Jaunted - Tag: Hostels

'The Worst Hotel In The World' Has The Best Advertising Campaign

Omri — 2009-10-02T16:33:53-05:00

The UK's KK Outlet ad agency was tasked with selling a generously described no frills hostel in Amsterdam.

The hostel in question, as you undoubtedly figured out from the ads, is Amsterdam's Hans Brinker Budget Hotel. Lest you think they're joking about the lack of amenities, or that their self-deprecation is a passing thing, the establishment website hawks a book titled The Worst Hotel in the World: The Hans Brinker Budget Hotel Amsterdam. They're proud all of it, from the nonexistent bedding to the subpar customer service. It's like they're the Ryanair of hostels.

Via Advertising Is Good For You, Pure genius:

Stockholm: Nothing's Sweder Than Plane Spotting Straight From A Cockpit

JetSetCD — 2009-09-10T13:18:50-05:00

We love airplanes, you love airplanes, so let's go look at airplanes! In our Prime Plane Spotting series, we'll let you in on all the best spots to whip out your cameras and binoculars for a piece of the aviation action.

Where is better for plane spotting than actually being on the airport's tarmac...or better yet, in a honeymoon suite on the tarmac? This actually became possible less than a year ago, when the Jumbo Hostel opened at Stockholm's Arlanda Airport.

This decommissioned 747 has had its seats ripped out in favor of installing 25 bedroom suites, complete with free wireless internet access and flatscreen TVs, and, for most rooms, full en-suite bathrooms. Even Singapore Airlines' A380 first class suites can't compare with these, but then the Jumbo Hostel no longer flies, so there's that.

Bocas Del Toro: This is Panama's Version of 'Pura Vida'

BS — 2009-03-24T10:02:56-05:00

Our own Brendan Spiegel is down in Panama this week and will be reporting back on all that he's seen and done. Whether or not he's wearing a Panama Hat, we can't say. But if you have any questions or suggestions for him, let us know.

Panama has its fair share of high-end beach resorts, with more coming soon from folks like Nikki Beach and Trump. But for those seeking beachcomber's paradise without the fat expense account, the clear answer is Bocas Del Toro.

This idyllic Caribbean archipelago is the closest thing Panama has to a Costa Rican-style pura vida backpacking scene. It's the kind of place where you run in to everyone from five-year-old Panamanians hawking homemade jewelry to ex-pat American yoga instructors to rowdy spring breakers who maybe were looking for the other Panama City. But whoever you are, the only requirement is a solid "chill out" vibe.

Cape Town: South Africa Field Trip: Cape Town Basics

Jaunted — 2008-09-29T16:00:35-05:00

Our Southern Africa embed Jill Nawrocki recently ducked out of Namibia for a field trip to South Africa.

Being on a budget can really narrow down your choices. But luckily, Cape Town is a big city with lots of options when it comes to accommodations and dining. (Even for those who are broke!)

Chintsa: World's Best Hostels: Buccaneers Backpackers

BS — 2008-08-12T09:45:08-05:00

Dirty rooms, dirty dishes, dirty hippies... we've all stayed there. But every once in awhile you stumble upon a unique hostel that makes you realize why some people never graduate to the hotel scene.

Buccaneers Backpackers in Cintsa, South Africa is one of those spots. Set in the middle of the Wild Coast, the country's least developed bit of beach, Buccaneers has a location that screams future four-star hotels and makes you want to stay as long as possible before it gets touristed-up.

Skip the dorms and grab one of the two-person safari tents, which come complete with beds. Mounted on individual wooden decks, the tents overlook the mouth of the Cintsa River as it flows into the warm Indian Ocean. Starting at R90 ($10) a person, you'd be hard-pressed to find a cheaper room with this view anywhere in the world.

Related Stories:
· Buccaneers Backpackers [Official Site]
· Hostels coverage [Jaunted]
· South Africa Travel coverage [Jaunted]

Hostel Intent

AVB — 2006-04-10T12:07:21-05:00

Remember when we mentioned that adults were spending more time in hostels? No wonder, now that the truth comes out: It's not that they were so interested in slumming it, but that hostels are getting fancier by the minute. Aussie and Kiwi hostels, anyway.

Base Backpackers has locations in Wellington, Sydney and Melbourne and was named one of the top ten "hippest hostels" by Lonely Planet this year.Perhaps it's because they don't treat their residents like dirt, a welcome change from many cheap accommodations.

Unlike regular hotels, which still don't know how to cater to the ladies, Base offers a women-only floor called "Sanctuary", which has free Aveda hair care products, down pillows and hairdryers. For the men, there's a basement bar to pick up the well-rested, perfectly coiffed ladies staying in the hostel with them.

If only there were metrosexual hostels...we need mousse when we travel, damn it!

[Image via *rafaella/Flickr]

Related Stories:
·   Cheap Chic [SF Chronicle]
·   Back in the Arms of a Girlfriend [Jaunted]
·   Strange Bedfellows [Jaunted]

Strange Bedfellows

AVB — 2006-02-09T13:35:41-05:00

Want to sleep in the same room as some rowdy Australians, but don't have a passport? Maybe you should consider staying in a hostel in the U.S. of A. Hostels don't have to be an unpleasant experience abroad anymore. No sir, there are plenty here at home as well.

And not only are there gobs of them to go around, but they're full of old people, according to the Washington Post. Baby boomers are apparently so desperate to recapture their youth that they are yearning for communal showers while they travel. They can have them, as far as Jaunted is concerned.

See, this is why we only go on getaway weekends with Oprah. She'll protect us from learning something about other cultures or getting drunk and making out with that smelly Dutch girl.

[Image via atanas/Flickr]

Related Stories:
· Hostel Sleepover [Washington Post]