Lotte–Great Backpackers Hostel at Heidelberg, Germany

From time to time, I end up staying at some hostels that feel like home. I end up staying there for a long while and make great friends there. When I traveled recently to Heidelberg, the beautiful town in the Baden-Wurttemberg region of Germany, I stayed at the Lotte Heidelberg, a great backpacker hostel. This review is based on my experience of staying here.



1) This hostel is run by a backpacker who knows what backpackers look at and hence every thing that a backpacker looks for in a hostel is taken care of.

2) The hostel is set in a classic house that is located right in the center of old Heidelberg. The famous Heidelberg castle is right behind the hostel and it takes only a 10 minute walk to reach the top of the castle. Restaurants, Supermarkets, shops, visitor center and many tourist attractions are located a short walk away. Even the local train station is a 10 minute walk away.

3) The hostel has both dormitories and rooms. I stayed in a dormitory and these come with well aired surroundings, many windows, great mattresses, safety lockers, private light, table and chairs.

4) Cereal, milk, coffee and tea are available to all 24 hours a day.

5) They have an in-house kitchen where you can cook your meals at any time of the day. The kitchen is fully functional with a refrigerator, microwave, kettle, dishwasher and much more. The best part of the kitchen is that you don’t have to wash the dishes.

6) The hostel also sells cold beverages and beer that you can buy for a price.

7) The hostel has an outdoor area for smoking and an indoor lounge where you can access the internet at the home computer, read any of the many books or simply have great conversations with fellow inmates.

8) The hostel offers free wi-fi and that can be accessed in the kitchen, lounge and all dormitories/rooms.

9) All rooms come with keys. Even the main entrance door has a key. So all security aspects are covered. The reception is open from 8 AM through 10 PM and are always eager to help you with maps, directions, tips and other helpful advice.

10) The bathrooms come with all modern facilities and the hot showers are of the same quality as expensive hotels.

11) The only problem in the hostel is that it doesn't have an elevator and if you are carrying heavy suitcases and staying in one of their rooms upstairs, you might have to carry all that weight through their narrow flight of stairs. But, you will always find some kind of help.

12) The hostel has no curfew. But, in spite of that, it doesn’t have a party atmosphere inside the hostel premises and hence one can enjoy great sleep during the night.

If you are a backpacker, a budget traveler, solo traveler or even a traveling couple and if you are headed towards Heidelberg, you might want to check this hostel out. I would totally recommend Lotte – The Backpackers and would definitely stay here again when I visit Heidelberg.

Continue Reading...

Cairn’s Northern Greenhouse: One of the Best Hostels I have stayed at!!

This was possibly one of the nicest hostels that I have stayed at in recent times. This was at Cairns, the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef in the Northern part of Australia’s Queensland state. I stayed here at the Northern Greenhouse for 7 days and 6 nights and the below review is based on this recent experience of mine.



1) The one thing that you almost always miss in a hostel is space. But, here at the Northern Greenhouse, space is everywhere. Their rooms are huge. So are their bathrooms, their kitchen and common room. There is so much space that you forget that you are staying in a hostel.

2) The Northern Greenhouse used to be a Service Apartment. Hence, each dorm room has a fridge, a kitchen sink, a balcony and an attached bathroom, which are great luxuries to have in your hostel room. And the best part is that there are only 6 bunk beds in a large room.

3) The hostel has a lovely swimming pool that is clean and open 24 hours a day.

4) The hostel has a great common sit out area which also doubles up as the dining area, pool table area, movie arena or a simple hangout den. It is next to the kitchen where you can cook your own meals. The hostel provides you with free access to gas stove, microwave, pans, plates, spoons and other essential cooking accessories.

5) This hostel offers free tours or free barbecue dinners on most days of the week, which are very enjoyable and they come absolutely enjoyable. I took one where they took me on a half day trip to cascade waterfalls, a scenic place at about 30 minutes away from Cairns.

6) The hostel is located right in the heart of Cairns. Hence, everything is a short walk away, be it shopping malls, travel agents, supermarkets, night markets, bars, restaurants and most of the things that we travelers need.

7) The hostel offers free wi-fi to all its customers. The wi-fi works great in the common area, though it hardly works inside the dorm rooms. It works just outside the dorm rooms though.

8) The front desk of this hostel are possibly the most smiling and helpful front desk that I have ever met at any hostel. They were extremely knowledgeable about local tips and ideas, were super super helpful and were always clued onto customer service like 100%.

9) The hostel also has an in-house tour operator called ‘Friendly Travel’ who can arrange your trips and bookings, if you’d like it.

