What I like of the Australian Hostels
Travelling in Australia for me means staying in the australian hostels.
And yes I stay in hostels all 
the times. The Australian hostels are my favorite budget accommodation option , they are great value and there are heaps of them in OZ to choose from. What I like most of the australian hostels is:
The great facilities - most of them offer a full range of facilities from the basic of kitchen/laundry to internet cafès and travel forum and services, so that connection is guaranteed.
The accommodation options - in most hostels you can book a twin or a double, so that you do not have to share dorms with strangers. The great value - for the money you pay you get good accommodation and usually excellent quality of service.
How to choose your hostel in Australia !
I stayed at over 30 hostels during my travels in Australia. Here below you can find a
checklist so as to evalute and choose your hostel in Australia.
- Check the hostel location - Reception service
I usually do that because most of times I travel solo and want to feel comfortable when walking home at night. Therefore the very first thing I check is where the hostel is located.
Moreover I also appreciate when the reception has a night surveillance, most hostel chains have this service, the family run hostels have a limited service to midnight or so. - Check the lodging otpions - what kind of rooms are available. If I choose to share a dorm I only share with 4female dorms, I personally do not like mix dorms and the max number of people is 4. I check if twins and doubles are also available so as to have the choice.
- Hostel Facilities - this is also a very important aspect. It much depends on how long you are staying at each hostel. If you are planning to stay a few days, make sure everything you need during your stay is offered. The kitchen and the laundry service, the internet cafe, the travel service and whatsever you may need. Each hostel usually runs a website where you can check the services listed, as well as the rates and the availability.
- Hostel Trend - This is also something I always check. I personally do not like those backpacker hostels where parties are organized every evening and loud music is on till in the night. Again it depends on what you are looking for. I love fun and entertainment, but also to a certain degree! Furthermore I prefer staying in small hostels rather than in those giant buildings with thousands of people in it. The crowd is not really my thing.
- Hostels reviews - for big hostel chains like Nomads or the Youth Hostel Association (YHA) you get hostel reviews from their websites but also on many metasearch engines and specialized travel website like hostelbookers or hostelworld you can read about other travellers's experience and make up your mind. To 95% of cases they are all genuine true comments so that you can rely on what they say. But on the other hand, everyone is different and perceive a service or a feature of the hostel in a different way. This especially matters with cleanliness.
What you need to know about hostels
Well as great as the australian hostels are, you must know that a certain level of adaptation is needed ! If you choose to share dorms and have not experienced it yet, then you will need a while before you get used to it. For me it has been preatty difficult to get used to sharing dorms. It took me a few weeks indeed, that's why I always check whether a twin or a double room is also available, just in case I should not cope with the room mates, or for any reason. I must say that I always have been lucky with my room mates. But you also hear other stories. If you are interested in this kind of budget accommodation for your travel in Australia and would like to try the australian hostels check out my essential guide for women travelling alone in Australia
In the next weeks you will be reading about features and facts of the australian hostels. So chek out this blog for updates, come back to the Rocky Travel's Blog.
If you would like to add your story wth us, feel free to add your comments here below. Please only real people's name, no companies names will be accepted. Thanks!
Happy travels in Australia, enjoy your hostel stay!
Michela
