Where We’ve Stayed: Asia

Below is a list of every hostel and hotel we stayed in in Asia. (March – May 2015)

All hostel names link to booking sites; most of these are affiliate links and make absolutely no difference to the cost (after all, I am all about saving you money!). However if you do decide to book through any of my links, I will earn a tiny amount of commission that will go towards the running costs of this site (and you’ll also have my eternal love so it’s up to you if you want THAT).

All prices are per person.

HONG KONG

Urban Pack
Probably one of the best hostels I’ve stayed in – and the first Ash had stayed in, so I told him not to get used to it!! Great location in Kowloon, just off Nathan Road. Beds are fairly comfortable, place is spotless, showers are excellent, common room with fridge, kettle and tea bags. Only slight annoyance was it’s in a building with many other hotels and businesses. There are two lifts, one that serves odd numbers, the other even. Reception is on the 14th floor, our dorm was on the 5th, and often the lifts were full so you’d have to wait! Just a minor inconvenience though. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 3 nights
We paid: Just under £15 a night (a good price for HK!!)

Check Inn
This hostel is on HK Island, we wanted to stay on both. It’s a little more out of the way, but I loved the area, the atmosphere in the hostel was great and the staff were super friendly. This also had dorms on separate floors, but the lifts were better and the whole hostel felt more connected. They put on events every night, so one night we went to the horse races! Only downside is most dorms overlook the main road – and it’s noisy. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 2 nights
We paid: About £13 a night

VIETNAM

HANOI, VIETNAM

Central Backpackers – Old Quarter
This is BY FAR one of the best hostel experiences we’ve ever had!! We walked into our room and someone was trying to fix the bathroom door which had locked itself. There was construction work still going on as the place had only just opened (there are two other Central Backpackers which we also hear are brilliant). There was the odd teething problem. The beds were a little hard but we slept absolutely fine. And you know what? We paid $5 a night ($4.40 after 2 nights!!!), got free beer for an hour every night, free breakfast, free wifi, an absolutely brilliant atmosphere, some of the best staff we’ve met, a great rooftop bar, and really, we miss you guys so much!! Our home for a week! 🙂 (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 7 nights (1 night away)
We paid: $5 (USD) a night, down to $4.40 (£3.24 online)

HUE, VIETNAM

Tran Ly
Hostels are far and few between in Hue, and this was a mix between a hostel and hotel. I’m fairly certain we booked a dorm, but we got a private room. Good place to stay, staff were friendly, not much character to the place, but for one night it was perfect. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 1 night
We paid: £4.45 (£8.90 for the room)

HOI AN, VIETNAM

Villa Riverview
This is another place we’d return to in a heartbeat. Again, Hoi An has a lack of hostels as it caters to tourists (you know, the proper ones) but I stumbled across this gem on Agoda that is a mix of hostel, hotel AND homestay. Ash was a little apprehensive of homestays, but this was one of his favourite places! The family are SO welcoming and helpful, we rented bikes for $1 a day, and the mother cooks a mean omelette. We shared a room with one other person. It’s a little way out of the centre of town, but that didn’t bother us in the slightest. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 3 nights
We paid: £5.97 a night (£35.82 altogether) including breakfast

NHA TRANG, VIETNAM

Mojzo Inn
Another favourite!! We weren’t a huge fan of Nha Trang, but we would have happily stayed for a week if it meant staying here. The staff immediately learned our names and were constantly hyper and having fun. We were shown to our room and someone was dangling his legs off his top bunk, and the girl tickled his feet and ran out laughing! It was brilliant. They have free aloe vera in their fridge if you burn yourself, good lockers, and a decent breakfast. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 1 night
We paid: £4.58 including breakfast

HO CHI MINH CITY (SAIGON), VIETNAM

Hideout Hostel
Right in the thick of things, you couldn’t get a better location. Many of the hostels are down little alley ways (not that I felt threatened in the city) and this is on the main road opposite the park and a street away from all the bars. The room was one of the best we’ve had, but if you’re lucky you’d even get a balcony overlooking the park. Wifi was great, lockers are great, beds very comfy, breakfast is basic but a good omelette. The bar is next door so you can’t hear it in the room, and they always have events going on. Only strange thing is we went to book extra nights, and they told us to do it online! Normally adding on nights is stupidly simple. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 5 nights (1 night in Mekong)
We paid: £5.36 a night including breakfast and 2 beers

