Alobar 1000: Sensationally Good Hostel in the heart of Kathmandu

On my recent backpacking trip to Nepal, I stayed at a lovely hostel called Alobar 1000 that is located in the Thamel area of Kathmandu. I chanced upon this place at the last moment while I was browsing wikitravel from my flight and just decided to take the plunge. In fact, I am very happy that I decided to stay here. I stayed here for 11 nights across 2 trips in Nepal and absolutely loved my stay here. If you are a solo traveler, backpacker or budget traveler, I would definitely recommend this place to you. Below is my detailed review based on this recent experience of mine.

1) The place is a very comfortable budget hostel. Dorm beds cost 450 Nepali rupees, which equates to roughly USD 4.5. They have 12 bedded dorm room, 6 bedded dorms and private dorms with 2 beds.

2) Alobar has power supply all 24 hours. This is much required in Kathmandu, which sees frequent power cuts. This ensures that lights, fan and wi-fi work round the clock.

3) Their washrooms, shower rooms and dorm rooms are very clean. Showers come with gas powered heaters, which means that you get the luxury of hot showers round the clock.

4) They have a roof top sitting area and restaurant that is like their main hangout spot. They have a TV, play great music, serve delicious food, serve local beer and spirits and help their customers understand Kathmandu better.

5) Their common area on the roof top is a great place to meet fellow travelers and listen to great stories from the road. In fact, I had such a lovely time here that I made so many new friends.

6) The hostel has free wi-fi all round the clock. Sometimes, the internet went down, but it worked most of the time. The speed was much better than the rest of Kathmandu.

7) The people running the hostel always have a smile on their faces and make sure you have a good time. They are always there to help address your queries, give you directions and plan out your itinerary.

8) The hostel has an in-built travel desk (Daal Baat Adventures) that offers some fantastic tours. Usually, I don’t like to take tours, but I was tempted to try them out as they offered cultural exchanges with locals during festivals and such interesting events, which you will easily miss otherwise. The travel desk is also a great resource if you want to understand your map, tourist attractions and trekking routes properly.

9) The hostel says that they offer free pick-up from the airport to the hostel, but they end up charging for it. This is the only bad thing I felt about this hostel.

10) The hostel is located in a quiet part of Thamel, which means that you will get to sleep peacefully and not worry about Kathmandu’s notorious noise levels.

11) The hostel enjoys great location. It is just a 2 minute walk from Thamel chowk, which means that it is close to the main tourist attractions, shops, restaurants, travel agencies, bars, clubs, ATMs, local markets and all the things that a tourist would typically look for. It is also just a short walk from the various bus stops of the city, which makes it easier to connect to neighboring towns like Patan, Bhaktapur, Banepa, Dhuikhel, Nagarkot, etc. The hostel is located about 20 minutes from Kathmandu airport.

12) The hostel offer laundry service for a reasonable fee. You can refill your bottle with 1 liter of filtered water for 10 Nepali rupees. In simple terms, they try to offer all the usual services at a budget price since they cater to the backpacking population.

13) Unlike the other hostels, this hostel does not get too loud at nights. People drink and have good conversations, but there is no chaos. May be, it is because that this place is still not mentioned in lonely planet or other guide books. I am sure this place will get loud crowds once it finds a mention in the guide books.

14) In case you are interested in private rooms, they also have a neighboring property that is more like a service apartment and is given out to tourists for short and long stays.

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Zostel: International Quality Hostel Chain in Rajasthan

I love to stay in hostels because they offer comfortable budget accommodation through an air conditioned environment with safety lockers, great wi-fi, proximity to the tourist attractions and the ability to meet like minded travelers. On my international travels, I have stayed in umpteen hostels for a significant amount of time, but never came across good quality hostels in India till I came across Zostel.

Zostel is a hostel chain that runs hostels at Jaipur, Udaipur and Jodhpur in Rajasthan, India’s most tourist oriented state. Zostel offers quality and facilities that are on par with hostels across the world and at great budget Indian prices. On my recent trip to Rajasthan, I managed to stay for 3 days at their hostel in Jodhpur. This review is based on this recent experience of mine.

1) Unlike a typical Indian hostel, this one comes with international quality standards. Their beds, rooms, safety lockers and washrooms are all of great quality.

2) They are air-conditioned and offer great comfort in Rajasthan’s heat.

3) They have the concept of a central meet-up area where all travelers can meet, strike interesting conversations and share their stories.

4) Zostel offers free wi-fi like most international hostels. They even offer free laptop or desktop for those travelers traveling without their gadgets.

5) The one at Jodhpur is close to the airport, while the ones at Jaipur and Udaipur are located right in the heart of the city and close to all tourist attractions. Even though the Jodhpur hostel is close to the airport, it is still close to all the tourist attractions as the city is extremely small.

6) The people running the place share the love of travel and are great company for us travelers. They make sure all our questions are answered and if not, they guide us in the right direction.

