual hotels. Thin walls, screaming kids, people slamming doors. The clean room is a solid bonus too. I've seen way grosser private rooms. Hostels have to stay on top of cleaning because everyone sees everything. Hotels can hide things behind a closed door. For 22 euros a night with AC and a local guide, that's a steal. I'd take that trade off any day.

sean_martin4414d ago

Oh, that's a great story. I've had the same thing happen actually. What I'm really curious about is whether you think the social aspect of the dorm actually made the trip better, or if it was just a bonus that happened to work out? Because I find that's the real wild card with shared rooms - sometimes you get a great group, other times you get people snoring or coming in drunk at 3am. Did you just get lucky, or do you think hostels in general are better than their reputation?

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