When travelling around the world hostels are always a fun and cheap way to spend the night. So what are hostels in Holland like? Are there any? Of course! In the Holland (or do you prefer to say the Netherlands?) the member organisation is called Stayokay and we recently found out that staying there is more than okay. Actually, it was StayAwesome!
Stayokay rocks. It's wonderful. It's fun. We love it! You'll find Stayokay hostels in amazing places and locations, like in a castle, on an island, or with magnificent views over a river. It's all possible when you stay at Stayokay hostels in Holland. There are 22 Stayokay hostels in Holland, so there's always a hostel where you're going. These hostels can be categorised as follows:
- City
- Countryside
- Coast and water
And these category names say it all… Now you know what to expect. The concept of these HI hostels or Stayokay hostels in Holland is fresh and funky and they differ from what you would expect from a hostel. There's no communal kitchen so you can't cook or bring your own food or drinks.
But when you book a dorm bed or private room, you'll notice that breakfast is included. And breakfast consists of real fresh organic bread, cheese, ham, eggs, jams, and what not. Plus these Stayokay hostels have a bar on-site and free wifi. Oh, and each hostel location is different and special.
So when we toured the Netherlands we decided to check out some of these hostels as we heard great stories about the concept and some of the locations.
Sweet dreams in a castle (Heemskerk)
Heemskerk is a small town between Alkmaar (cheese city) and Amsterdam. This hostel is easy to reach by car or push bike. Public transport will take a bit longer as it involves train and bus travel. This Stayokay hostel is basically a 13th-century castle. As soon as you enter it feels like you travelled back in time.
It's an amazing experience to spend the night in this castle. As it's a hostel, it's actually not that expensive to spend some nights here. Prices are as low as €23, choose from dorm bed (4 or 6-bed dorm) or private room. Have a look at the full list of low rates at this hostel. The category of this hostel is countryside.
Things we liked about this hostel
- Everything: it's spending the night in a real castle! What's not to love?
Things we didn't like about this hostel
- Curfew at midnight and no way to get in any later
On an island (Texel)
Texel is one of the islands that can be found North of the Netherlands in the Wadden Sea. Texel is the biggest and most popular island there and is a perfect destination for cycling, hiking, and all sorts of beach activities and sports.
The Stayokay hostel on Texel is easy to reach by car or push-bike. It's not that far from the ferry. Prices at this hostel start from as low as €22, choose from dorm bed or private room. See the full list of low rates at this hostel. The category of this hostel is coast and water.
Things we liked about this hostel
- Walking distance to village centre and pub (try the local craft beer from the Texel Brewery)
- Fresh bread from a local bakery at the breakfast buffet
- Free parking
Things we didn't like at this hostel
- Well, nothing really. We loved this hostel on Texel
Scenic river views (Maastricht)
Maastricht is a major city in the South of the Netherlands. As this part of the Netherlands is so close to the Belgium border, Maastricht has a Burgundian feel. As with all big cities finding cheap accommodation can be quite difficult. Therefore it's amazing that there is a Stayokay hostel in Maastricht. And the location is sweet as, on the banks of the river Maas and yet the city centre is within walking distance.
Prices are as low as €27, choose from dorm bed (4 or 6-bed dorm) or private room. Have a look at the full list of low rates at this hostel. Check out the full list of low rates at this hostel. The category of this hostel is of course city.
Things we liked about this hostel
- View over the river Maas
- Walking distance of the city centre
- Affordable parking (€6 a day)
Things we didn't like about this hostel
- The smell when we arrived: was it a sewer issue or…??? Hopefully, it was a one-off thing.
Note: This blog post was posted between 2010 and 2015 when we were called DIY-OE. As we’re still happy with the quality, it was published again on our new blog Travel.Geek.NZ.
