Breaking Down the Hostel

Consider an American hotel - something average, but nice, like a Hilton or Sheraton Inn.  When you book a room, you know what to expect: the number of beds, what size beds, clean towels, unlimited key-cards, precise pool hours, payperview television, working electricity, mini bottles of shampoo, etc.  The quality of which differs, depending on they money you're willing to spend.  Nonetheless, you know what to expect when you hand over your credit card.

I can't speak for Italian hotels;  I've never stayed in one, so I wouldn't know.  However, I can speak for my first experience in an Italian hostel.  And it went a little something like this:

Four girls and I arrived into Florence, Italy, around 11pm last weekend.  We roamed around the town, trying to find our Youth Hostel, where we booked a private room.  

For those unfamiliar, there are two kinds of rooms in a hostel: dorms and privates, both of which are comprised of 1-4 bunk beds (up to an 8-person stay).  But, depending on how many euros you want to pay, you can be sleeping in 1. a private, where you know everyone around you or 2. a dorm, where you may or may not know that creepy, garbage-smelling man sleeping next to you.  Personally, I'd rather save my euros and sleep next to a creepy man - however, the girls I was with disagreed.

Living area outside our room.

After some serious walking took place, we finally found the old, wooden doors to our hostel.   We walked up three narrow stair cases to find a man at a front desk in an intricate living area.  It looked like an old couple's home and smelled like pachouli flowers.  Nothing like the white-washed, hotel walls in the States - it had character - I loved it. 

The desk man was friendly, but set down the "rules" right away:

1.  WiFi hours are off between the hours of 1 or 2 or 3 am to about 9 or 10 or 11 pm.  It differed every night.

2.  Customers only get one (real, not plastic) key.  So have a plan if deciding to venture into separate groups.

3.  He will call as an alarm after 7 or 7:30am, depending on when he woke up.  If you have to wake up earlier, well, tough luck.

4.  You must pay in exact euros.  If your 2-night-stay is 163 euro, you give him 163 euro.  Not 165, or 170.  The cash drawer will be absent.
And that is that.

Jolie kickin' it in our 5-person-hostel room.

Along with desk-guy's rules, I created my own personal set of rules: 

1.  To make travels slightly easier, check out hostel reviews, such as the ones on hostelworld.com.  It will help cut through the chase when searching for a decent stay. 

2.  Most hostels (including ours) don't provide towels.  So, either bring one or use the extra bedding in the closet.

3.  Bring toiletries.  No mini shampoos or conditioners in these joints. 

4.  Know where and how to use an electricity box.  Especially when you're bringing more than one hairdryer. 

5.  Pack LAYERS.  Cute, old buildings are not very well-vented most of the time.

6.  Don't have any expectations.  Bring an alarm if you have an early flight or train home (may not do wake-up calls).  Don't be upset when the internet stops working in the middle of a skype session with your boyfriend (WiFi hours may turn off/not exist).  Know the local eating areas around your hostel (some hostels serve breakfast, others do not).

7.  And lastly, enjoy your stay. :)

Creepy baby painting outside our room. 

BREAKFAST! Simple, but satisfying.