CAMBODIA

PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA

Mad Monkey Hostel
We loved Mad Monkey so much we barely left. After sightseeing during the day, we were wary of the city at night – but it didn’t matter! Our room was next door to the bar (yet we barely heard it in the room) and they have “events” every night, plus beer pong, foosball, the “bazuka” shot challenge, teapot pitchers…!! We met a lot of cool people here, and to be honest the reception staff weren’t overly friendly but the staff in the rest of the hostel were! The beds are HUGE, our room was a labyrinth of mini rooms so even though we were in a 20 bed dorm, it didn’t feel like it, the shower was decent, the lockers were SO BIG that one locker fit everything that both of us brought (you need a padlock). Food is really good but not the cheapest you can get. It’s 50 metres away from a decent corner shop. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 3 nights
We paid: £4.44 ($6 for the third night)

Lovely Jubbly Villa
Ash refused to stay here because of the name. In Sihanoukville, we met a girl who stayed here and she recommended it, so when I went to re-book Mad Monkey and it had gone up by almost £2, I thought we should try it! There were as many beds in our dorm as in Mad Monkey except they’re all right next to each other, so a lot more… compacted. Beds are fine, lots of showers (didn’t have one here, in the middle of bus journeys so not much point!), pool is nice, food is great. Drinks are cheap! Cocktails for $2.50. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 1 night
We paid: £2.02

SIHANOUKVILLE, CAMBODIA

Backpacker Heaven
The place is nice, the pool is amazing and the food is great. It’s in a nice area – but not the right area! It’s near Victory Beach, almost 3 miles away from pub street and the centre of town, and in the opposite direction to Otres. We needed the break so we didn’t mind – we spent an entire day by the pool just to catch up with ourselves – but after we had been to Serendipity… we knew we had probably made an error of judgement! Unless you want to really get away, book somewhere closer to town.
We stayed: 3 nights
We paid: £3.03 a night
[note: I’m wondering if this place has closed down because I can’t find them on TripAdvisor & they have no availability on any dates I checked on Agoda]

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA

Funky Flashpackers
I must admit, the name caught my eye. Then the pictures. Then the price. This was one of our favourite hostels! Our dorm was 20 beds but it was one of the most social hostels we stayed in. There’s the most amazing swimming pool with bean bags you can sit on IN the pool. There’s cheap food. There’s cheap booze which is inSANEly cheap during happy hour. The rooms are spotless, the showers are brilliant, and they have swinging hammock bench things and a rooftop bar with a view of the sunset. It’s a few metres down a dirt track road and we were a little worried when our tuk tuk driver turned down this road… but boy was it worth it! The location is great too, just a 10 minute walk from Pub Street and round the corner from loads of amenities, including some wonderful local restaurants. 10/10! (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 5 nights
We paid: $7 a night (around £4-5)

THAILAND

BANGKOK, THAILAND

Feel At Home Backpackers
Near to Khao San Road but far enough away to escape from it, this is in an ideal location for backpackers. It’s closer to Rambuttri (similar to Khao San but we much preferred the atmosphere) and you have street food and market stalls right on your doorstep. The hostel itself was okay. It was clean but dated, the showers worked great, Ash’s light didn’t work and it was a couple of flights of stairs to the dorm. The owners were really friendly and helpful, but it was really your typical run-of-the-mill backpackers hostel, so no complaints here. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 4 nights
We paid: £4.97 a night (it was over Songkran)
[note: not sure if this hostel is still open as I couldn’t find availability on Agoda?]

Mile Map Hostel
We stayed here for two nights on our way back south, this place is in downtown Bangkok so it was nice to experience a different side to the city. It’s in Silom, just around the corner from the sky train but a bit of a walk from the MTR. The staff were lovely and we arrived super early after an overnight train, and the first thing she asked was whether we wanted to use the shower before we checked in. They also print for 2THB a sheet (bargain), post your postcards for 15THB, and they emailed me before our arrival date with directions in both English and Thai, to show taxi drivers! What a fantastic idea. The common areas are great, it’s strangely the first hostel we’ve stayed in in Asia that has a KITCHEN, there are plenty of books to read, there’s a rooftop area… stairs again, but a bit more open so easier to navigate! Showers good, rooms clean… but our air con made it stink a bit! :S Apart from that it was great, we’d definitely stay there again. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 2 nights
We paid: £4.63 a night

