Accomodation - Hostel

Information around the Internet suggest that one of the cheapest way to sleep overnight is by booking a bed at hostel dormitory. This means that you are occupying a bed in a room (probably 4 to 14 beds in a big room).

Most hostel have both dorm room accommodation as well as private rooms. There are kitchen with cooking and eating utensils, common areas and shared washroom/bathroom.

The thought of sleeping cheaply does sounds a little worry in me. How does the room look like? Is the bed crappy? Will I be safe? Is the hostel located far from the attraction places?

Thanks to Hostelbookers.com and Hostelworld.com, they do answered most of my questions. I book my stay easily through them, and before booking, I was able to:

1. Get some rough ideas about the hostel that I am interested, reception working hours and check-in/check-out time.
2. Know what type of facilities offered: hot showers, lockers, Internet, breakfast, linen, safe deposit box, air-cond, washing machine etc.
3. Pictures of the hostel and room that I am interested
4. Maps and direction to the hostel
5. Reviews of the hostel by people who had stayed there, with ratings on atmosphere, location, facilities, cleanliness, safety etc

It is important to choose a good hostel. I would like a good night rest after touring around the city whole day.

I consider hostel over hotel for my stay because:

1. I want to stay cheaply, especially for a single traveler 
2. I am an easy sleeper - I don't mind sharing room with other people
3. I can save more money by cooking my own meal using the shared kitchen
4. I can easily make fast friends with other travelers and exchange information about the journey ahead.

If you mind sharing rooms with others, or you are traveling with your boyfriend/girlfriend, you can always book the private rooms, sometimes with bathroom attached, with price still cheaper than hotel rate.

In the next post, I will explain more about how to choose your hostel wisely.