History of hostels
The first hostel was created at the beginning of the 20th century!
Noticing the lack of accommodation options for students and youth, the German professor Richard Schirrmann created in 1912 the first youth hostel in the recently-built Altena Castle, in Germany. The hostel is still open!
Attractive prices, comfort and communal space
Hostels have more affordable prices because they have communal areas, such as bathrooms, laundry room, kitchen, TV room and some kind of social area (in our case, our lovely backyard), which are ideal for the guests’ integration and socialization.
However, if you prefer to have a little more privacy, most hostels offer private rooms with their own bathroom – that way you can enjoy the opportunity to socialize with other guests in the common areas, while you maintain your own private space to escape to.
Cool decór, attention to details and comfort are always good differentials.
Communal spaces
The hostels’ communal areas are a good option to relax after a long day of sightseeing and activities. So why not spend the evening in “our home” and save some money for the next day? It’s likely that you’ll meet other friendly travellers and, during a nice and interesting chat, you can exchange tips and info about the city, where to go, what to do, and maybe even find some company for the next activities and nights out.
For some travellers, it may be difficult to afford to pay for 3 meals a day in restaurants, so a well-equipped kitchen in the hostel is quite useful to store and prepare their own food.
Some hostels have swimming pool, library, and other facilities. It all depends on each one, but generally you will find in hostels a variety of services and staff ready to assist you.
Norms, respect and collectivity
In hostels, since most areas are communal and the utensils and appliances are for the use of everyone, a sense of collectivity and respect for others are essential. Hence, some basic rules are necessary: if you use something in the kitchen, wash it or clean it afterwards; always maintain the bathroom clean and the common spaces well organized, as you would like to find them; put the litter in the bin; and respect the hostel’s rules. Moreover, it’s also expected that guests will not keep the tv loud until late hours, that they will keep their belongings organized in the collective bedrooms, and that, if they wake up before the others in the bedroom, they will keep the silence and the lights off (some hostels, like ours, have individual lights in each bed).
If you want to meet new people and travel with local information from people who love the city they live in, then come and join us!!