For all you soul-travellers trailblazing the planet, we bring to you a special treat: a cozy, cheap and crazy way to stay – creative hostels. As the name suggests, creative hostels are spaces intended to tickle your creative bone as you stay in a quirky, economic way. These handpicked hostels are a new and revolutionary alternative to your typical hotel room, that offer safe, clean and culturally rich accommodation for those on a shoe-string budget. This new trend of creative hostels sprouting up across all the major tourist hotspots across the country are ideal for the economic traveller. Gone are the days when you’d have to choose between bankruptcy or hell-hole conditions for your travel accommodations. The Yellow Sparrow brings to you the top 5 creative hostels in India to experience in this lifetime!
1. Zostel
Image Courtesy: HostelWorld
Possibly one of India’s fastest-growing creative hostel chains, Zostel offers a pinch of upscale living at generously low prices. With branches in Delhi, Varanasi, Jodhpur, Mumbai, Goa, Pushkar, Ooty and many more in progress, Zostel provides safe, hygienic and comfortable outposts for your home away from home. The word ‘subtle’ has no place in the magnificence of a vibrant city like Jaipur and Zostel evidently portrays this. From the scintillating rainbow-painted walls to the mesmerising common room, Zostel does its part to invoke the romance of the city. One of their excellent features include the provision to cancel your reservation up to a day prior to your booking. Very beneficial and tempting for spontaneous travellers indeed! The price range for accommodation at the dormitory begins at Rs. 600/- and goes up to Rs. 2000/- for private rooms. Their wide network of hostels across North India and a few in the South have earned them high ratings from travellers across the country.
2. We Moustache You a Question: Wouldn’t You Love to Stay Here?
Image Courtesy: HostelWorld
Similar to the effect of its name, this Hostel stands out from the rest as being one of the most ‘trendiest’ chains of hostels in the country. Moustache Hostels are centrally placed, easily accessibly and retro-fitted to the needs of the International Backpacker. They bring in a cultural vibe to their spaces with elements of traditional and ethnic styles. Their Udaipur joint has an admirable terrace that glances across the Udaipur skyline. They also boast of two distinct common rooms and a multi-cuisine rooftop restaurant with a breathtaking view. The price range starts from $9 which is about Rs. 600/- onwards. They also have the option to cancel your reservation 24 hours prior to arrival.
Moustache in particular takes a stand above from the creed. We just don’t sell beds and attempt to earn profits. We are developing a bond. A bond of trust, a bond of satisfaction, a bond of comfort and above all, making a guest feel at home. We offer a variety of indulgences whether it is food, culture, accommodation, travel or any other recommendation,
said a spokesperson for Moustache Hostel. Ranked a solid 9.0 on the rating scales by HostelWorld, you are sure to get a bang for your buck!
3. Stops You In Your Tracks
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This soul-traveller hotspot is the first-ever ‘exploration-oriented’ lot of hostels in India. Stops Hostels emphasise Indian culture via their accommodations with events ranging from walking tours, Bollywood Nights, Indian cook-outs, local music gigs and even vibrant festival celebrations. They say
We strive to provide multiple perspectives on each city with a sneak peak into its culture, history, art, social structures, food and people.
They are currently based in Varanasi and Delhi with more upcoming locations across the country, with prices ranging from Rs. 600/- for dorms and upto Rs. 3000/- for separate rooms. A spokesperson for Stops Hostels says,
Stops is all about discovering a new city together. The space as well as the activities are designed to ensure this. Our team also strives to help our guests understand the city better. The real clincher are our walking tours through the alley ways of Chandni Chowk exploring and relishing hidden gems like the dariba kalan, Ghalib ki Haveli, and Phool Mandi.
4. Vedanta Wake Up!
Image Courtesy: HostelWorld
Yes, it does have an exclamation mark in its name right after the words ‘Wake Up.’ This chain of backpacking hostels is the most revered brand for the traveller in South India. With locations in Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu and across Kerala in places like Allepey, Kovalam, Fort Kochi, Tekkady and Varkala, this lot of budget home-stays are well-renowned. The decor is designed to provide a sense of comfort and cleanliness with a well-manicured verandah in case you’d like to reconnect with mother nature. Apart from the standard features like private rooms, shared dorms and common rooms, Vedanta Wake Up! offers a 24×7 Travel Desk and various free daily activities like bar crawls, yoga, cycle tours, music and movie nights, and much more. If you fancy it, you could even rent a bicycle and explore the local attractions. The price range starts as low as Rs. 400/- all the way upto Rs.1999/-. HostelWorld rates this brand 7.8 and we certainly qualify it for recommendation.
5. The Prison You’d Love to Visit
Image Courtesy: HostelWorld
India’s first and only party hostel, Prisonhostel, is located at just one location, but it’s the only location you should be at if you’re looking to party: the one and the only Goa. This is a unique place that isn’t meant for the fatigued traveller looking for a peaceful abode. It is more aptly described as a club/pub that happens to have comfy accommodation. Located at the Flea Market Road in Anjuna, this place has a party shuttle to ferry you around to the best parties in Goa in case it isn’t already happening at Anjuna. The price per person in a 10-bed dorm is Rs. 450/- and in a 4-bed dorm its Rs. 500/-. Not surprisingly, it receives a high rating from its guests.
This sums up our 5 best creative hostels and one-stop spots for your not-at-all average traveller in the proverbial journey of life. These places are sure to inspire you to creativity, either by virtue of the nurturing environment or with the other artistic guests surrounding you. The hostels themselves feature beautiful and quirky artwork, to make it the most conducive place to spur your creativity. Drop in your thoughts, feelings and friendship in the comments below. Until next time, we leave you with this profound quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton,
The traveller sees what he sees, the tourist sees what he has come to see.
