My Top 7 Favorite Hostels in SE Asia

I won’t lie; I wasn’t expecting much from the hostels I would be staying in while backpacking SE Asia for four months.

Having stayed in hostels before, mostly in Europe, I wasn’t expecting the ones in SE Asia to be as nice. Well, to my surprise, not only were the hostels in SE Asia way cheaper. They were also hands down way better!

There were some that stood out more than others, and this article will compile my absolute favorite hostels for your reference if you ever find yourself traveling on a budget in SE Asia.

These are the ones that came first to mind when I reflected on my trip, and the ones I’m dreaming to go back to.

They’re the hostels so awesome that a trip to SE Asia is worth it just to experience staying at them. I’m not exaggerating. (Okay, maybe a tiny bit, but not much.)

Most of these hostels you can find recommended in my Writer’s Travel Guides for their respective cities or towns. So make sure to check out those too if you want to be inspired to write while traveling to these places.

This turned into a longer article than I expected, but that’s because I’m so passionate about these amazing hostels and couldn’t shut up once I started writing about them.

I hope you don’t mind and become convinced to go experience them for yourselves!

Yogyakarta, Indonesia: Otu Hostel by Ostic

Everyone staying there agreed; the staff were the best they’ve encountered in all their travels. I found only a few other hostels rivaling their staff’s friendliness (keep reading). But every time I came back to the hostel after a day of sightseeing, they always greeted me with the warmest smiles and greetings.

The staff was super helpful booking tours and classes (I took silver making and batik classes), as well as helping with public transportation and giving recommendations.

Beyond the amazing staff, the hostel had the most perfect socializing space. It’s not easy for introverts like me to meet new people while traveling, but hostels like these make it effortless. Just sit yourself down at the communal table and you’ll be joined in to the conversation.

Another highlight of this hostel? In an open courtyard next to communal sitting area there’s a pool. And it’s the perfect place to tan and to escape the heat of Yogyakarta. I was so tempted to just relax in this inviting environment all day long, but there was so much to see and do in the area!

Bali, Indonesia: In Da Lodge

I kind of don’t want to recommend this place because unlike every other place on this list, I didn’t find the staff to be all that pleasant. But because of all the tourists overrunning Ubud, I don’t entirely blame the failure of a warm welcome by one staff member in particular. And all the other aspects of the hostel I remember with great fondness.

There are many dorm and private room options, but I chose the cheapest. That turned out to be (in my opinion) the coolest option, because the bunkbeds were located in a huge, traditional Balinese house.

And the rest of the place had a traditional vibe too. You enter through an elaborate gateway and over a bridge above a pond of fish. In the cozy space you have hammocks to one side, the traditional house dorm to the other, and in front, a very inviting pool with comfy seating. The poolside was a great place to gather and meet people, and actually where I met a few travel buddies to travel Bali with.

And to complete the whole Balinese vibe? There was a rice field next to the pool.

Despite the fact Ubud is horribly crowded, In Da Lodge is located on a quiet side street that feels very remote. But it is actually in the perfect location, near one of the main streets and within walking distance to almost everything.

Chiang Rai, Thailand: Get Hi Hostel

I didn’t end up at this hostel by chance. I was going to skip Chiang Rai entirely so that I could spend more time in my beloved Pai, but a friend I met in Bali raved so much about his favorite hostel ever: Get Hi Hostel.

So that recommendation is pretty much the main reason I ended up in Chiang Rai. And from day 1, I could see what was so amazing about this hostel.

Many hostels I stayed at in SE Asia would tell you “welcome home” when you’d come in, but it never quite felt genuine. Get Hi Hostel is among the only places I stayed at where it felt true.

The owner so genuinely cares about her guests, more than any other place I ever stayed at. As an introvert, meeting new people is usually hard, but it was so easy here. Every day she organized something: from exploring a waterfall, playing beer pong or having a cooking class. Sure, lots of hostels have something like this. But Get Hi goes way beyond that.

First and Joe join in on all the activities and make sure that all guests feel included and help foster friendships. It was at this hostel that I met friends I would later travel with to Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. My first night, the owner, First, took us to a local spot to get fried chicken at midnight after an evening of beer pong. And she went as far as getting cupcakes for me when she found out it was my birthday.

The environment created there made it truly feel like you were coming home, where you could watch Netflix on the couch, play with the adorable dog, Piggy, and grab food from the fridge anytime you want.

I’m with my friend who told me to stay there: I can’t recommend this place enough. It truly feels like home.

Pai, Thailand: Suandoi Resort

If I had to choose a hostel as my absolute favorite, this would be it. Maybe that’s because I spent the most time there (8 nights) than in any other hostel on my trip. Maybe it’s because of all the friendships I made there. Or maybe it’s just because of the charm of Pai itself. But this place was absolute paradise in my eyes.

Nestled above the town of Pai and under the hilly mountains looming above, the location was so peaceful.

It’s a really spacious property with ponds and cozy spots to chill throughout. My favorite was probably a tree house looking structure with seating up top and hammocks hanging underneath. This was also the location of the yoga classes.

They had a yoga teacher while I was there, so I started each day off first with free breakfast and then with a free yoga class. I’d usually just explore the area with new friends for the rest of the day, but they also had organized activities some days, like tubing on the river.