7) The hostel at Jodhpur comes with a roof top view and sit out area. Between 8 pm and 9:30 pm, one can catch a good view of the lights at Ummaid Bhavan Palace from here.

8) They also offer tailor made tours for those who want a bit of planning.

9) Their washrooms are clean, airy and come with all necessary amenities.

10) And all this costs only INR 350 per person per night, which is just USD 6, which according to me fits perfectly into the world of budget travel.

I thoroughly loved my stay at Zostel – Jodhpur and would love to stay again with them at their Udaipur and Jaipur property sometime soon. If you are a budget traveler and seek the joy of hostels, I would recommend that you give them a try.

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Economy Air-Cond Hostel: Backpacker Stay in Tawau

Tawau is the gateway to the wildlife and diving spots in East Borneo and since it has a domestic airport, most travellers prefer to stay here a day or two before moving to other destinations. I landed at Tawau at the end of my East Borneo trip and ended up staying a night there at the Economy Air-Cond Hostel. The below review is based on my recent experience.

1) This is one of those places which fits the budget category, has air-conditioning, has hot showers and good speed wi-fi.

2) The only thing weak about this place is that it looks like a shady building from outside and from inside. But, it is well managed with security cameras, has no bed bugs and pretty clean.

3) All rooms come with common toilets and bathrooms. Toilets are squat style.

4) Wifi is free and the speeds are commendable. Wifi is accessible in the rooms too.

5) The people managing the place continuously watch TV during the day and smoke, but this doesn’t affect if you are in the room.

6) The hostel doesn’t have a kitchen for their guests.

7) The hostel is located at a 5 minute walk from the bus station. One can get inter city buses here and also the shuttle to the Tawau airport.

8) The hostel is located in the main happening area and hence the markets, the night market, the super markets, the grocery stores, the restaurants and other shops are all next door or a short walk away.

9) The reception is nice and help to a certain extent, though they are more fluent in Malay than English.

This place is ideal for a quick one or two night layover in Tawau for budget travelers and backpackers. It has all the amenities that a backpacker needs.

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Borneo Sandakan Backpackers: A New Comfortable Hostel in Sandakan, Borneo

Sandakan is an important location in Borneo as it is the gateway to the orangutan sanctuary at Sepilok, the Proboscis Monkey sanctuary at Labuk bay, the wildlife cruises on the Kinabatangan river, the rainforests of Danum valley and the volcanic islands off Semporna. And it also has a domestic airport, which means that lots of tourists visit this town. Because of this demand, there are many kinds of hostels and hotels doing business in Sandakan. During my recent stay at Sandakan, I stayed at a newly setup hostel called the Borneo Sandakan Backpackers. The below review is based on my experience of staying 2 nights and 2 days here.

1) For 22 RM, one gets a bed in an air-conditioned dormitory. These dormitories are brand new, have fans and exhaust fans too. Apart from dormitories, the hostel have private rooms too.

2) This is one of those hostels that is not cramped and has ample space in everything, be its rooms, bathrooms, toilets, common area and reception.

3) The place comes with free wi-fi, which is pretty fast and reliable.

4) Free breakfast is served every morning from 7 AM to 10 AM. This includes toast, butter, jam, peanut butter and coffee/tea.

5) The hostel is located next to the harbour and is close to important places like the bus station, pharmacy stores, super markets, restaurants and shopping stores.

6) The hostel runs its own tour company too and they offer great deals for the backpacker.

7) The only problem with this hostel is that they do not have safety lockers. This makes you worry about your valuables always and not be in peace.

8) The reception is very resourceful in providing you maps and guiding you in the right direction.

This hostel is ideal for backpackers and budget travelers. Since it is new, it is very clean. Hopefully, it stays that way.

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Asia Adventure Lodge: Homely Budget Hostel in Kota Kinabalu Downtown

Jalan Gaya in the downtown area of Kota Kinabalu is the area where most hotels and backpacker hostels are located and I stayed at the Asia Adventure Lodge located in this area. The below review is based on my recent experience of staying here for 3 days and 3 nights.

1) The hostel is run by a local family who tries and makes your stay as good as possible. This really made my stay special for me.

2) The place has got great location with the Sunday market, the restaurants, the travel agencies, the souvenir shops, the super marts, the ferry service and most of the sights all in close proximity.

3) For 25 RM, one can get a bed in an air-conditioned dormitory. You can get discounts if you stay for longer durations. Free breakfast is included in this stay.

4) The place comes with free wi-fi (that has good speeds), a television and an open sit out.

5) Free breakfast (from 7 AM to 10:30 AM) includes toast, butter, jam and coffee/tea. Water is served free of cost all through the day.

6) Apart from dormitories, this lodge also has rooms.

7) The beds in the hostel may be a bit old, but they are devoid of any smell or insects.

8) The best thing about the lodge is that they want it to be clean always.

9) The family running the place are more eager to guide you properly than sell their own tours to you.

I really like this simple homely place. I would recommend it to all backpackers and budget travelers.

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