10) The hostel serves free breakfast. Though, do keep in mind that breakfast is simple cereal and milk and toast with butter, jam and peanut butter. However, if you’d like you can cook your own breakfast.

11) All the dorms are air-conditioned, come with safety lockers and hot showers. They even have extra fans in the room.

If you are planning a budget holiday to the Great Barrier Reef in Australia or the rainforests on the mainland if you are using Cairns as a base, then I would seriously recommend staying at the Northern Greenhouse hostel. I am sure that you will be as happy with this place as I was.

Continue Reading...

Chill Backpackers: Good Centrally Located Hostel in Brisbane

Brisbane, the capital city of sunny Queensland is a great riverside city that offers a lot of avenues for the visitor to indulge in. If you are a backpacker and looking for budget accommodation, you will either find them near the CBD or in the suburbs. Personally, I prefer staying close to the CBD as the entire riverside, the downtown, the bus stations, the train stations and most of the attractions are within walking distance and suits my style of traveling. During my recent visits to Brisbane, I stayed at the Chill Backpackers on Upper Roma Street and the below review is based on these recent experiences of mine.

1) The hostel is located at a 3 minute walk from the Roma transit station and is only a 7 minute walk to the Queen street mall and the city hall, which gives it a top proximity to most of the city’s top attractions.

2) The riverside is only a 10 minute walk away. This is a part of the city that is famous for its running and cycling tracks, cafes, arts center, parks and restaurants.

3) The hostel has a great roof top, which offers fantastic views of the Brisbane river and is a great setting for cooler evenings.

4) All the rooms in the hostel are air-conditioned and come with fully equipped shared bathrooms and toilets.

5) The only negative about this hostel is the fact that you have to pay for your wi-fi. However, the southbank CBD area by the riverside offers free wi-fi, so if you do not want to pay, you can head there.

6) The hostel reception is very helpful. The hostel has a kitchen where you can store food, cook and where you can even borrow their vessels.

7) The hostel has a movie room, pool table and desktops available for rent. These are good to have.

8) The hostel doesn’t have safety lockers in the dormitories, though they have a common locker system managed by the reception.

9) The hostel is located at a short walk from the restaurants, fast food joints, bars and pubs.

The hostel is great. It would be fabulous if it had free wi-fi and safety lockers. But, in itself, I think I like its cleanliness and definitely its proximity to the city. You can definitely look at the Chill Backpackers for centrally located budget accommodation in Brisbane.

Continue Reading...

Nobel Hostel: Hostel with a View at Istanbul

Normally hotels that have a stunning view are either 5 star, 4 star or insanely expensive. It is very rare to find a budget backpacker hostel with a view. But, I am so happy that I found that in Nobel Hostel, a budget hostel located in the Sultanahmet area of Istanbul. I stayed here recently for 4 days and 3 nights and the below is a detailed review based on this recent experience of mine.



1) The Nobel hostel has top location. It is located right behind the Sultanahmet Blue Mosque, a couple of steps away from the Arasta Bazaar and easy walking distance to Topkapi Palace and Hagia Sophia.

2) The hostel comes with a stunning view. Most of the rooms either offer a view of the Blue Mosque or the Bosphorus. The terrace offers insane views of both. On a clear day, you can enjoy your tea and/or beer at this terrace while soaking in the views.

3) The hostel is just a 5 minute walk from the Sultanahmet tram station, which means that the ferry stations of Eminonu (for the Bosphorus cruises), Taksim area (for shopping, eating and drinking) and the Grand Bazaar (for local shopping) are just a few tram stops away.

4) The hostel offers cosy dormitories and private rooms at budget prices. They charge 10 or 11 Euros per bed for the dormitory. These dormitories come with views, windows, heaters, safety lockers, great soft beds, towels and a shared bathroom that has hot water and heaters.

5) They offer free breakfast in their neighbouring restaurant every morning. They also offer food and drinks on their open terrace restaurant.

6) Supermarkets, ATMs, travel agencies, booking offices and other important traveler needs are all located close by.

7) The hostel offers good speed wi-fi on all its hostel floors.

8) The hostel comes with round the clock security, reception and CCTVs.

9) The hostel doesn’t have a lift and has narrow spiral staircases. This might be a problem if you have to carry heavy suitcases.

10) The hostel reception is very helpful and resourceful with information and tips about everything. I had so many questions directed at Mustafa and he calmly answered them nicely and clearly for me.

11) Since the hostel is located in the touristy area and close to the mosque, do prepare for some sounds especially during prayer time and during the day when traffic moves around.

If you are looking for a good and comfortable budget hostel in the heart of the tourist area of Sultanahmet and would like to see a view every day and night of your stay without paying anything more, then this is the place for you. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay here.

Continue Reading...