Suandoi not only has a restaurant, but also a bar where you’ll get to socialize over happy hour drinks and sometimes enjoy free food.

The great thing about this hostel is that it was quiet and calm during the day, but there were always people around in the evening to hang out with.

I dream of going back there again for a writing retreat; it’s the perfect place for one!

Railay Beach, Thailand: Blanco Hideout

So, this is the only party hostel on this list. I’m not a huge fan of party hostels, as I’m not too drawn to rowdy crowds and people coming into dorms loudly in the middle of the night. And I know there’s lots of people who actively search out party hostels, but that’s no longer me. I’m getting old.

But this place was amazing.

Granted, I was there in off season so there wasn’t even much of a party hostel vibe there. Yet it did have a friendly social aspect that made it super easy to find friends to explore the area with, and I even met people to travel onwards with.

The dorms were in little huts on a hill. The whole place was located up on a hill. And though the stairs to get there sucked, the view more than made up for them. The pool and lounging area had the most gorgeous view of the ocean and the limestone rock formations found throughout much of SE Asia.

I found this hostel so relaxing- as well as all of Railay Beach- that I decided to skip out on visiting other islands and stay there longer.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Space Hotel

This is definitely the least social hostel out of all the other ones on this list, but it’s probably the most unique! So if meeting new people isn’t really your thing (give it a try even if it isn’t normally!), this place is just pure awesome.

You’ll especially appreciate this hostel if you’re writing a Sci-Fi book like I was. From the moment you enter, a space themed elevator greets you, and the rest of the place was equally decked out in a space theme.

The dorm rooms featured capsule styled beds resembling space pods straight from a Sci-Fi movie. I had so much fun sleeping in mine.

And even more fun was the slide! That’s right, an indoor, space themed slide from the top floor to the floor below it.

This hostel is the perfect place to unleash your inner child.

Thakhek, Laos: Naga Hostel

I must make a confession: I didn’t actually stay at this hostel. I almost did, but on the insistence of the owner, I didn’t.

Let me explain.

Thakhek is small city popular among backpacker crowds because it’s the start of a motorbike loop through the surrounding area.

When I arrived to begin the loop, I stayed at Bike & Bed, another hostel that probably should make this list. (Their décor was so inviting, as was the outdoor area where they served fresh cooked breakfast.)

I rented my bike there when I started the loop, but wanting to stay the night there when I finished the loop, I found it fully booked. That’s when I was forced to book at Naga Hostel, and happened next is kind of a long story.

So let me condense it for those who don’t want to read: the owner is the absolute most genuinely welcoming and helpful person. He helped us out even though it was against his best interest. (Also, the beds looked so cozy, as goes for the rest of the hostel, and it has everything you’d want in a hostel.) Stay at his hostel!

For those who want it, here’s the long story.

After finding Bike & Bed Hostel fully booked when I dropped the bike off there, I quickly reserved the last beds available at Naga Hostel and reluctantly started the walk across town.

Approaching the hostel, I heard loud music coming from the courtyard in front of it. The owner ran up to the front desk to welcome us and apologize for the noise. Turns out, it was his neighbor’s birthday, and since he couldn’t leave the hostel to attend the party, he decided to host it at the hostel. I was exhausted and just wanted to sleep, but I could appreciate that and suck up the noise.

But then we asked him if we could book a bus to our next stop on the trip: Don Det. My plan was to go early morning the next day.

He told us if we wanted to go to Don Det, the best way would be to go that very night. Long story short, it was the only way to catch the ferry to Don Let in time.

While I didn’t want to waste an entire day waiting for the next night bus the following night, I also didn’t want to go on a bus that night. I was already so sore from sitting on the bike for three days straight.

You guys. It was the hostel owner who convinced us to go that night instead of staying in his hostel. Even though it was in his best interest for us to stay the night, and therefore pay for the hostel. He pushed us to go that night, since it was our best option. And he let us cancel our booking free of charge.

That’s not all. Far from it.

He then told us the best bus to take was the last one at midnight, since that way we wouldn’t have to spend hours in the middle of the night waiting for the 8 a.m. bus to the ferry.

And so he urged us to join the birthday party for the few hours we had to wait for that midnight bus.

I resisted at first. I was absolutely starving and exhausted. When I asked for a restaurant recommendation, he came back with beers and food from the party! Feeling guilty about taking food, I was finally convinced it would be rude to refuse the hospitality and joined the big table outside.

And it was probably one of coolest experiences I had on my trip in SE Asia.

Lao people really like to drink. The glasses of alcohol they placed in front of us were expected to be downed immediately, not sipped as I tried to do and was chastised for. And as soon as our cups were empty, more Beer Lao was poured in.

Everyone was so friendly and inviting, the Lao people mingling with the unsuspecting hostel guests. Drinking, eating, talking and dancing together, this was hands down the most genuine, unexpectedly welcoming experience I had in Laos.

I left for the bus feeling so humbled by the hospitality.

My experience in SE Asia up until that point was that locals were only friendly if you were giving them money somehow. It was the opposite at Naga Hostel.

And that night remains one of the fondest hostel memories I had on my trip, even though I didn’t even sleep there! Although I most definitely plan to next time I find myself in Laos.

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So, those are the top 7 hostels where I had the best experiences in SE Asia. I know there’s way more awesome hostels that I didn’t get to stay in yet. Comment below your favorite ones!

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