Luxury Hostels in Europe

If the term "luxury hostel" sounds like an oxymoron to you, you may be behind the times, or just a plain moron. At least that would probably be the opinion of the creator of a useful Website called www.budgettraveller.org.

Trendy hostels with modern design and unusual facilities and perks are spring up across Europe to cater to a new type of traveller termed a flashpacker, or a backpacker who has grown up. These new-style hostels offer private rooms, sometimes restaurants or swimming pools, or even 24-hour breakfasst on demand. For example, at the Ostello Bello conveniently situated near the Duomo in Milan, each room comes with a private bath.

At the Gallery Hostel in Porto, Portugal, the friendly staff will take you on free guided walking tours of the city, while at the Circus in Berlin you can enjoy cocktails in the snack bar. In Tampere, Finland, the Dream Hostel is located in the heart of the active nightclub district. This last could of course be a two-edged sword, if you were hoping for a good night's sleep. I recall staying at a nice hotel in downtown Helsinki which lacked air-conditioning. It was summer, so my window was wide open to hear the inebriated bar patrons leaving when the bars closed at 5 a.m.

You can download a free guide to Europe's luxury hostels if you subscribe to the newsletter offered at the budgettraveller.org Website, which also provides other useful information to keep your travel costs down.