CHIANG MAI, THAILAND

RockPresso House
Realising that we needed accommodation in Chiang Mai over Songkran, I hastily booked this place for 2 nights with virtually no reviews online. It’s a coffee shop with dorms above, and it’s not the best place we’ve ever stayed. But genuinely, it’s one of my favourites! We stayed in the hottest season, so a fan room didn’t quite cut it, but everything was clean, the bathrooms were fine but a little temperamental sometimes, the stairs were a bit much with our bags in the heat. HOWEVER, the wifi is one of the fastest we’ve had in Asia, we met a lot of cool people there, and the owner (Dune? Doune?) is awesome! One of the girls we befriended happened across his band playing in a bar next to Zoe’s, so we went back the next evening and had one of our most fun nights out on this trip! When we came back from ENP, I went to see his band again and he came over to say hello. The coffee shop serves the most delicious smoothies ever, along with yummy burgers and a cool rock theme. The best part? This place cost… *drum roll* (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 6 nights (after only booking 2!)
We paid: £2.50 a night!!! (120THB)

SoHostel
I really wanted to stay at RockPresso again but we were arriving late on Sunday and without booking it, we didn’t know if he’d be there. So we booked this place instead, and it was nice. It was clean. It was more professional than RockPresso (there was a proper reception). The beds were nice. The showers were good, but the toilet paper was outside the bathrooms which threw me. THERE WAS A LIFT!!! Our only lift in Thailand! And there’s A/C. I liked it, I think had we stayed there longer we may have liked it a lot more too, but I didn’t love it, and there are far cheaper places in the city. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 1 night
We paid: 279THB (£5.50ish)

KOH PHANGAN, THAILAND

Seaview Rainbow Resort
We actually booked with a different bungalow (Nantakarn), but they recommended the place next door for two people. It was an extra 150THB per day, but we reckon it was worth it! Very basic bungalow but enough space and a porch with a hammock! AND it’s right on a beautiful beach, round the corner from a 7 Eleven and some restaurants, so it was perfect for what we wanted. We were on the island for the Full Moon Party (of course) and this was a little far out from the party, but actually we saw a different side to the island (literally) and absolutely loved it! Met tons of people who only stayed around the main town and towards the party beach who didn’t like the island and had to walk 10 minutes to get to any beach. We’d definitely come back, whereas we haven’t met many others who would – and for us it’s mostly thanks to this place! Very friendly but laid back staff who don’t seem to do much lol, all good though. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 3 nights
We paid: Probably about £7 a night with the extra

KOH TAO, THAILAND

Jom Tong Guesthouse
We had a booking with Central Hostel for the following two nights, but arrived the day before and they were full. As were several other hostels. We decided to have a look at this place, and actually for a room we paid about the same as the hostels charged. And I’m so glad we discovered it! What a little gem. Room was perfect and obviously private, only a fan but that wasn’t too bad, and the ladies who owned it were SO lovely and helpful. We ended up booking our snorkelling tour through them and even came back to do laundry with them lol. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 1 night
We paid: 700THB between us! (£14)

Koh Tao Central Hostel
We liked the feel of this place, and I can see why it was fully booked! It’s in the main town you come into, not Sairee where a lot of people choose to stay, and we adored the whole area. Close to everything, clean rooms, everything is themed like London with underground signs everywhere and Banksy art dotted around. Had a chat with the owner and he’s planning to put tardises on all the doors!! Speaking of which, the owner is lovely! On our last evening, we went over the road for a drink (where you get discount for staying here!) and he bought us drinks, we had a really good chat, met his Thai girlfriend, talked about their plans and how the island has changed since he set up, etc. Definitely recommend staying here but otherwise check out the above guesthouse if there’s more than one of you! (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 2 nights
We paid: 340THB a night (£6.80)

KOH LANTA, THAILAND

Baan Mook Anda
LOVED THIS PLACE! One of my favourite things straight away was the fact everything is on one floor so NO STAIRS!! The family who run this place are absolutely lovely, probably some of the best people I met on our entire trip (that could be said for EVERYONE we met in Koh Lanta). We also visited in low season, so although we were staying in a 20-bed dorm, there were only 5 of us on the busiest night! We were only booked for 1 night and ended up staying 4, and we met so many amazing people here who have become friends. We hired a scooter through the hostel with no problems whatsoever, there’s a little common area out the back, and there’s FREE TEA & COFFEE!! It’s in Ban Saladan about 50 metres from the ferry, around Long Beach might be better in high season but we met people staying there who ended up chilling at ours. 1000000% if you go to Koh Lanta, stay here! (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 4 nights
We paid: 170THB a night (£3.40)

