hostel hunting

after the "meh" phase that plagued me since the start of the year, i'm back to my wanderlusting groove.

i'm taking a break from planning the bangkok-siem reap trip by hunting for hostels in other cities that i want to visit.

you all know how much i love a good bargain, but i'm also on the lookout for interesting-looking hostels, not just the usual backpacker den. nothing against backpackers, but some hostels do tend to scrimp on privacy, which i value the most when i'm traveling. i like to socialize as much as the next person, but i also want to have my own space.

so right now, i'm checking out some hangzhou hostels. i really can't wait to get to this place and see the west lake.

when hunting for a hostel, i usually start with sites such as hostels.com or hostelbookers.com, just to see what's out there. the pictures in these sites don't usually give you much information on the place, but the reviews are pretty helpful.

when i've picked one or two from the list, i then consult google (like i really needed to place the link), so i can see if the hostels i chose have their own official website that, hopefully, provides more information. if i'm still not satisfied, i check trip advisor for reviews.

i try not to book through third-party websites, because i want my transaction to be done direct. even though hostels.com and hostelbookers sometimes offer better rates, i still stick with booking direct. i just think it's less of a hassle that way, and you minimize the problems and confusion regarding your booking.

so, anyway. let me go back to hostel hunting. :) i'll let you know what i find. in fact, i've been thinking of writing a hostel directory blog of sorts. so far, i have singapore, hong kong, and bangkok, with some recommendations for siem reap as well. i'm trying to see if i can find really cool and cheap places to stay in every city that i want to visit.

let's see what happens.