Luxe Beat Magazine JUNE 2015 | Page 35

Travel Seven Hostel is a modern, clean hostel located on the Amalfi Coast. (PHOTOGRAPHY SEVEN HOSTEL) St. Christopher’s Inn of Paris, France, at Gare du Nord was voted Hostelworld’s ‘Most Popular Hostel in Paris’ of 2015. (PHOTOGRAPHY ST. CHRISTOPHER’S INNS) The Amalfi Coast is a worldrenowned stretch of Italian coastline. (PHOTOGRAPHY JENNA INTERSIMONE) W hen I visited the Amalfi Coast, a world-renowned stretch of Italian coastline known for its pastel colors, old-world charm and turquoise waters, I foresaw my accommodations, Hotel Londra, to be as alluring as the destination. Unfortunately, one of the two did not live up to expectations, and it wasn’t the Mediterranean region that has been around since the sixth century. Upon booking my trip with a popular tour group, bus2alps, I was given the option of staying at Hotel Londra or Seven Hostel, both located in Sant’Agnello, which is minutes from Sorrento. As most logical Americans and unlucky moviegoers to have seen the 2005 horror flick “Hostel” would decide, I chose Hotel Londra, assuming it must be the more luxurious choice. My roommates and I were unimpressed. After a seven-hour bus trip from Florence, we were disappointed to encounter twin beds with floral, outdated bedding and a lack of towels. As it was 2am, we had no choice but to fall into our tiny beds. The next day, we visited the other accommodation, Hotel Seven, to meet up with friends on the trip. As we peered into the huge, futuristic rooms with modern fixtures on our way up to the rooftop lounge, our jaws dropped. Did hostels really look like this? Where were the mold, drunken students and cheap bedding? Throughout the remainder of my three-month European tour, the notion that hostels held the room keys to luxury while hotels were left in the dust with their overpriced, outdated fanfare, was further drilled into my head after stays at more hostels throughout the continent. Friends from home were in disbelief when I showed them photos of my lavish hostels, as they were in sharp contrast from the stereotypical musty, dirty dormitory accommodation. Partly due to the fact that some Americans are relatively unfamiliar with hostels, as they are only just becoming fixtures in some United States cities, most cannot believe that hostels could have any element of luxury, but this could not be farther from the truth. Many hostels, both in Europe and in America, now have indoor pools, rooftop terraces, private movie theaters and more, as the demand for hostels has grown with the recession and increase in international travel. There is a catch, however, with the decreased price of hostels, which typically range from $20 to $40 a night. Hostels feature shared rooms as well as facilities, which either allow for increased immersion into a new culture or a lack of privacy, depending on your point of view, although private rooms are also usually available for a higher price. Hostels usually have four to 20 beds to an average room, as well as free WiFi, breakfast and various activities to help hostellers connect with one another, such as comedy nights, open mics, city tours and pub crawls. Rather than hospitality, they focus on involving hostellers with the surrounding community and the culture. However, many hostels now focus on the element of luxury while keeping with the tradition of hostelling. If you will soon be visiting one of the European cities below, keep these plush hostels in mind when deciding on your accommodations. Gallery Hostel of Porto, Portugal has a name that doesn’t lie. It doubles as an art gallery once a month for local artists to showcase their works, which I found to be a great way to connect to the Portuguese and to understand the city. Its décor matches the classic elegance of the local art culture. From 20 euro a night, guests can lounge in both private and 35