KRABI, THAILAND

Your Hostel
Again, we hadn’t booked anything in advance and turned up to Pak Up to find there were no beds available. Luckily there were two hostels right next door, and we got a private room with a balcony in one of them for the same price as a dorm bed in Pak Up! It was nice, there was a little pool indoors that was far too cold to use, they did the most delicious milkshakes, and the staff were all friendly. But there wasn’t much character to it, so we decided to see what Pak Up! was all about… (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 1 night
We paid: 300THB each (£6)

Pak Up! Hostel
Another hostel where I can see why it’s always booked up. It’s set in an old school and everything is themed like a school! We stayed in the IT “classroom” and our beds were called Ctrl & Alt. It’s very much a party hostel but the rooms aren’t loud so you can get away from it. The bar (called “the playground”) offers activities every single night, and we did a pub quiz one night (came second!) and beer pong the next (lost on “penalties” which was Twister!!). They offer happy hour drinks, they also have a rum called Black Cock, the wifi password is freeblackcock, and you GET free Black Cock (the drink, of course) if you book anything through them. They were really fun and the staff were friendly, everything VERY clean and the showers/toilet block was literally school gym changing rooms! (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 2 nights
We paid: About £6 a night

KHANOM, THAILAND

Ban Thanyanan
Another of our favourite places!! This barely has any reviews online so I want to shout about it from the rooftops! It’s a family-run row of bungalows just off the beach and we stayed for our last night in Thailand to visit a friend of mine who invited us to a party at a bar. We arrived unsure of where to go, and the owner was super friendly and her daughter showed us around and made sure we liked it. She needed a deposit for the key (200THB I think) which I didn’t have in cash, and she told us not to worry! The following day, we asked if we could leave our stuff there while we went to say goodbye to my friend, she offered us a lift into town FOR FREE to catch our bus back to Surat Thani, and when we got to the “station”, she made sure we were sold the right tickets and not overcharged. What a lovely lady!!! Best service we have received in possibly the whole of Asia! The rooms are also awesome! Clean, funky bedding (we had leopard print!), decent shower etc etc. Great place, and Khanom is one to watch for Thailand too so I hope this family does well out of whatever is to come! (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 1 night
We paid: £12

MALAYSIA

PENANG, MALAYSIA

Clockwise Hostel
This is a cute café housed in a listed building with street art on the side! A little more expensive than some other places in the area, but a friend of ours went to one of the cheaper places and the following day turned up at ours praying that they had a bed because she couldn’t stand one more night there!! We had a really good time here, made some friends to explore the city with, and it’s right next to Love Lane so pretty close to everything you need. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 2 nights
We paid: £6 (27MYR for the second night)
[note: I think this may have closed down as I can’t find any availability online and there are no reviews for 2017! Boo.]

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Reggae Guest House Hostel
Great location and next to the renowned Reggae Bar, it’s fairly clean, staff are very friendly, the kitchen is decent and breakfast is included in the price. It’s all carpeted and decorated so feels very house-y. I also managed to book a 2 person room for the same price as the dorm – but this just meant we were in a bunk bed, in a very tiny room (no space to swing a cat!), with NO WINDOWS. I didn’t mind the place but this was about the worst room we’ve stayed in, it made me feel groggy and I would wake up late because there was no sense of time. The dorm room looked similar but at least there was more space in there! It actually has pretty good reviews online. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 2 nights
We paid: £6.23 a night including breakfast

SINGAPORE

The Hive Hostel
Great little hostel in a pretty decent location – not close to the centre walking distance, but a 5 minute walk from the nearest MRT station and easy to get around using that. Everyone is friendly and thankfully our room was on the ground floor (there are a couple of rooms upstairs). Breakfast is included, shower rooms were pretty good, only weird thing was on the first night they thought all the beds were taken and put Ash on a Z-bed by the door! The next day he swiftly moved to the bed above me which had remained empty. But apart from that it’s really decent, there’s a TV room, common area, and breakfast includes toast, cereal and tea & coffee. (…read more reviews here)
We stayed: 3 nights
We paid: $15 a night including breakfast (£7.50)